Knox Area Rescue Ministries 
The information on this page was last updated 7/24/2026. If you see errors or omissions, please email: [email protected]
Summary
We achieve our mission through our ministry equation of Rescue + Relationships = Restoration.
KARM uses this ministry equation because Jesus used it. He rescued us. He longs for a relationship with us. Through that rescue and ever-present, ever-growing relationship, He restores us. He spent his earthly ministry modeling for His followers the power and eternal impact of investing in others.
Every day of the year, 24 hours per day, Knox Area Rescue Ministries provides for Knoxville's vulnerable and desperate - first supplying rescue services of food and shelter; then providing healthy, supportive relationships; and, ultimately, restoration.
Contact information
Mailing address:
Knox Area Rescue Ministries
418 N Broadway
Knoxville, TN 37917
Website: karm.org
Phone: (865) 673-6540
Email: [email protected]
Organization details
EIN: 620670972
CEO/President: Danita McCartney
Chairman: Ray Kielarowski
Board size: 18
Founder:
Ruling year: 1964
Tax deductible: Yes
Fiscal year end: 06/30
Member of ECFA: Yes
Member of ECFA since: 1987
Purpose
Since 1960, KARM has helped men and women struggling with homelessness, poverty and addiction to pick up the broken pieces and build a better life-one with a home, job, and loving relationships; a life that is healthy, whole, restored.
Mission statement
KARM's mission is to rescue and restore the poor and needy of the Knoxville area by providing recovery services in Jesus' name
Statement of faith
Donor confidence score
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Transparency grade
A
To understand our transparency grade, click here.
Financial efficiency ratings
Sector: Rescue Missions/Homeless Shelters
| Category | Rating | Overall rank | Sector rank |
| Overall efficiency rating | | 135 of 1435 | 16 of 162 |
| Fund acquisition rating | | 396 of 1435 | 35 of 162 |
| Resource allocation rating | | 130 of 1435 | 16 of 162 |
| Asset utilization rating | | 411 of 1436 | 42 of 162 |
To understand our financial efficiency ratings, click here.
Financial ratios
| Funding ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Return on fundraising efforts Return on fundraising efforts = Fundraising expense / Total contributions | 10% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 6% |
Fundraising cost ratio Fundraising cost ratio = Fundraising expense / Total revenue | 8% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 5% | 6% |
Contributions reliance Contributions reliance = Total contributions / Total revenue | 93% | 98% | 99% | 99% | 99% | 97% |
Fundraising expense ratio Fundraising expense ratio = Fundraising expense / Total expenses | 9% | 5% | 5% | 6% | 6% | 8% |
Other revenue reliance Other revenue reliance = Total other revenue / Total revenue | 7% | 2% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Operating ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Program expense ratio Program expense ratio = Program services / Total expenses | 81% | 92% | 91% | 89% | 89% | 88% |
Spending ratio Spending ratio = Total expenses / Total revenue | 97% | 98% | 94% | 89% | 84% | 77% |
Program output ratio Program output ratio = Program services / Total revenue | 79% | 91% | 86% | 79% | 75% | 68% |
Savings ratio Savings ratio = Surplus (deficit) / Total revenue | 3% | 2% | 6% | 11% | 16% | 23% |
Reserve accumulation rate Reserve accumulation rate = Surplus (deficit) / Net assets | 2% | 2% | 8% | 17% | 26% | 42% |
General and admin ratio General and admin ratio = Management and general expense / Total expenses | 9% | 3% | 4% | 5% | 4% | 3% |
| Investing ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Total asset turnover Total asset turnover = Total expenses / Total assets | 0.56 | 0.88 | 0.87 | 0.84 | 1.05 | 1.01 |
Degree of long-term investment Degree of long-term investment = Total assets / Total current assets | 3.05 | 3.09 | 2.94 | 2.40 | 2.28 | 2.47 |
Current asset turnover Current asset turnover = Total expenses / Total current assets | 2.08 | 2.74 | 2.55 | 2.01 | 2.40 | 2.49 |
| Liquidity ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Current ratio Current ratio = Total current assets / Total current liabilities | 10.26 | 6.22 | 6.77 | 6.81 | 6.05 | 4.43 |
Current liabilities ratio Current liabilities ratio = Total current liabilities / Total current assets | 0.09 | 0.16 | 0.15 | 0.15 | 0.17 | 0.23 |
Liquid reserve level Liquid reserve level = (Total current assets - Total current liabilities) / (Total expenses / 12) | 5.14 | 3.68 | 4.01 | 5.10 | 4.17 | 3.73 |
| Solvency ratios | Sector median | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Liabilities ratio Liabilities ratio = Total liabilities / Total assets | 9% | 40% | 37% | 36% | 24% | 29% |
Debt ratio Debt ratio = Debt / Total assets | 0% | 8% | 9% | 11% | 16% | 20% |
Reserve coverage ratio Reserve coverage ratio = Net assets / Total expenses | 145% | 68% | 73% | 76% | 73% | 70% |
Financials
| Balance sheet | |||||
| Assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Cash | $7,854,153 | $8,377,698 | $10,620,833 | $7,413,920 | $4,261,527 |
| Receivables, inventories, prepaids | $2,335,608 | $2,217,893 | $2,167,893 | $1,688,628 | $1,339,917 |
