PLATINUM2025

MERCY FOR ANIMALS

Mercy For Animals’ vision is a world where animals are respected, protected, and free.

aka MFA   |   Los Angeles, CA   |  http://www.MercyForAnimals.org

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GuideStar Charity Check

MERCY FOR ANIMALS

EIN: 54-2076145


Mission

Our mission is to end industrial animal agriculture by constructing a just and sustainable food system.

Ruling year info

2004

Principal Officer

Leah Garcés

Main address

8033 W Sunset Blvd # 864

Los Angeles, CA 90046-2401 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

54-2076145

Subject area info

Domesticated animals

Agriculture

Sustainable agriculture

Climate change

Population served info

Adults

NTEE code info

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (D01)

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults

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.

Population(s) Served

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

  • Brazil

  • Canada

  • China

  • Mexico

  • United States

Accreditations

Charity Watch Top Rated 2024

Charity Navigator 4 Stars 2024

Great Nonprofits Top Rated 2024

Better Business Bureau 2024

Better Business Bureau 2021

Great Nonprofits Top Rated 2022

Best in America 2022

Awards

First place in the digital communications category 2024

ADRP International Stewardship 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

The People's Fund is the Silver Anthem Winner in Special Projects 2024

The Anthem Awards

Affiliations & memberships

Combined Federal Campaign 2021

1% for the Planet 2021

Combined Federal Campaign 2022

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 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 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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people’s needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

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

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, 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 act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time,

Financials

MERCY FOR ANIMALS
Fiscal year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

Revenue vs. expenses:  breakdown

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info
NET GAIN/LOSS:    in 
Note: When component data are not available, the graph displays the total Revenue and/or Expense values.

Liquidity in 2024 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

16.36

Average of 37.89 over 10 years

Months of cash in 2024 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

1.7

Average of 9.2 over 10 years

Fringe rate in 2024 info

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

22%

Average of 20% over 10 years

Funding sources info

Source: IRS Form 990

Assets & liabilities info

Source: IRS Form 990

Financial data

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

MERCY FOR ANIMALS

Revenue & expenses

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

Fiscal year ending: cloud_download Download Data

MERCY FOR ANIMALS

Balance sheet

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

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 ending: cloud_download Download Data

MERCY FOR ANIMALS

Financial trends analysis Glossary & formula definitions

Fiscal Year: Jan 01 - Dec 31

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 info

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 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation $2,371,419 $4,462,463 $5,275,043 -$5,510,772 -$3,973,880
As % of expenses 21.0% 34.2% 36.3% -23.1% -16.7%
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation $2,358,285 $4,443,116 $5,246,798 -$5,570,712 -$4,146,004
As % of expenses 20.9% 34.0% 36.0% -23.3% -17.3%
Revenue composition info
Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) $12,538,359 $18,222,198 $29,236,102 $10,226,940 $23,344,663
Total revenue, % change over prior year -20.0% 45.3% 60.4% -65.0% 128.3%
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 1.7% 1.5% 1.1% 2.6% 1.3%
Government grants 0.0% 4.8% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
All other grants and contributions 97.1% 91.6% 97.9% 92.7% 97.3%
Other revenue 1.2% 2.1% 1.0% 4.6% 1.4%
Expense composition info
Total expenses before depreciation $11,284,358 $13,065,143 $14,528,669 $23,830,342 $23,736,356
Total expenses, % change over prior year 13.0% 15.8% 11.2% 64.0% -0.4%
Personnel 53.9% 56.1% 60.0% 55.4% 51.5%
Professional fees 10.7% 8.5% 8.1% 11.1% 7.6%
Occupancy 0.8% 0.6% 0.0% 0.0% 0.1%
Interest 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Pass-through 21.3% 21.0% 17.4% 19.3% 29.6%
All other expenses 13.2% 13.8% 14.5% 14.2% 11.2%
Full cost components (estimated) info 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Total expenses (after depreciation) $11,297,492 $13,084,490 $14,556,914 $23,890,282 $23,908,480
One month of savings $940,363 $1,088,762 $1,210,722 $1,985,862 $1,978,030
Debt principal payment $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Fixed asset additions $0 $0 $99,991 $508,258 $870,424
Total full costs (estimated) $12,237,855 $14,173,252 $15,867,627 $26,384,402 $26,756,934

Capital structure indicators

Liquidity info 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Months of cash 11.4 12.7 14.2 4.2 1.7
Months of cash and investments 23.7 23.7 24.6 12.3 10.3
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets 19.4 20.8 23.0 11.0 8.6
Balance sheet composition info 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Cash $10,708,418 $13,865,572 $17,189,445 $8,350,189 $3,344,939
Investments $11,542,200 $11,903,839 $12,593,754 $15,981,414 $16,994,971
Receivables $525,000 $1,625,445 $9,793,746 $3,466,082 $8,072,416
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) $217,431 $231,566 $178,070 $686,329 $1,550,229
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) 85.1% 88.3% 44.4% 20.3% 19.7%
Liabilities (as a % of assets) 5.9% 2.4% 2.1% 6.1% 4.1%
Unrestricted net assets $18,241,593 $22,684,709 $27,931,507 $22,360,795 $18,214,791
Temporarily restricted net assets N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Permanently restricted net assets N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Total restricted net assets $3,433,783 $4,415,289 $11,797,687 $5,339,442 $10,788,488
Total net assets $21,675,376 $27,099,998 $39,729,194 $27,700,237 $29,003,279

Key data checks

Key data checks info 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Material data errors No No No No No

Operations

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

Documents
Form 1023/1024 is not available for this organization

Principal Officer

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 employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
Related
Show data for fiscal year
Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of officer and director compensation data for this organization

MERCY FOR ANIMALS

Highest paid employees

SOURCE: IRS Form 990

Compensation
Other
Related
Show data for fiscal year
Compensation data
Download up to 5 most recent years of highest paid employee data for this organization

MERCY FOR ANIMALS

Board of directors
as of 5/21/2025
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board of directors data
Download the most recent year of board of directors data for this organization
Board chair

Neysa Colizzi

Alexis Fox DIRECTOR

Michael Pellman Rowland

Neysa Colizzi

Tyson-Lord Gray

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.

  • 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

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
Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

Contractors

Fiscal year ending

Professional fundraisers

Fiscal year ending

SOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G

Solicitation activities
Gross receipts from fundraising
Retained by organization
Paid to fundraiser