MERCY FOR ANIMALS
Mercy For Animals’ vision is a world where animals are respected, protected, and free.
MERCY FOR ANIMALS
EIN: 54-2076145
as of September 2023
as of September 18, 2023
Mission
Our mission is to end industrial animal agriculture by constructing a just and sustainable food system.
Ruling year
2004
Principal Officer
Ms. Leah Garcés
Main address
1150 Conrad Court
Hagerstown, MD 21740-5905 USA
EIN
54-2076145
Climate change
Domesticated animals
Animal welfare
Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture
Population served
Adults
NTEE code
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (D01)
Animal Protection and Welfare (includes Humane Societies and SPCAs) (D20)
IRS subsection
501(c)(3) Public Charity
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
Tax forms
Communication
Affiliations
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reports Download other documentsWhat we aim to solve
Mercy For Animals exists to end one of the greatest causes of suffering on the planet: the exploitation of animals for food, in particular, industrial animal agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing. These forms of food production cause egregious animal suffering and have detrimental effects on the planet and people. Mercy For Animals is dedicated to eradicating this cruel food system and replacing it with one that is not just kind to animals but essential for the future of our planet and all who share it. We are on the front lines fighting to protect farmed animals. From factory farms to corporate boardrooms, courts of justice to courts of public opinion, Mercy For Animals is there to speak up against cruelty and to shift the food industry toward plant- and cell-based products.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Undercover Investigations
Mercy For Animals' undercover investigations reveal that animal abuse is rampant in the meat, dairy and egg industries. Wired with hidden cameras, MFA's team of undercover investigators document the harsh realities for billions of cows, pigs, chickens and turkeys who are forced to endure intensive confinement, abusive handling, painful mutilations, careless neglect, and merciless slaughter.
Through the power of video documentation, Mercy For Animals' investigators act as the eyes and ears for the public, who are kept largely in the dark about factory farm conditions. Undercover investigations are a vital part of our grassroots activism, education, and advertising efforts aimed at opening consumers' hearts and minds to the plights of farmed animals and empowering people with the accurate information they need to make humane food choices.
Government Affairs and Public Policy
Mercy For Animals works globally with policymakers to ban cruel factory farming practices and make plant-based foods more accessible by: pushing for enforcement
of animal protection laws; outlawing inhumane factory farming practices; using
civil litigation to punish factory farms’ fraudulent, deceptive, and often
illegal conduct; and holding the government accountable for its responsibility
of regulating the agricultural industry.
MFA’s legal advocacy work has contributed to a staggering
number of animal cruelty arrests and convictions, sending a clear message to
the meat, dairy, and egg industries that animal abuse will not be tolerated.
Public Engagement
Mercy For Animals keeps farmed animals in the headlines and on millions of minds worldwide.
The world is waking up to the cruelty of factory farming and demanding a compassionate food system. Our public engagement team is at the forefront of this change, inspiring news stories in some of the world’s largest media outlets, collaborating with influential celebrities to expand our reach, producing hard-hitting videos that expose factory farming, and educating millions through social media on the benefits of plant-based eating.
Corporate Engagement
Mercy For Animals works to eliminate the worst animal abuse and grow market share of plant- and cell-based foods.
Standard practices used widely by the meat, dairy, and egg industries cause tremendous animal suffering. Piglets routinely have their tails cut off and teeth ground down without painkillers. Chickens are bred to grow so fast their legs often bow in or out and break easily. Some become immobile and are unable to reach water. Hens break wings, which are brittle from lack of movement and unnaturally high egg production, and are trapped in small, cramped cages.
Mercy For Animals’ corporate engagement program moves the biggest players in the food industry to eliminate the worst farming practices and adopt meaningful policies to protect animals. We also strive to enable increased market share of plant- and cell-based foods.
Organizing
Mercy For Animals supports animal advocates every day while training the leaders of tomorrow.
We have incredible momentum in our movement right now. People are marching in the streets, organizing their communities, amplifying their voices online, and refusing to be silent.
Our organizing program inspires more people to get active in the animal protection movement and develops community leaders who spread our mission far and wide.
We aim to build the capacity, scale, and breadth of the movement so that it is inclusive, diverse, empowered, and well-equipped to achieve our shared vision of a world where animals are respected and protected.
