California · Nonprofit
SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA
SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA (California) receives grants from 7 organizations whose IRS filings report $439,545 to it, the largest being May and Bill Allison Foundation ($364,212). 4 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $143k
- Funders on record
- 7
- Grants received
- $440k
- Net assets
- $253k
What Spark Rescue Santa Barbara does
Mission
It is Spark Rescue's mission to rescue, rehabilitate, medically treat, spay and neuter unwanted dogs and cats and place them into permanent homes. To prevent future un wanted litters we spay the mother of the litter being surrendered. We also offer vaccinations to all cats and dogs that are "dumped" during their stray hold regardless if Spark Rescue is able to take them into our adoption program or not.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
On its FY2025 return the organization reported starting a significant new program.
**Spark Rescue Animal Surrender Program** Spark Rescue provides a compassionate and supportive program for individuals needing to surrender animals they can no longer keep or those they have found but cannot retain. Understanding the emotional and logistical challenges involved, our team is dedicated to facilitating a smooth transition for both the animals and their guardians. While Spark Rescue may not have the capacity to directly take in every animal, we leverage our extensive network of trusted rescues to ensure each animal receives the care and attention it deserves. If a suitable placement cannot be found, we actively promote the animals through our social media platforms, enhancing visibility and increasing the chances of finding them a safe, loving home. In addition to these efforts, we provide guidance and resources to individuals relinquishing their pets, helping them navigate the process of networking and rehoming. Our goal is to ensure that every animal is given the opportunity for a new beginning while supporting the community through education and outreach. In 2025 we were able to help secure placement of 82 dogs and 37 cats into rescues or private homes.
Its own explanation, from Schedule O of that return (Part III, line 2).
Spark Rescue Santa Barbara is a foster-based, all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and medically treat unwanted and at-risk dogs and cats, spay and neuter them, and place them into loving permanent homes. To help break the cycle of overpopulation, we also spay the mothers of surrendered litters. We further support the broader community by providing vaccinations to stray animals during their "hold period", regardless of whether we are able to accept them into our program. Upon intake, every animal receives thorough health screening: dogs are tested for Giardia and Parvovirus; cats are tested for Giardia, Panleukopenia, and Feline Leukemia Virus. Healthy animals are vaccinated, dewormed, treated for fleas and ticks, and bathed before moving into foster care. Animals showing signs of illness, injury (including broken bones), or contagious disease receive immediate veterinary care. Medically fragile animals remain under the direct care of the Director until they are stable. Behavioral issues such as anxiety, excessive barking, chewing, or digging are addressed through professional trainers so each animal is prepared for successful adoption.…
$133,842 spentof which $61,000 as grants$72,842 earned by the program96% of program spendingSpark Rescue Santa Barbara has implemented a program to ensure we are doing our part to help control the over population of unwanted dogs and cats we pay the cost to have the mother of the litter being surrendered to be spayed, we have made this a mandatory provision for any litters relinquished to the rescue. Thru spay and neuter programs we were able to reduce the cost of this service in 2025
$3,200 spent$3,200 earned by the program2% of program spendingSpark Rescue Santa Barbara has seen a significant rise in Parvo virus and Distemper since the Covid-19 outbreak in order to help the animals that have been picked up off the streets, trapped or abandoned we have been providing vaccinations, de worming and flea and tick treatments to every animal, not just the ones that are accepted into our program.
$2,980 spent$2,980 earned by the program2% of program spendingOther program services, not described on the e-filed return.
$0 spent0% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2025 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $140,022.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2019, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2019, 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 2021 to 2022, from $169k to $314k (+86%).
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.
100% of SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (86% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 7 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.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 4 funders, grant income rose $33k → $71k.
4 of 7 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 15% 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 SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA’s funders (the co-funder graph). 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
SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA leans on a few funders — its largest provides 83% of grant income and the top three 95%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2018 100% · 2019 78% · 2020 79% · 2021 84% · 2022 83% · 2023 70% — diversifying over time.
“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.
Where its funders are
99% of SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA's grant income comes from California funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $67k arriving through sponsors registered in 3 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
SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA holds deeper cash reserves than three-quarters of the 3,693 animals nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 3,693 animals nonprofits $100k–$1M, FY2025
Organizations like SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA
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 California
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
100% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
100%
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 SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA: 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 SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA?
- SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA (California) receives grants from 7 organizations whose IRS filings report $439,545 to it, the largest being May and Bill Allison Foundation ($364,212). 4 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA have?
- IRS filings report 7 organizations giving $439,545 in grants to SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA, 4 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA?
- May and Bill Allison Foundation is the largest funder on record, with $364,212 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like SPARK RESCUE SANTA BARBARA find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in California. 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 Spark Rescue Santa Barbara →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2019–2025), and the filings of 7 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 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing