Paws Chicago
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
PAWS CHICAGO IS A NATIONAL LEADER IN THE NO KILL ANIMAL WELFARE MOVEMENT, HELPING MORE THAN 23,842 HOMELESS AND AT-RISK PETS EACH YEAR THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE SPAY/NEUTER, MEDICAL, AND ADOPTION PROGRAMS.
- Income
- $47.0 million
- Spending
- $21.3 million
- Spent on programs
- 88%
- Reserves
- 44.1 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 65%
- Employees
- 254
- Volunteers
- 3,283
- Highest pay
- $292,567, chief medical officer
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 78% of charities in its peer group (animals, $10m to $100m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 44.1 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 1% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 55% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 45% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1588% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 5 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 19% of charities in its peer group (animals, $10m to $100m).
Independent board
25 of 2524 of 25 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (4)
- $8.2 million spent. ANIMAL HEALTH & BEHAVIOR:ENSURING THAT EVERY SINGLE RESCUED PET RECEIVES THE MEDICAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESOURCES NEEDED TO NOT JUST SURVIVE BUT THRIVE IS THE CORE PURPOSE OF THE ANIMAL HEALTH & BEHAVIOR PILLAR OF PAWS CHICAGO'S NO KILL MODEL. THE EXPANDED AND RECENTLY RENOVATED 30,000 SQUARE FOOT PAWS CHICAGO NAN & WAYNE KOCOUREK MEDICAL CENTER IS THE MOST STATE-OF-THE-ART HOSPITAL FOR HOMELESS ANIMALS IN THE NATION, AND IT'S THE FIRST STOP FOR EVERY ONE OF PAWS CHICAGO'S 4,382 ADOPTED PETS. WITH SPECIAL QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION WARDS TO PREVENT DISEASE TRANSMISSION, A TEAM OF EXPERT MEDICAL AND BEHAVIOR PROFESSIONALS ENSURES EVERY PET RECEIVES THE INDIVIDUAL CARE THEY NEED, RESULTING IN AN INDUSTRY-LEADING 97.93% SAVE RATE. FROM UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS TO DEADLY DISEASES LIKE CANINE PARVOVIRUS AND FELINE PANLEUKOPENIA, FROM INJURIES TO SKIN INFECTIONS, THE PAWS CHICAGO MEDICAL TEAM SEES AND HEALS IT ALL. VETERINARY SURGEONS NOT ONLY SPAY AND NEUTER EVERY PET BUT ALSO PERFORMED 609 ADVANCED SURGERIES ADDRESSING ORTHOPEDIC CONDITIONS SUCH AS TORN LIGAMENTS, EYE INJURIES, HERNIA REPAIRS, MASS REMOVALS, EXTENSIVE DENTAL DISEASE REQUIRING EXTRACTIONS, AND MANY OTHER MEDICAL NEEDS. THE MEDICAL CENTER AND ITS WORLD-CLASS VETERINARY TEAM TREAT THE MOST SERIOUS CASES ON SITE. A ROBUST FOSTER NETWORK CARES FOR PETS WHEN THEY ARE STABLE AND READY TO RECOVER IN A HOME ENVIRONMENT, WITH 2,254 CATS AND DOGS SPENDING TIME IN FOSTER CARE IN 2024.AS PART OF THE FOSTER PROGRAM, HELP ME HEAL (HMH) IS A FOSTER-TO-ADOPT PROGRAM THAT ENABLES ANIMALS WITH LONG-TERM MEDICAL RECOVERIES TO GO INTO FOSTER CARE WITH THEIR ADOPTIVE FAMILIES INSTEAD OF STAYING IN THE SHELTER FOR MONTHS. FOR EXAMPLE, A DOG UNDERGOING THREE MONTHS OF TREATMENT FOR HEARTWORM WILL BE CARED FOR IN ITS FUTURE ADOPTIVE HOME WHILE RECEIVING MEDICAL TREATMENT ADMINISTERED BY PAWS IN AN OUTPATIENT CAPACITY; ONCE THAT PET IS SUCCESSFULLY TREATED, THE ADOPTION WILL BE FINALIZED. IN 2024, THERE WERE 165 PETS CARED FOR IN HMH HOMES BEFORE ADOPTION.RECOGNIZING THAT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, SOCIALIZATION