PetSmart Charities Announces Nearly $7.6 Million in Immediate Funding Support to More than 85 Animal Welfare Organizations for Animal Transport
North America’s Leading Funder of Animal Welfare Grants More Money
Directly to Help Pets in Need Than Any Other Animal Welfare Group;
Repositions as a Strategic Grant Making Organization; Transitions Rescue
Waggin’ Animal Program to Those on the Front Lines
PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As part of its new strategic position in the animal welfare arena,
nonprofit organization PetSmart Charities, Inc. (PCI) announced today
that it is transitioning to an organization focused solely on strategic
grant making and that it has granted nearly $7.6 million in immediate
funding to more than 85 Animal Welfare Organizations (AWOs). The funds
are designed to support animal transport efforts to relocate animals
from at-capacity “source shelters” primarily in the South to
“destination shelters” primarily in the Midwest and Northeast where
shelters and communities have capacity for adoption.
As the leading funder in helping pets in need across North America, PCI,
along with its Canadian counterpart, PetSmart Charities of Canada, has
contributed more than $285 million to date to directly help pets – more
than any other funder. The organization recently expanded its mission
beyond its core and ongoing cause of ending pet homelessness and helping
pets in need to also include connecting pets and people in important
ways such as through funding service animal or pet therapy training
programs.
PetSmart Charities will no longer operate the Rescue Waggin’ transport
program and has worked directly with each of the more than 85 partners
to provide transitional funding totaling nearly $7.6 million to assist
partners in meeting their adoption and animal transport needs. The
transitional grants will become active with the AWO partners this month
and some grantees are expanding their animal relocation efforts to also
include cats. PetSmart Charities believes this new approach to funding
animal transport, rather than operating the program, will enable it to
make an even greater impact.
“Our goal at PetSmart Charities has been, and always will be, to save
the lives of as many pets as possible,” said David Haworth, DVM, PhD and
President of PetSmart Charities in the US and Canada. “We believe our
new grant-making focus enables us to help more pets by delivering funds
directly to those on the front lines in support of their important work
to end pet homelessness, help pets in need – including emergency relief
– as well as connect people and pets in meaningful and significant ways.”
This fall, PetSmart Charities expects to announce additional detailed
news regarding its new strategic grant-making focus, the enhanced online
grant application process and expanded grantee opportunities for AWOs
and organizations across North America.
About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal welfare
organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. Each year nearly
500,000 dogs and cats find homes through our adoption program in all
PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and sponsored adoption events. Each
year millions of PetSmart shoppers generously contribute to pets in need
by making donations directly to PetSmart Charities on a pin pad at the
registers in PetSmart stores. PetSmart Charities administers and
efficiency uses 90 cents of every dollar of those donations by issuing
grants and providing other support to help pets in need. PetSmart
Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other
animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding adoption
and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation.
PetSmart Charities has received the Four Star Rating for the past 13
years from Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit that reports on
the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits,
placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this
organization.
About PetSmart Charities™ of Canada
PetSmart Charities of Canada is a nonprofit animal welfare organization
that saves the lives of homeless pets in Canada. Each year more than
20,000 cats and dogs find Canadian homes through our adoption program in
nearly all PetSmart stores across Canada and our sponsored adoption
events. A leading funder of animal welfare, PetSmart Charities of Canada
has granted more than $9 million to help pets in need with a funding
focus on adoption and spay/neuter programs that help communities solve
pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered
charity, independent from PetSmart.
Contacts
Golin for PetSmart
Danielle Bickelmann, 469-680-2503
dbickelmann@golin.com
or
PetSmart
Media Line
623-587-2177