| Short-term investments | $7,805,408 | $6,760,213 | $6,144,500 | $4,550,439 | $4,934,916 |
| Other current assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current assets | $17,995,169 | $17,355,804 | $18,933,226 | $13,652,987 | $10,536,360 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Fixed assets | $21,713,678 | $21,450,250 | $17,207,962 | $16,936,004 | $14,837,943 |
| Other long-term assets | $15,981,348 | $12,160,775 | $9,368,721 | $497,232 | $637,345 |
| Total long-term assets | $37,695,026 | $33,611,025 | $26,576,683 | $17,433,236 | $15,475,288 |
| Total assets | $55,690,195 | $50,966,829 | $45,509,909 | $31,086,223 | $26,011,648 |
| Liabilities | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Payables and accrued expenses | $2,894,748 | $2,563,299 | $2,781,127 | $2,257,123 | $2,376,855 |
| Other current liabilities | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total current liabilities | $2,894,748 | $2,563,299 | $2,781,127 | $2,257,123 | $2,376,855 |
| Debt | $4,501,549 | $4,699,013 | $4,893,005 | $5,080,647 | $5,273,195 |
| Due to (from) affiliates | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Other long-term liabilities | $14,745,156 | $11,501,281 | $8,891,348 | $0 | $0 |
| Total long-term liabilities | $19,246,705 | $16,200,294 | $13,784,353 | $5,080,647 | $5,273,195 |
| Total liabilities | $22,141,453 | $18,763,593 | $16,565,480 | $7,337,770 | $7,650,050 |
| Net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Without donor restrictions | $33,479,294 | $31,464,744 | $28,492,087 | $23,446,759 | $18,243,668 |
| With donor restrictions | $69,448 | $738,492 | $452,342 | $301,694 | $117,930 |
| Net assets | $33,548,742 | $32,203,236 | $28,944,429 | $23,748,453 | $18,361,598 |
| Revenues and expenses | |||||
| Revenue | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Total contributions | $49,084,497 | $46,218,617 | $42,273,048 | $38,281,432 | $33,055,644 |
| Program service revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Membership dues | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Investment income | $371,214 | $175,793 | $151,473 | ($16,573) | $123 |
| Other revenue | $543,729 | $472,649 | $404,707 | $571,657 | $909,969 |
| Total other revenue | $914,943 | $648,442 | $556,180 | $555,084 | $910,092 |
| Total revenue | $49,999,440 | $46,867,059 | $42,829,228 | $38,836,516 | $33,965,736 |
| Expenses | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Program services | $45,264,456 | $40,397,306 | $34,001,997 | $29,224,712 | $23,189,449 |
| Management and general | $1,544,647 | $1,692,682 | $1,749,091 | $1,408,445 | $902,714 |
| Fundraising | $2,420,570 | $2,197,885 | $2,252,283 | $2,123,217 | $2,124,302 |
| Total expenses | $49,229,673 | $44,287,873 | $38,003,371 | $32,756,374 | $26,216,465 |
| Change in net assets | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
| Surplus (deficit) | $769,767 | $2,579,186 | $4,825,857 | $6,080,142 | $7,749,271 |
| Other changes in net assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total change in net assets | $769,767 | $2,579,186 | $4,825,857 | $6,080,142 | $7,749,271 |
Compensation
| Name | Title | Compensation |
| Danita McCartney | President & CEO | $176,670 |
| Burt Rosen | Former CEO | $122,258 |
Compensation data as of: 6/30/2025
Response from ministry
No response has been provided by this ministry.
The information below was provided to MinistryWatch by the ministry itself. It was last updated 7/24/2026. To update the information below, please email: [email protected]
History
In 1960, five local pastors began looking for ways to meet the needs of Knoxville's growing homeless population. They envisioned a ministry that would share the love of Jesus Christ by meeting the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of hurting and homeless men who found themselves lost and forgotten in a busy world.
On December 8 of that year, they opened the doors of the Knoxville Union Rescue Mission, located on Fifth Avenue in the heart of Knoxville's downtown. With a new facility and staff fully in place, the young ministry began the slow, yet steady work of rescue and transformation, extending the hands and heart of Jesus Christ to all who walked through its doors.
Responding to the changing face of homelessness and East Tennessee's growing need, the ministry changed its name to Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM).
Over the years, crimes of violence, theft, drugs and human trafficking among Knoxville's homeless have dramatically increased, creating a culture of hopeless despair and resulting in a cyclical lifestyle that many find impossible to escape on their own.
In the very middle of this seemingly hopeless and chaotic situation, Knox Area Rescue Ministries continues to open its doors to our area's homeless and hurting-extending overwhelming biblical hospitality and using our ministry formula of Rescue + Relationships = Restoration to help rekindle lost hope.
Since 1960, KARM has seen change of leadership, expansion of facilities, and the refinement of operational processes and procedures. But one thing has not changed-our commitment to restore lives in Jesus' name.
Program accomplishments
Needs
karm.org/our-needs