AND ENRICHMENT ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT TO A QUALITY LIFE AS PHYSICAL HEALTH, PAWS CHICAGO ALSO HAS THREE FULL-TIME AND THREE PART-TIME TRAINERS WHO LEAD AN INNOVATIVE DOG AND CAT TRAINING AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAM FOR PAWS CHICAGO'S HOMELESS ANIMALS. THIS TEAM OF BEHAVIOR PROFESSIONALS AND TRAINED VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE NEGLECTED, UNDER-SOCIALIZED, AND PREVIOUSLY ABUSED HOMELESS DOGS AND CATS WITH ONE-ON-ONE AND GROUP TRAINING AS WELL AS BEHAVIOR ENRICHMENT AND BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION TO HELP THEM BUILD CONFIDENCE AND COMMUNICATION, WHICH LEADS TO SUCCESSFUL LONG-TERM ADOPTIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THE TRAINING AND ENRICHMENT PROGRAM PROVIDES CRITICAL PLAY GROUPS AND FIELD TRIPS FOR DOGS. THIS TEAM ALSO PROVIDES ADOPTERS WITH SUPPORT IN TRANSITIONING ANIMALS INTO A PERMANENT HOME ENVIRONMENT WITH COUNSELING AND POST-ADOPTION CONSULTATION.PAWS CHICAGO'S TRAINING CENTER ALSO HAS A TEAM THAT PROVIDES VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON COURSES TO PAWS ADOPTERS AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. FOR THE PUBLIC, PAWS TRAINERS ALSO LED 150 IN-PERSON CLASSES WITH 1,069 DOGS IN 2024. THEY ALSO CONDUCTED 22 GROUP ZOOM TRAINING CLASSES WITH 113 DOGS.
- $4.2 million spent. PREVENTION & SPAY/NEUTER: PAWS CHICAGO PERFORMED 17,168 SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES IN 2024, MAKING IT THE LARGEST LOCAL PROVIDER OF FREE AND LOW-COST, HIGH-VOLUME SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES, AND THE ONLY CLINIC LOCATED IN AND SERVING UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES WHERE THE MAJORITY OF STRAY, FERAL AND UNWANTED PETS ORIGINATE. THROUGH THE PAWS CHICAGO LURIE CLINIC IN LITTLE VILLAGE, LOCATED LESS THAN TWO MILES FROM CHICAGO'S ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL, THE CITY IMPOUNDMENT FACILITY, PAWS OFFERS SPAY/NEUTER SERVICES WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED MOST AND WHERE THEY HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT.PREVENTING UNWANTED PETS FROM BEING BORN IS KEY TO BUILDING A NO KILL CHICAGO BECAUSE PETS BREED EXPONENTIALLY. A SINGLE FEMALE CAT AND HER OFFSPRING CAN THEORETICALLY PRODUCE 420,000 KITTENS IN SEVEN YEARS. FOR DOGS, THE NUMBER IS 96,000. SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES ARE THE SOLUTION TO PET OVERPOPULATION, AND AS SUCH, ARE AT THE CORE OF PAWS'S PREVENTION INITIATIVES.PAWS CHICAGO'S FERAL CAT TRAP-NEUTER-RETURN (TNR) PROGRAM IS ANOTHER CRITICAL ASPECT OF THE PREVENTION PILLAR. BY PROACTIVELY STERILIZING AND MANAGING THE FREE-ROAMING CAT POPULATION, THE SOURCE OF THOUSANDS OF UNWANTED KITTENS BORN EACH YEAR, TNR REDUCES THE NUMBER OF ANIMALS ENTERING THE SHELTER SYSTEM WHILE ALSO SAVING KITTENS AND FINDING THEM ADOPTIVE HOMES. IN 2024, PAWS PERFORMED 3,672 SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES ON FERAL CATS. PAWS ALSO HOSTS AN ANNUAL WORKSHOP TO BUILD OUTDOOR CAT WINTER SHELTERS, WHICH ARE DISTRIBUTED IN THE COMMUNITY.BY THE END OF 2024, PAWS CHICAGO HAD PERFORMED 332,515 FREE AND LOW-COST SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES SINCE THE LURIE CLINIC'S OPENING IN 2000, WHICH HAS BEEN A DRIVING FORCE IN CHICAGO'S REDUCTION IN EUTHANASIA DURING THAT TIME.