Where we work
Accreditations
Better Business Bureau 2021
Great Nonprofits Top Rated 2022
Best in America 2022
Awards
Nonprofit of the Year 2006
VegNews Magazine
Nonprofit of the Year 2011
VegNews Magazine
MFA was named one of the "15 Top High-Impact Nonprofits" in the category of Animal Welfare, Rights, and Protection 2011
Philanthropedia, a division of GuideStar
Top Recommended Charity 2014
Animal Charity Evaluators
Standout Charity 2021
Animal Charity Evaluators
Standout Charity 2022
Animal Charity Evaluators
Affiliations & memberships
Combined Federal Campaign 2021
1% for the Planet 2021
Combined Federal Campaign 2022
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of policies formally established
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Government Affairs and Public Policy
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
pro-animal bills passed; laws enacted; and rules, regulations, and amendments adopted with Mercy For Animals’ help
Number of policies formally introduced
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Government Affairs and Public Policy
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of community events or trainings held and attendance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Organizing
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of undercover investigations/videos to uncover unethical treatment of animals
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Public Engagement
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Organizing
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Animals Potentially Impacted Each Year by Corporate Animal Welfare Policies
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Corporate Engagement
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We achieve much of our corporate animal welfare progress in partnership with other organizations. Figures represent animals impacted per year once policy commitments are fully implemented.
Animals Potentially Impacted Each Year by Legislative Policies
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Government Affairs and Public Policy
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We achieve much of our legal progress in partnership with other organizations. Figures represent animals impacted per year once policies are fully implemented.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Mercy For Animals is dedicated to preventing cruelty to farmed animals and promoting compassionate food choices and policies. We work to create a society in which all animals are treated with the compassion and respect they so rightly deserve.
Our aim is to reduce as much as possible the number of animals raised and killed for food and to reduce the suffering of animals who are raised in cruel conditions on modern farms. Our overall aim is to spare as many farmed animals as we can from a lifetime of misery and abuse and create a compassionate food system for all, including non-human animals, humans, and the planet.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
By promoting compassionate, plant-based food choices through our educational outreach and communications work, and providing free resources to help the public make such choices, we strive to significantly lower the number of farmed animals raised and slaughtered for human consumption each year.
By carrying out undercover investigations of factory farms and engaging with corporate partners, we aim to lead the world's largest food industry companies to implement meaningful animal welfare guidelines that reduce the suffering of animals in their supply chains.
Through our undercover investigations and government affairs and public policy work, our goal is to bring about new animal welfare laws to eliminate the worst cruelties of factory farms and to bring civil and criminal penalties to those who abuse farmed animals.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Mercy For Animals possesses unique expertise in carrying out undercover investigations of factory farm facilities and generating widespread media coverage of the investigative footage. This includes great depth of experience at recruiting and training investigators, operating the latest video technology equipment, and securing employment at farms.
MFA also has unique expertise in crafting messaging and communications that are effective at inspiring the public to move toward compassionate, plant-based food choices. Through personnel resources, research and design capabilities, and financial resources, we are able to implement robust and far-reaching programs.
Further, we can leverage our extensive network of supporters, volunteers, and social media followers to generate widespread public awareness of animal protection issues and drive corporate and legislative policy changes.
Finally, MFA's president and staff possess a wealth of talent and experience at effectively driving dietary changes, corporate policy shifts, and legal advancements for farmed animals.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Mercy For Animals has succeeded in persuading some of the country's largest food industry companies, including Nestlé, Costco, Safeway, and Popeyes, to implement meaningful animal welfare guidelines that have reduced the suffering of millions of farmed animals each year.
We have also succeeded in inspiring hundreds of thousands of individuals to move toward or fully adopt a compassionate, plant-based diet, sparing millions more animals each year from a lifetime of misery on factory farms. Further, MFA has played an important role in securing the passage of landmark state laws banning some of the worst factory farming practices, such as confinement in battery cages, veal crates, and gestation crates, which has improved the welfare of tens of millions of farmed animals each year.
While MFA has been able to achieve remarkable victories that have improved the lives or spared the suffering of many millions of animals, there is a huge amount of progress still to be made. This includes further reducing the number of animals raised and killed for food each year, bringing about more corporate policy changes to improve the welfare of farmed animals, and securing further-reaching legal protections for farmed animals.
