Paws for Youth Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
NURTURING YOUTH AND THEIR WELL-BEING BY CONNECTING THEM WITH THE HEALING POWER OF PETS AND COMPASSIONATE ADULTS.
- Income
- $1.1 million
- Spending
- $1.0 million
- Spent on programs
- 52%
- Reserves
- 12.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 100%
- Employees
- 11
- Volunteers
- 139
- Highest pay
- $121,233, ceo
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 80% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
35 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 12.3 months of spending.
Debt
20 of 20It owes 9% of what it owns.
Living within its means
15 of 15Income exceeded spending by 10% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 27% on the year before.
Spending floor
8 of 1552% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 18 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (human services, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2522 of 22 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 April 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 (2)
- $534,285 spent. SEE SCHEDULE O
- FORM 990, PART III, LINE 4A - PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Gabriels Angels has 115 registered Pet Therapy Teams and 24 Helping Hands serving over 2,100 children annually through three programs at 75 partner agencies in Maricopa, Pima, and Santa Cruz Counties in Arizona. Teams visit Title I schools, domestic violence and homeless shelters, group homes, behavioral health and residential treatment facilities, and youth-serving organizations all in an effort to intervene in childrens lives and enhance their emotional and behavioral development by teaching core strengths - building healthy/strong relationships(attachment), coping with challenges(self-regulation), teamwork(affiliation), tuning into others(attunement), kindness(empathy), accepting differences(tolerance), and resilience. In order for Gabriels Angels to provide services, it is vital to have trained Therapy Teams. Therapy Teams are volunteers consisting of an owner and pet, most commonly a dog. Therapy Teams must be registered with Pet Partners or Alliance of Therapy Dogs and clear an FBI fingerprint/background check prior to being assigned to a partner agency. In addition, Gabriels Angels provides extensive training to its volunteers, including Trauma Informed Training, information specific to the age group of children the volunteer will be working with, and structured activities that will effectively impact the core strengths needed for vulnerable children to develop socially. There is no cost to the participating agency or school to receive therapy visits for their children. All costs to provide services are supported through community philanthropy. Partner agencies commit to the visitation schedule, provide space for the visit, select the children who will participate, and provide assistance in program evaluation. The three programs delivered are: Paws for Resilience: The Paws for Resilience program promotes resilience through animal-focused, skills-building lessons and activities. Each visit focuses on building a specific core strength - building healthy/strong relationships, coping with challenges, teamwork, tuning into others, kindness, accepting differences, and resilience. During the visit, the Therapy Team guides the children through age-appropriate activities which are designed to encourage interaction with the therapy dog and build a particular strength. For example, a session focusing on building relationships might include a trust walk with the therapy dog.The children take turns walking the dog while discussing and practicing positive behaviors such as staying calm, walking slowly and steadily, keeping their voice at a and showing confidence. The children are asked to reflect on how their behavior affects the behavior of the dog and how they have the ability to control the interaction. Or children will be given two index cards and asked to write an ingredient for creating a strong relationship with an animal. The ingredients are then gathered into a bowl and the children take turns reading the cards and discussing how these ingredients are important to building strong relationships with both animals and people. Paws For Resilience visits occur every other week for 8 weeks, last for 45-60 minutes each visit, and work best with groups of up to 8 children of similar age or grade level. Animals, Books and Children (ABC): The Animals, Books and Children (ABC) Program is available to school-based, Title 1, partner agencies and children in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade. The Therapy Team spends 20 minutes reading with the same child for 12 to 14 weeks. The Therapy Team is trained in using dog-first language during reading activities: Fido didnt quite understand that sentence. Could you read it to him again? Dogs are non-judgmental so children are less self-conscious when reading aloud to them. The program uses reading materials at the childs current reading level to provide reading practice and the Therapy Team incorporates activities that help develop core strengths that are crucial to successful social development. Community Support Visits (CSV): Community Support Visits are one-time visits that provide comfort, stress relief, and emotional support to groups of children who have experienced a traumatic event or significant stress. Each Therapy Team works with 15 or fewer individuals at a time and the visits last up to 2 hours.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending April 30, 2025, 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 November 6, 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 April 2025.
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 January 2001.
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 November 4, 2026.
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