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Pegasus Legal Services for Children

EIN 46-0509986 · Albuquerque, NM

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthFair68 out of 100GovernanceStrong92 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

To promote and defend the rights of children and youth to safe, stable homes, quality education and healthcare, and a voice in decisions that affect their lives.

Income
$1.5 million
Spending
$1.6 million
Spent on programs
80%
Reserves
6.5 months of spending
Largest source of income
fees for its services, 78%
Employees
20
Volunteers
1
Highest pay
$122,191, executive dir.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Fair: 68 out of 100. Higher than 38% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $1m to $10m).

  • Reserves

    28 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 6.5 months of spending.

  • Debt

    16 of 20

    It owes 17% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    4 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 10% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 16% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    80% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 26 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 92 out of 100. Higher than 46% of charities in its peer group (crime and legal services, $1m to $10m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    8 of 8 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    0 of 8

    Reports no written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, 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 (1)
  1. $1.3 million spent. This past year Pegasus continued its work as a legal resource for children, youth and their caregivers, and the community concerning the legal rights and needs of children and youth. In FY25, we served over 2,100 clients. Pegasus exclusively serves low-income New Mexicans who would not be able to afford an attorney, ensuring that the ability to afford an attorney is not a deciding factor in their life. Our clients are reflective of our state population, we serve individuals of all racial and ethnic identities, offer direct services in both Spanish and English, and translation services for other languages.Pegasus attorneys are specialists in childrens rights and family law including Kinship Guardianship, Adoption, Youth Law, Child Abuse & Neglect, Client Advocacy, and Systematic Advocacy. Our Kinship Guardianship Program (77.3% of cases in FY25) provides legal services to grandparents and other kinship caregivers taking care of children whose parents are unable or unwilling to provide them with proper care. Last year, our Kinship Guardianship cases had a 98% success rate indicating that Pegasus clients are awarded their Guardianship status by a judge and the legal protections that come with this status. As an extension of Our Kinship Guardianship Program, Pegasus is offering adoption services to kinship caregivers who have had a Kinship Guardianship Order for 24 months or longer, or who meet special circumstances such as when both parents of a child are deceased. In FY 25, adoption services accounted for 5.9% of cases.Our Youth Law Program (7.6% of cases in FY25) consists of two main tiers: Family law for young parents under 25 years old, and legal support for homeless, runaway, and/or incarcerated youth. Both tiers also support youth with mental health issues.Pegasus attorneys also represent children or youth who have experienced violence, abuse, neglect, or harm. Pegasus has a special focus on representation of Indian Children in the child welfare system and new services for undocumented youth. In FY25, we represented children on the Pueblos of Zuni, Santa Ana and Isleta. Abuse & Neglect services accounted for 9.2% of cases in FY25. We are currently training more Pegasus attorneys to take Abuse & Neglect cases as the need for such services is significant. Pegasus staffs a fully bilingual team of client advocates that provide free services to Pegasus clients. In FY25 our team connected clients to needed services including: - Social Security 21.2% - Documents & Identification 15.9% - Education Services 12.9% - Housing 9.1% - Counseling 8.3% - Food & Nutrition 7.6% - Healthcare 7.6% - Clothing & Diapers 2.3% - Other Services 15.1%Pegasus works to not only fulfill existing community needs but also takes action to redress systemic issues that produce the need for our services to begin with. In FY25, we partnered with policymakers to ensure that childrens needs and rights are taken into consideration in the development of state and local laws, policies, and regulations and we also litigated against service providers and public institutions who failed to provide adequate services to New Mexicos children and youth.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending June 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. 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 September 7, 2026.

  2. 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 September 30, 2026.

  3. 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 September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending June 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since February 2003.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. 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 7, 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.