- $3.0 million spent. ADOPTION: RESCUING HOMELESS PETS AND UNITING THEM WITH THEIR NEW FAMILIES DIRECTLY CONNECTS THE PUBLIC WITH HOMELESS PETS ON THE DEEPEST LEVEL AND PROVIDES A TANGIBLE WAY FOR PEOPLE TO MAKE AN IMPACT FOR ANIMALS. THROUGH PAWS CHICAGO'S ADOPTION CENTER AND INNOVATIVE ADOPTION EVENTS, PAWS UNITED 4,382 ANIMALS WITH LOVING HOMES IN 2024. BY THE END OF 2024, PAWS CHICAGO HAD PERFORMED 86,616 ADOPTIONS SINCE THE ORGANIZATION'S FOUNDING IN 1997. USING A PROPRIETARY COMPETIBILITY QUIZ, PAWS USES TECHNOLOGY TO MATCH PETS WITH PROSPECTIVE ADOPTERS BASED ON THEIR LIFESTYLE NEEDS, HELPING TO ENSURE A LONG-TERM FIT AND MATCH EXPECTATIONS.PAWS TRAINERS AND VOLUNTEERS OFFER ON-SITE SUPPORT AND ADVICE, PROVIDE DETAILED PET BACKGROUND AND ASSESSMENT INFORMATION, CONDUCTING RESIDENT PET INTRODUCTIONS AND ENSURING A SMOOTH TRANSITION INTO THE HOME. VOLUNTEERS OFFER DETAILED ADOPTION COUNSELING AND FOLLOW-UP TO ENSURE POST-ADOPTION SUCCESS. SHOWCASING ADOPTABLE PETS IN HIGHLY TRAFFICKED PLACES OUTSIDE OF THE PAWS ADOPTION CENTER EXPANDS THE REACH OF THE MISSION AND INSPIRES ACTION FOR ANIMALS. IN 2024, PAWS HOSTED 29 OFF-SITE ADOPTION EVENTS, INCLUDING HIGH-PROFILE ANGELS WITH TAILS ADOPTION EVENTS AROUND THE CHICAGOLAND AREA WHERE LOCAL RETAILERS, PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS AND GROCERS WELCOMED HOMELESS PETS TO THEIR LOCATIONS FOR ONSITE ADOPTIONS.
- $3.5 million spent. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS THE FOUNDATION FOR CREATING LASTING CHANGE FOR ANIMALS AND IS THE BASIS UPON WHICH ALL OF PAWS CHICAGO'S PROGRAMS ARE BUILT. PEOPLE CAUSE THE PET OVERPOPULATION PROBLEM AND PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER TO SOLVE IT; ANIMALS ARE THE VOICELESS VICTIMS. THE WAY TO INSPIRE AND CREATE REAL CHANGE FOR ANIMALS IS TO MOBILIZE PEOPLE TO BE THEIR CARETAKERS AND ADVOCATES AND PROVIDE NEEDED SUPPORT IN UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES.WHEN PAWS CHICAGO WAS FOUNDED IN 1997, THE MASS KILLING OF HOMELESS PETS WAS A HIDDEN CRISIS. THE PUBLIC HAD NO IDEA THAT MORE THAN 42,000 HOMELESS CATS AND DOGS WOULD BE EUTHANIZED IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO THAT YEAR. PAWS CHICAGO WAS FOUNDED TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE PLIGHT OF THESE VULNERABLE ANIMALS AND TO MOBILIZE PUBLIC SUPPORT TO DEVELOP HUMANE SOLUTIONS AND BUILD NO KILL COMMUNITIES. SHINING A LIGHT ON PET OVERPOPULATION AND HOMELESSNESS- AND THE RESULTANT KILLING- HAS MOBILIZED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO GET INVOLVED IN THE CAUSE BY ADOPTING, FOSTERING, VOLUNTEERING, ADVOCATING FOR AND DONATING TO HOMELESS PETS.WITH ITS NO KILL MODEL IN ACTION, PAWS CHICAGO IS LEADING A MOVEMENT THAT RIPPLES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. EVERY YEAR, PAWS CHICAGO WELCOMES SHELTERS, RESCUE GROUPS AND INDIVIDUALS NATIONWIDE TO SHADOW ITS OPERATIONS. PAWS CHICAGO ALSO HELPS START-UP ADOPTION/RESCUE GROUPS AND SPAY/NEUTER CLINICS AROUND THE WORLD. IN CHICAGO, PAWS HELPS CHICAGO-AREA RESCUE GROUPS AND SHELTERS BY PROVIDING LOW-COST MEDICAL SERVICES AT THE LURIE SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC AND BY INCREASING EXPOSURE OF THEIR HOMELESS ANIMALS THROUGH ANGELS WITH TAILS ADOPTION EVENTS.BY RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT PET HOMELESSNESS AND ENGAGING PEOPLE IN LIFESAVING EFFORTS, PAWS CHICAGO MAKES LASTING CHANGE FOR ANIMALS. THIS INCLUDES PAWS CHICAGO MAGAZINE, WITH A DISTRIBUTION OF 115,000; THE PAWS CHICAGO WEBSITE, WITH MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION UNIQUE USERS AND 20 MILLION PAGEVIEWS IN 2024; AND THE PAWS CHICAGO E-NEWSLETTER, WITH A MONTHLY DISTRIBUTION AVERAGING 179,000 AND AN OPEN-RATE OF MORE THAN 50%. THESE VEHICLES INSPIRE PEOPLE TO TAKE ACTION FOR ANIMALS AND BECOME ADVOCATES FOR HOMELESS PETS.360@CACC AND OUTREACH2024 WAS THE FIRST YEAR OF PAWS CHICAGO'S 360@CACC PROGRAM, A ROBUST 360-DEGREE PARTNERSHIP WITH CHICAGO ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL (CACC), THE CITY'S IMPOUNDMENT FACILITY. OF THE 18% INCREASE IN INTAKE OR 2,295 ADDITIONAL CATS AND DOGS COMING INTO CACC IN 2024 - 1,875 ADDITIONAL ANIMALS HAD A POSITIVE "LIVE" OUTCOME (ADOPTIONS, TRANSFERS AND RETURNED TO OWNER) OVER 2023. WITHOUT THIS INCREASED LIFESAVING, EUTHANASIA WOULD HAVE INCREASED BY 82%. INSTEAD, EUTHANASIA WAS UP 14%. 360@CACC IS ORIENTED AT INCREASING THESE LIVE OUTCOMES AND HELPING KEEP PETS OUT OF THE CITY SHELTER THROUGH:1) PAWS CHICAGO MEDICAL PROGRAMS THAT PROVIDE SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES AND OTHER MEDICAL CARE TO ENSURE CACC PETS ARE VETTED AND READY FOR ADOPTION. THE RESCUE READY PROGRAM HELPS INCREASE TRANSFERS OF CACC PETS TO RESCUE GROUPS BY OFFERING HIGHLY SUBSIDIZED MEDICAL CARE AND SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES FOR PETS THAT CAME FROM CACC. THE BIG FIX PROGRAM TRANSPORTS CACC PETS TO THE PAWS CHICAGO LURIE SPAY/NEUTER CLINIC EACH WEEK TO BE SPAYED/NEUTERED AND VETTED. TOGETHER, THESE PROGRAMS SPAYED OR NEUTERED 1,336 CACC PETS. 39 DIFFERENT RESCUE GROUPS TRANSFERRED IN ANIMALS WHO WERE SPAYED OR NEUTERED THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS AND, OVERALL, CACC TRANSFERS INCREASED BY 19%.2) THE ADOPTION EXPANSION PROGRAM STAFFS A FULL-TIME PAWS CHICAGO EMPLOYEE AT CACC TO SUPPORT PROSPECTIVE ADOPTERS IN FINDING AND ADOPTING A PET. THE CACC BUDGET HAS NEVER HAD A STAFFED RESOURCE DEDICATED TO ADOPTIONS, WHICH MEANS PEOPLE