PLATINUM2024

THE GENTLE BARN FOUNDATION

aka The Gentle Barn   |   Santa Clarita, CA   |  www.gentlebarn.org

Mission

Inspiring Kindness and Compassion towards Animals, Our Planet, and Each Other

Ruling year info

2000

Founder

Ellie Laks

CEO

Jay Weiner

Main address

15825 Sierra Hwy

Santa Clarita, CA 91390 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

95-4776451

NTEE code info

Single Organization Support (B11)

Animal Protection and Welfare (includes Humane Societies and SPCAs) (D20)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2023, 2022 and 2021.
Register now

Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Our organization addresses animal suffering, and the apathy of humans towards them. We address the need to protect the environment and to connect with nature. And we address addiction, violence, poverty, and the self destruction of youngsters who are disconnected to those around them and to themselves.
We address the rising need for a future generation of kids who are kind to one another, protective of the environment, and compassionate to animals and all life forms. In our high tech, high paced, high stressed, highly developed world, we are disconnected from animals and nature, disconnected from community and family, disconnected from each other, and most of all, disconnected from ourselves and the love inside ourselves.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Peace Enhancement Program

At The Gentle Barn we teach children how to approach animals, how to pet them, and how to be kind and gentle to them. We teach them how animals communicate, and how they perceive our body language. We talk about how animals have the same emotions that we do, and that they are deserving of the same comforts, safety, and happiness that we enjoy. We know that once the children grasp the concept of empathy and kindness for all living beings, they will be kinder and gentler not only to animals, but to other people as well.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of paid participants on field trips

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Maximum number of participants allowed on field trips

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth

Related Program

Peace Enhancement Program

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

We allow a maximum of 25 kids and no limit to the amount of adults, staff & chaperones.

Total dollars received in contributions

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Other - describing something else

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Number of grants received

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Children and youth, Ethnic and racial groups, At-risk youth

Related Program

Peace Enhancement Program

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

We aim to inspire future generations to have reverence for the environment and grow to protect it, have compassion for animals and grow to defend them, havde kindness towards other people and create more community and family, and self respect, self awareness and hope for the future for themselves. This will in turn create a generation who will be happy, productive, compassionate, loving, and thriving. We help kids become open and vulnerable, identify their own feelings and issues, connect with animals and practice empathy, connect with nature and learn to protect it, and practice gentleness, kindness, and confidence to overcome their own issues and become more loving and tolerant of others. In the process we help them overcome addiction, abusive behavior, loneliness, and unworthiness.

We save animals from abuse and neglect, rehabilitate them and give them sanctuary with us for the rest of their lives. We have our own healing method to bring scared, angry, and sick animals to health and wholeness. Then we connect at risk, inner city, and special needs children with the animals and their stories by hosting school field trips, special needs classes, veteran centers, drug and alcohol rehab centers, domestic violence shelters, senior centers, foster agencies, burn centers, children's hospitals, and inner city schools. We are also open to the public on Sunday so people from the community can meet the animals and hear their stories of resilience.

We run 2-3 groups every day and have don so for nineteen years.

We have created a Gentle Barn and implemented our programs in three states, CA, TN, and MO. We have saved hundreds of animals, inspired and healed thousands of children, and opened the hearts of hundreds of thousands of guests. We would like to open a Gentle Barn in New York next and from there keep opening new locations so that every person in America can hug cows, cuddle turkeys, give pigs tummy rubs, hold chickens, look into the eyes of these animals and know that we are all the same. Then we will have a future generation who will have reverence for the environment, kindness for animals, and compassion for other people, and then we will be closer to having peace on this planet!

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

THE GENTLE BARN FOUNDATION
lock

Unlock financial insights by subscribing to our monthly plan.

Subscribe

Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights?
Learn more about GuideStar Pro.

Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

THE GENTLE BARN FOUNDATION

Board of directors
as of 10/29/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Alec Pedersen

Marc Hernandez

Martin Buonora

John T Wells

Claudia Goodman

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 10/11/2022

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Native American/American Indian/Alaska Native/Indigenous
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 10/10/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.