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2021 info
31.83
Months of cash in 2021 info
12.7
Fringe rate in 2021 info
18%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
MERCY FOR ANIMALS
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31
This snapshot of MERCY FOR ANIMALS’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
Created in partnership with
Business model indicators
| Profitability info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | $3,728,389 | -$1,074,586 | $2,191,914 | $2,371,419 | $4,462,463 |
| As % of expenses | 36.1% | -9.2% | 22.0% | 21.0% | 34.2% |
| Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | $3,698,035 | -$1,090,077 | $2,177,518 | $2,358,285 | $4,443,116 |
| As % of expenses | 35.7% | -9.3% | 21.8% | 20.9% | 34.0% |
| Revenue composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $11,329,052 | $10,825,327 | $15,672,950 | $12,538,359 | $18,222,198 |
| Total revenue, % change over prior year | 1.3% | -4.4% | 44.8% | -20.0% | 45.3% |
| Program services revenue | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Investment income | 1.4% | 2.9% | 2.1% | 1.7% | 1.5% |
| Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 4.8% |
| All other grants and contributions | 99.2% | 95.0% | 96.1% | 97.1% | 91.6% |
| Other revenue | -0.6% | 2.0% | 1.8% | 1.2% | 2.1% |
| Expense composition info | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses before depreciation | $10,320,107 | $11,655,436 | $9,983,818 | $11,284,358 | $13,065,143 |
| Total expenses, % change over prior year | 59.0% | 12.9% | -14.3% | 13.0% | 15.8% |
| Personnel | 45.7% | 51.8% | 57.1% | 53.9% | 56.1% |
| Professional fees | 12.1% | 17.8% | 14.3% | 10.7% | 8.5% |
| Occupancy | 1.2% | 1.1% | 0.9% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Interest | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Pass-through | 16.8% | 13.0% | 14.3% | 21.3% | 21.0% |
| All other expenses | 24.2% | 16.3% | 13.3% | 13.2% | 13.8% |
| Full cost components (estimated) info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenses (after depreciation) | $10,350,461 | $11,670,927 | $9,998,214 | $11,297,492 | $13,084,490 |
| One month of savings | $860,009 | $971,286 | $831,985 | $940,363 | $1,088,762 |
| Debt principal payment | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed asset additions | $0 | $25,693 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total full costs (estimated) | $11,210,470 | $12,667,906 | $10,830,199 | $12,237,855 | $14,173,252 |
Capital structure indicators
| Liquidity info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of cash | 4.4 | 4.6 | 8.7 | 11.4 | 12.7 |
| Months of cash and investments | 15.1 | 13.4 | 21.1 | 23.7 | 23.7 |
| Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 17.2 | 14.1 | 19.1 | 19.4 | 20.8 |
| Balance sheet composition info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash | $3,781,878 | $4,464,448 | $7,222,339 | $10,708,418 | $13,865,572 |
| Investments | $9,225,048 | $8,575,111 | $10,312,400 | $11,542,200 | $11,903,839 |
| Receivables | $2,435,503 | $961,898 | $2,354,000 | $525,000 | $1,625,445 |
| Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $172,366 | $198,058 | $205,631 | $217,431 | $231,566 |
| Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 82.4% | 79.5% | 83.6% | 85.1% | 88.3% |
| Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 1.6% | 2.9% | 1.6% | 5.9% | 2.4% |
| Unrestricted net assets | $14,795,867 | $13,705,790 | $15,883,308 | $18,241,593 | $22,684,709 |
| Temporarily restricted net assets | $503,333 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Permanently restricted net assets | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total restricted net assets | $503,333 | $0 | $3,994,894 | $3,433,783 | $4,415,289 |
| Total net assets | $15,299,200 | $13,705,790 | $19,878,202 | $21,675,376 | $27,099,998 |
Key data checks
| Key data checks info | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Principal Officer
Ms. Leah Garcés
Leah Garcés is the president of Mercy For Animals. She has been fighting for better food and farming systems for nearly 20 years as a leader in the animal protection movement. She oversaw international campaigns in 14 countries at the World Society for the Protection of Animals and launched Compassion in World Farming in the United States. She is the author of Grilled: Turning Adversaries into Allies to Change the Chicken Industry from Bloomsbury Publishing. Leah’s work has been featured in many national media outlets including The New York Times, the Washington Post, BuzzFeed, Vice Magazine, and the Chicago Tribune among others. Leah is also on the advisory councils of Encompass and Rebellyous Foods. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, three kids, and two cats.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
MERCY FOR ANIMALS
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
MERCY FOR ANIMALS
Highest paid employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
MERCY FOR ANIMALS
Board of directorsas of 01/16/2023
Board of directors data
Ms. Neysa Colizzi
Derek Coons
No Affiliation
Jaime Surenkamp
Lisa Feria
Alexis Fox
Michael Pellman Rowland
Tyson-Lord Gray
Siddharth Hariharan
Liza Heavener
Ashley Bugeja Vuu
Board leadership practices
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? No -
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? No -
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
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
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 12/11/2020GuideStar 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
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Contractors
Fiscal year endingProfessional fundraisers
Fiscal year endingSOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G
Solicitation activities
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