Animal and environmental causes receive just 3% of all nonprofit giving, yet the ripple effects of companion animal welfare extend far beyond pets. From housing instability and public health to community safety and economic resilience, animal welfare is deeply intertwined with human well-being, especially in systemically excluded communities.
At the Animal Assistance Foundation (AAF), Colorado’s only foundation solely focused on companion animals, we’ve seen how targeted investment in this space drives meaningful, lasting change. For lean funders seeking high-impact, underfunded opportunities, animal welfare presents a powerful and often-overlooked avenue for systemic impact.
Why Animal Welfare Belongs in Your Philanthropic Strategy
Animal welfare isn’t a niche issue; it’s a community concern. When pets are safely housed, vaccinated, and cared for, their owners also benefit, experiencing reduced stress, improved mental health, and fewer barriers to stable housing. Communities also benefit from lower animal control costs and enhanced public safety. These outcomes align with common funding priorities like public health, homelessness prevention, and community resilience.
Shelters Spot Trouble Before Others Do
Shelters often act as early warning systems for broader issues. Spikes in pet surrenders can signal impending evictions or financial crises before human service providers are aware. Many animal welfare staff members are also mandatory reporters, flagging signs of abuse or neglect that might otherwise go unnoticed, thereby opening doors for timely intervention.
Pets Reflect Human Needs
Wherever there are people, there are animals, and meeting their needs can improve outcomes for both. A neglected pet may point to unmet elder care or mental health needs. Many people rely on pets for emotional support and make life decisions around them. One shelter shared a story of a family living in their car outside the facility for weeks, unwilling to part with their dog after losing pet-friendly housing.
Cross-Sector Solutions Are Emerging
Recognizing this bond, many shelters now employ social workers and community navigators to serve whole families. Cross-sector partnerships are also growing; domestic violence and homeless shelters are becoming pet-inclusive, pet food pantries are co-locating with human services, and veterinary clinics are connecting people to broader healthcare.
A Critical Yet Overlooked Opportunity
These partnerships reduce barriers to recovery and stability. Research also shows a strong link between animal abuse and domestic violence, reinforcing animal welfare’s role in breaking cycles of harm. Yet the sector is often overlooked in traditional funding strategies, a gap that lean funders are well-positioned to address.
How to Vet Animal Welfare Organizations
If your foundation is considering funding in the animal welfare space, here are four key characteristics to prioritize when evaluating potential grantees:
1. Clear Outcomes and Community Engagement
Effective organizations regularly assess their work and adapt based on community feedback. Look for groups that conduct needs assessments, engage residents in the program design process, and share transparent results. They should be able to clearly explain what’s working and what they’re still learning. While success may look different across organizations, intentional reflection and responsiveness are essential.
2. Asset-Based and Respectful Language
How organizations speak about their clients and partners reveals their values. Prioritize those that use respectful, strength-based language when describing both people and animals. For instance, saying “This dog was brought to the shelter by someone who wanted to ensure her safety” honors a pet owner’s intent.
Avoid groups that use stigmatizing or shaming language, whether about pet owners, communities, or peer organizations. Phrases like “rescued from a high-kill shelter” can reinforce harmful narratives. A more collaborative framing, “We welcomed this pet from a municipal partner shelter,” signals mutual respect and a systems-oriented mindset. The language should reflect a commitment to community care, not competition.
3. Participation in Coalitions and Alliances
While not all high-impact organizations belong to formal coalitions, those that do often demonstrate a commitment to collaboration and systems change. Ask whether the group participates in local or regional alliances, shares resources with peers, or engages in joint advocacy. Strong examples include:
- CalAnimals (California)
- Metro Denver Animal Welfare Alliance
- Chicagoland Humane Coalition
- Washington Federation of Animal Care and Control Agencies (WA Fed)
These networks foster shared learning, equity, and coordinated responses across communities.
4. Cross-Sector Partnerships
High-impact animal welfare groups recognize that helping animals often means helping people, too. Look for organizations that partner across sectors to offer holistic support and prevent crises before they escalate.
Examples of cross-sector collaboration include partnerships with:
- Housing providers
- Food banks and human service agencies
- Domestic violence shelters
- Public health departments
These connections strengthen community safety nets and create better outcomes for both people and pets.
Why This Matters for Lean Funders
Lean foundations often create an outsized impact through focused investments and deep community relationships. Animal welfare is a high-need, low-saturation space with strong local ties, making it a powerful, often overlooked opportunity for meaningful change. Even modest grants can have a catalytic impact.
If your foundation supports housing, health, youth, or family services, animal welfare is already connected to your mission—it just may not be on your radar yet.
Getting Started
Ready to integrate animal welfare into your giving strategy? Here are a few simple ways to begin:
- Connect with local or statewide coalitions to understand the landscape and key players.
- Talk with your current grantees; you may already be supporting pet-inclusive work without realizing it.
- Reach out to place-based funders, such as the Animal Assistance Foundation (AAF), for insights and entry points.
Animal welfare is more than caring for pets; it’s caring for communities, and lean funders are poised to lead the way.
About the Author
Anna Jaeger is program director at the Animal Assistance Foundation (AAF), a private, place-based foundation dedicated to supporting companion animal care across Colorado. For 50 years, AAF has been a consistent presence and supporter of innovation in improving the state of animal welfare in Colorado. AAF’s mission is to help create a future where every companion animal in Colorado is thriving in communities that support their well-being.
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