Massachusetts · Nonprofit
ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON
ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON (Massachusetts) receives grants from 197 organizations whose IRS filings report $14,130,701 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($4,020,927). 137 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $22M
- Funders on record
- 197
- Grants received
- $14M
- Net assets
- $128M
What Animal Rescue League of Boston does
Mission
The Animal Rescue League of Boston's vision is to confront animal cruelty and neglect at its root causes. Through programs, services, and facilities focused on accessible animal care, public advocacy, and sustained anti-cruelty efforts... (see schedule o)
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Animal care and adoption - arl's three centers in boston, dedham, and cape cod offer the following services: intake and surrender, shelter and care, behavioral assessment, enrichment, and adoption. In 2023, arl's animal care and adoption centers served 4,668 domestic animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, small animals, birds, and livestock, coming from a variety of conditions and living situations. Special adoption programs for cats include taming tiny tigers, to help under-socialized kittens learn to bond with human companions, and working cats, which places cats best suited to an active working lifestyle. Arl also offers pet behavioral resources to the public, including dog training courses and a free pet behavior helpline...(see schedule o)
$3,431,561 spent$1,164,784 earned by the program31% of program spendingVeterinary services - arl operates three veterinary programs: 1) boston veterinary care provides a full range of high-quality outpatient services to pet owners in greater boston. A clinic with a mission, all profits support arl programs; 2) shelter veterinary services provides comprehensive veterinary services, including physical exams and vaccinations, for all arl animal care and adoption centers. In 2023, this program performed a combination of 8,263 veterinary exams and surgeries; 3) community veterinary services serves animals and people in the communities where they live. In 2023, the spay waggin', arl's mobile veterinary surgical vehicle, provided low cost spay and neuter services to 4,652 cats and dogs in greater boston, southeastern ma, cape cod, and the islands...(see schedule o)
$5,511,478 spent$2,772,927 earned by the program50% of program spendingAnimal protection - as a leader in animal welfare, arl is committed to preventing animal suffering, neglect, and abuse in massachusetts. Arl does this through two departments that focus primarily on animal protection: 1) animal advocacy works to draft humane laws, animal welfare policies and regulations; and engages staff, volunteers, and arl supporters to advocate/promote for local, state and federal legislation; 2) humane law enforcement investigates crimes of animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect. Arl employs massachusetts special state police as humane law enforcement officers, with the authority to enforce animal cruelty laws; and trains first responders, animal control officers, and other animal welfare agencies. In 2023, arl investigated cruelty and neglect cases involving 1,926 animals.
$1,091,313 spent$12,347 earned by the program10% of program spendingCommunity programs - arl meets people and animals in the communities where they live. Through strategic partnerships with local human services organizations, arl aims to keep every member of the household healthy, and families together. Community programs includes the following outreach and special initiatives: 1) field services provides technical and non-technical rescues for injured domestic animals, livestock, and raptors. In 2023, this program helped 2,583 animals in need; 2) the community cat program addresses the 700,000 unowned cats (feral, semi-feral, and outdoor cats) in massachusetts, by assessing cat colonies and formulating tnr (trap/neuter/return) plans. In 2023, this program served 389 community cats in 42 colonies; 3) the transport waggin' I and transport waggin' ii link together arl's locations and programs, allowing transport of out-of-state animals, and assisting municipal shelters, animal control facilities, and smaller rescue groups. In 2023, this program logged 1,328 activities; 4) keep pets s.a.f.e (supporting animals facing emergencies) provides critical services, such as pet food and supplies, in response to urgent community needs. In 2023, 1,161 food and…
$1,066,226 spent$34,451 earned by the program10% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2023 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $11,100,578.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2020 to 2021, from $119M to $140M (+18%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2020 14% · 2022 8%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
37% of ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON’s revenue is contributions — more earned-revenue than three-quarters of its peers (67% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Chief executive
Dr Edward Schettino
President & CEO
As listed on its FY2024 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 49 funders to 104 funders, grant income rose $913k → $1.8M.
30 of 197 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 44% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 30 of 197 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON has a broad base — no single funder exceeds 28% of grant income, and it takes 3 funders to reach half.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 3 funders to its left
48% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 25% · 2018 27% · 2019 21% · 2020 23% · 2021 24% · 2022 19% · 2023 24% — broadly stable.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
52% of ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 70% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON draws 75% of its grant income from funders outside Massachusetts, across 21 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $6.2M arriving through sponsors registered in 14 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 235 animals nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 235 animals nonprofits $10M–$100M, FY2024
Government funding ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $196k on record.
- (JJ) OPERATIONAL SERVICES$196k
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Massachusetts
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
81% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
78%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON?
- ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON (Massachusetts) receives grants from 197 organizations whose IRS filings report $14,130,701 to it, the largest being FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($4,020,927). 137 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON have?
- IRS filings report 197 organizations giving $14,130,701 in grants to ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON, 137 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON?
- FIDELITY INVESTMENTS CHARITABLE GIFT FUND is the largest funder on record, with $4,020,927 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF BOSTON find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Massachusetts. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
Play a game about who funds Animal Rescue League of Boston →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 197 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 22, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing