To end the killing of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters and bring the country to no-kill by providing lifesaving programs, running the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary, and supporting shelters and communities.
Best Friends Animal Society directs its grantmaking toward keeping dogs and cats out of shelters and helping communities move toward no-kill outcomes. The recent grants list shows that approach in practice: a $2,350,000 program-service grant to Austin Pets Alive, followed by seven-figure support to Jacksonville Humane Society. Those awards sit alongside broad support for shelter operations, adoption, foster programs, spay/neuter services, community cat programs, education, and training. The foundation works through shelter and rescue infrastructure rather than individual pet aid. Its active programs point to on-site and virtual shelter medicine support, network partner grants, and outreach or embed programs that place Best Friends expertise inside municipal and community shelters. Recent awards also show a recurring emphasis on organizations that can expand lifesaving capacity at scale, including humane societies, animal rescue groups, and shelter medicine partners. The grant portfolio is shaped by restricted program funding and service-delivery support. Several awards are labeled program service support, which fits the organization’s stated aim of providing lifesaving programs, running a no-kill sanctuary, and supporting shelters and communities across the United States.
Shelter operations are a central theme. Best Friends Animal Society gave $544,900 to Humane Society of Hall County - Northeast Georgia for program service support, and the active shelter-support programs describe embedded assistance for municipal and community shelters. Medical capacity building appears in the shelter medicine work. The National Shelter Medicine Program provides on-site and virtual support for high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter services and shelter medicine, matching the foundation’s focus on surgical and medical capacity building. They also back adoption and transfer coordination. A $262,350 award to Paws for Life K9 Rescue supports the same lifesaving framework that shows up in the Partner Up Challenge, which was designed to increase adoptions and transport partnerships between shelters and rescues. Community cat work is another named priority. Best Friends’ embed and outreach programs specifically mention sustainable community cat programs and foster and adoption network building.
$16.1M
$200.6M
$148.3M
$173.4M
Most grants fall between $10K and $36K, with a median of $18K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$18K
75th Percentile
$36K
JULIANNE CASTLE
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Typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $17,979 at the median, and $35,682 at the 75th percentile. The recent grants list also shows a wider upper tail, with multiple awards in the hundreds of thousands and a $2,350,000 grant at the top. The pattern is strongly recurring rather than one-off. Jacksonville Humane Society, Operation Kindness, Austin Pets Alive, and San Diego Humane Society each appear in more than one recent grant year. Best Friends Animal Society is a Pure DAF Provider, does not fund individuals, and does not make program-related investments. Active programs are structured as grants, network support, and embedded assistance rather than open, unsolicited applications; the Partner Up Challenge is the exception noted as accepting unsolicited participation.
Grant recipients are entirely U.S.-based in the data, with 1,118 grants, or 100%, going to U.S. organizations. The recent grants table shows a spread across cities and regions, including Austin, Jacksonville, Hall County in Georgia, San Diego, Massachusetts, Savannah, Charleston, and Iowa. The distribution reflects a national shelter network model rather than a single-state focus, and the foundation’s giving is not concentrated in Utah despite its headquarters there.
They fund animal welfare organizations that work in shelter lifesaving, adoption, foster programs, spay/neuter services, community cat programs, sanctuary operations, education, and training. The active programs specifically mention shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter organizations, and municipal or community shelters.
No. The foundation is marked as not funding individuals, and its grantmaking goes to organizations such as shelters, humane societies, rescue groups, and other animal welfare nonprofits.
The typical grant size is $10,000 at the 25th percentile, $17,979 at the median, and $35,682 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include much larger program-service grants, showing a wide range of support levels.
No. The data shows 0% of grants to recipients in Utah, and recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based. Recent grants are spread across cities and regions such as Austin, Jacksonville, San Diego, Savannah, Charleston, and Iowa.