WOULD OFTEN LEAVE WITHOUT A PET. WITH THIS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, CACC FACILITATED 3,019 ADOPTIONS IN 2024, A 28.6% INCREASE OVER 2023.3) PET OWNER SUPPORT, WHERE PAWS CHICAGO TEAM MEMBERS MEET FAMILIES AT THE DOOR AND HELP KEEP PETS IN THEIR HOMES WITH THE FAMILIES WHO LOVE THEM OR OTHERWISE PREVENT MORE PETS FROM ENTERING THE CROWDED CITY SHELTER. IN 2024, PET OWNER SUPPORT KEPT 123 PETS IN THEIR HOMES AND 135 CAME DIRECTLY TO PAWS, PREVENTING FURTHER OVERCROWDING.BEYOND 360@CACC, PAWS CHICAGO HAS OPERATED AN EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM SINCE 2014 TO EXPAND ACCESS TO SPAY/NEUTER AND PET RESOURCES IN CHICAGO'S MOST UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES. OF THE OWNED PETS COMMUNITY OUTREACH MEETS, 95% ARE NOT YET SPAYED OR NEUTERED, BUT ONCE OUR OUTREACH TEAM WORKS WITH FAMILIES, 83% END UP STERILIZING THEIR PET AT PAWS.SINCE LAUNCHING IN 2014, THE PRIMARY NEIGHBORHOOD OF FOCUS HAS BEEN ENGLEWOOD, WHERE MORE THAN 49% OF THE POPULATION LIVES BELOW THE POVERTY LINE, BUT SERVICES HAVE IN RECENT YEARS EXPANDED TO NEARBY WEST ENGLEWOOD, BACK OF THE YARDS, AND WEST WOODLAWN AS WELL. PAWS PERFORMED 1,377 FREE SPAY/NEUTER SURGERIES THROUGH THIS COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM IN 2024.THIS OUTREACH PROGRAM ALSO OPERATES A COMMUNITY MEDICINE PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES 610 APPOINTMENTS FOR WELLNESS, PREVENTATIVE AND ACUTE VETERINARY CARE TO PETS WHO WOULD OTHERWISE NEVER SEE A VETERINARIAN.ADDITIONALLY, 84,430 POUNDS OF FOOD WERE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THE PAWS CHICAGO PET FOOD PANTRY PROGRAM, WHICH OFFERS FREE PET FOOD AND SUPPLIES TO COMMUNITIES IN NEED.VOLUNTEERSVOLUNTEERS ARE THE LIFE FORCE BEHIND PAWS CHICAGO'S OPERATIONS AND AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT TO BUILDING A NO KILL CHICAGO. IN 2024, 3,283 VOLUNTEERS DEDICATED 125,071 HOURS OF SERVICE, THE EQUIVALENT OF 60 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES. AND THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE FOSTER FAMILIES WHO TOOK IN AND CARED FOR 2,254 ANIMALS IN NEED IN 2024. IN ADDITION TO THE TIME VOLUNTEERS COMMIT TO PAWS CHICAGO, THEY ARE ALSO AMBASSADORS, REACHING NEW PEOPLE AND ENGAGING NEW COMMUNITIES IN THE CAUSE OF HOMELESS ANIMALS THROUGH THEIR EVERYDAY INTERACTIONS.ANIMAL WELFARE IS INCREDIBLY LABOR-INTENSIVE WORK, AND VOLUNTEERS WORK ALONGSIDE OUR STAFF TO AMPLIFY OUR LIFESAVING. FROM SHEPHERDING THE ADOPTION PROCESS TO ATTENDING TO THE NEEDS OF SICK PETS AT OUR MEDICAL CENTER TO MANNING OUR OFF-SITE ADOPTION AND
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since February 1999.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.