PEDIGREE Foundation Celebrates its 15th Year by Awarding Over $600,000 in Annual Grants to U.S. and Canada Animal Shelters and Rescue Organizations

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Oct 25, 2023, 09:00 ET

Since 2008, PEDIGREE Foundation Has Donated Over $12 Million Through Its Grants Program to Further Ambition to Help End Pet Homelessness

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Oct. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, PEDIGREE Foundation furthers its commitment to serving dogs in need by awarding over $600,000 in annual grants to animal shelters and rescue organizations across the U.S. and Canada. With the support of these grants, 61,000 dogs in both countries will receive care and find their forever homes. Since its inception in 2008, PEDIGREE Foundation has awarded over $12 million and helped more than 800,000 dogs through its annual grant program to cement its support of the animal welfare community across North America.

PEDIGREE Foundation grants support organizations like Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PA SPCA) and dogs such as Ty. The PA SPCA is receiving the second half of its DOGS RULE.™ grant this year to support its Arousal Management and Treatment Behavior program.

The 2023 grants were awarded to 33 shelter/rescue organization programs in the U.S. and 10 in Canada, with an emphasis on foster, transport and behavior programming. This marks the second year where PEDIGREE Foundation expanded its annual grant program to Canada awarding $100,000 CAD to shelters and rescue organizations in need, in addition to $25,000 CAD in disaster relief to help fight the Canadian wildfires.

"Since its founding in 2008, our mission at PEDIGREE Foundation has been to support dogs in need and to help end pet homelessness," said Kimberly Wise, President of the Board of Directors for PEDIGREE Foundation. "Over the past 15 years, the Foundation has donated millions of dollars through annual grants, furthering its commitment to serving dogs in need and the animal shelters that tirelessly care for them throughout the U.S. and now its second year in Canada."

The complete list of the 2023 PEDIGREE Foundation grant recipients is available on the website. A few of this year's grants include:

DOGS RULE.™ Grants – $100,000 over two years to develop an innovative initiative that can become a best practice for other shelters and rescues.

Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA, Washington, D.C): This grant will support the WayStation Transport Program, a large-scale, integrated network that transports 2,500 – 3,000 animals each year from overcrowded shelters to locations where adoption rates are higher. The WayStation Program also works in conjunction with HRA's disaster deployment program, allowing HRA to help shelters overwhelmed with pets needing emergency sheltering and decrease shelter populations before a storm hits.
Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PA SPCA, Philadelphia, PA): This grant will allow the PSPCA to create a full-time behaviorist position, which will assess dogs for behavioral challenges that may interfere with adoption success, address them with a behavior modification plan, and support adopters with training materials and post-adoption consultations. The program will address the most common behavioral reasons for post-adoption return, including arousal, reactivity, stranger, danger, fear and anxiety.

Program Development Grants – These grants help U.S. shelters and rescues expand operational capacity through strategic programming to increase dog adoption with a focus on transport, foster, behavior and matching initiatives.

In 2023, PEDIGREE Foundation awarded nearly $450,000 in funding to 31 shelters and rescues across 20 states and territories spanning the country.

Canadian Grants – In its second year, $100,000 CAD was awarded to animal shelters and rescue organizations with programming that provides behavioral training, transport needs and safety net grants to keep people and pets together.

10 Canadian shelters/rescue organizations were awarded these grants, supporting more than 3,300 dogs in need.

"Funding from the grant program will support bringing in vital support for dogs in their adoption journey," said Alicia Avendano, Shelter Liaison, Nova Scotia SPCA. "More specifically, support will increase training for our volunteers who spend one-on-one time with dogs in our care to promote positive behaviors that keep pets mentally and physically healthy which will improve the chances of adoption."

Show Your Support

PEDIGREE Foundation is encouraging dog lovers to check out the DOGS RULE.™ online store throughout the holiday season for gifts that support dogs in need. Proceeds from the store help dogs find loving homes through shelter and rescue grants.

PEDIGREE Foundation knows that EVERY DOG DESERVES A LOVING HOME™. Through the generosity of dog lovers across the U.S. and Canada, the Foundation is able to continue its mission to help dogs find homes throughout the year. To help PEDIGREE Foundation help more dogs, visit this link.

To learn more about the 2023 grant recipients and how they're utilizing their grants to help end pet homelessness, and for information about how you can make a difference with PEDIGREE Foundation, please visit PedigreeFoundation.org.

About PEDIGREE Foundation
We believe every dog deserves a loving, forever home. PEDIGREE Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to help end pet homelessness. Nearly 3.1 million dogs end up in shelters and rescues every year, and nearly half never find a home. The foundation was established in 2008 by Mars Petcare, maker of PEDIGREE® food for dogs, to help increase dog adoption rates. We've awarded more than 6,200 grants and more than $12 million to U.S. shelters and rescues that help dogs in need. Since launching our Canadian grant program in 2022, we have provided $200k CAD to local shelters and rescues in need across Canada, as well as $25k CAD in Disaster Relief. At PEDIGREE Foundation, we're working toward a day when all dogs are safe, secure, cared for, fed well and loved. See how you can help at PedigreeFoundation.org.

About Mars Petcare
Part of Mars, Incorporated, a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love, the 85,000 Associates across 50+ countries in Mars Petcare are dedicated to one purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS. With 85 years of experience, our portfolio of almost 50 brands serves the health and nutrition needs of the world's pets – including brands PEDIGREE^®, WHISKAS^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, NUTRO™, GREENIES™, SHEBA^®, CESAR^®, IAMS™ and EUKANUBA™ as well as the Waltham Petcare Science Institute which has advanced research in the nutrition and health of pets for over 50 years. Mars Petcare is also a leading veterinary health provider through an international network of over 2,000 pet hospitals and diagnostic services including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™, Linnaeus, AniCura and Antech. We're also active in innovation and technology for pets, with WISDOM PANEL™ genetic health screening and DNA testing for dogs and cats, the WHISTLE™ GPS dog tracker, and LEAP VENTURE STUDIO accelerator and COMPANION FUND programs that drive innovation and disruption in the pet care industry. As a family business and guided by our principles, we are privileged with the flexibility to fight for what we believe in – and we choose to fight for: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.