Most active programs are not listed as accepting unsolicited requests. The one exception in the provided data is the Partner Up Challenge, which is noted as accepting unsolicited participation.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Best Friends Animal Society that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Public and private animal shelters, rescue groups, spay/neuter organizations, and other animal welfare organizations; network partners are located in all 50 states.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUSTIN PETS ALIVE | — | $2,350,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| JACKSONVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY | — | $1,394,250 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| OPERATION KINDNESS | — | $865,525 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| HUMANE SOCIETY OF HALL COUNTY - NORTHEAST GEORGIA | — | $544,900 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| WEST VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY | — | $492,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| THOMASVILLE THOMAS CTY HUMANE SOCIETY | — | $486,300 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY | — | $399,531 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| MASSACHUSETTS SPCA | — | $399,300 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| HUMANE SOCIETY FOR GREATER SAVANNAH | — | $316,600 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| CHARLESTON ANIMAL SOCIETY | — | $268,990 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| PAWS FOR LIFE K9 RESCUE | — | $262,350 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| ANIMAL RESCUE LEAGUE OF IOWA | — | $240,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| BETTERTOGETHER FOREVER | — | $203,750 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| BELLEVILLE AREA HUMANE SOCIETY | — | $201,705 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| ANGEL CITY PIT BULLS | — | $201,542 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| STRAY CAT ALLIANCE | — | $195,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| CITY OF LOS ANGELES | — | $152,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| PROVIDENCE ANIMAL CENTER | — | $141,687 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| ONE TAIL AT A TIME | — | $131,355 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| THE PAW MISSION | — | $125,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| BRANDYWINE VALLEY SPCA | — | $114,400 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| RORY TO THE RESCUE | — | $107,400 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| HUMANE SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA | — | $100,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| DOGS PLAYING FOR LIFE | — | $95,150 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| PENDER COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER | — | $90,605 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| KITTEN RESCUE | — | $90,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | — | $89,250 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| ANIMAL HUMANE ASSOCIATION OF NEW MEXICO | — | $84,200 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| HORRY COUNTY ANIMAL CARE CENTER | — | $80,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| HOUSTON PETS ALIVE | — | $79,500 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| ANIMAL CARE CENTERS OF NYC | — | $78,410 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| ENID SPCA | — | $72,900 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| SPCA OF BRAZORIA COUNTY | — | $71,200 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| BALTIMORE ANIMAL RESCUE & CARE CENTER | — | $71,112 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| SOUL DOG RESCUE | — | $70,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| ANIMAL PROTECTIVE LEAGUE OF SPRINGFIELD & | — | $68,600 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| KANAWHA-CHARLESTON HUMANE ASSOCIATION | — | $67,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| GATEWAY PET GUARDIANS | — | $66,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| MOUNTAIN HUMANE | — | $65,400 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| KITTY BUNGALOW CHARM SCHOOL | — | $61,720 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| TEN LIVES CLUB | — | $61,500 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF NORTH MYRTLE BEACH | — | $58,200 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| HAWAIIAN HUMANE SOCIETY | — | $57,200 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| OHIO ALLEYCAT RESOURCE & SPAYNEUTER CLINIC | — | $55,455 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| LAFAYETTE ANIMAL AID | — | $54,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| HUMANE SOCIETY OF MIDLAND COUNTY | — | $53,705 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| SOUTHERN PINES ANIMAL SHELTER | — | $53,205 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| PALM VALLEY ANIMAL CENTER | — | $53,172 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| REZDAWG RESCUE | — | $51,705 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
| CALIFORNIA LABRADORS RETRIEVERS AND MORE RESCUE | — | $50,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT |
PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY
$399,531PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
BELLEVILLE AREA HUMANE SOCIETY
$201,705PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
CITY OF LOS ANGELES
$152,000PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
PROVIDENCE ANIMAL CENTER
$141,687PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
THE PAW MISSION
$125,000PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
RORY TO THE RESCUE
$107,400PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
HUMANE SOCIETY OF SOUTHERN ARIZONA
$100,000PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
PENDER COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER
$90,605PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
ANIMAL HUMANE ASSOCIATION OF NEW MEXICO
$84,200PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
HORRY COUNTY ANIMAL CARE CENTER
$80,000PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
ENID SPCA
$72,900PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
ANIMAL PROTECTIVE LEAGUE OF SPRINGFIELD &
$68,600PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
THE HUMANE SOCIETY OF NORTH MYRTLE BEACH
$58,200PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
SOUTHERN PINES ANIMAL SHELTER
$53,205PROGRAM SERVICE SUPPORT
