About Our 2025 Grant Recipients

This year, PEDIGREE Foundation is awarding $1.2M in 2025 annual grants to shelters and rescues across the U.S. and Canada, with 94 grants supporting nearly 119,000 dogs. Here is a closer look at the grants and recipients.

DOGS RULE.™ Grants: Building Best Practices

These are $100,000 grants provided over two years to develop and support an innovative initiative that can become a best practice for other shelters and rescues. This year, one new DOGS RULE.™ grant was awarded, and a second continued from 2024. The 2025 grantees were:

• Gateway Pet Guardians (East St. Louis, MO): The first half of this grant for 2025 and 2026 will support their Finder-to-Foster Program, which empowers residents who find stray dogs to become temporary fosters – keeping dogs out of the shelter to reduce their stress and anxiety, and increase the shelter’s capacity to serve more animals. The funds will provide supplies, transportation and support to ensure the pets’ wellbeing while awaiting reunion or adoption.

• Dallas Pets Alive! (Dallas, TX): The second half of this grant from 2024 and 2025 will support their Foster+ program, which modernizes the existing fostering program with training scholarships, streamlined access to supplies, transportation assistance for vet visits and grooming coverage, all aimed at reducing barriers and costs for foster parents to make fostering more appealing and accessible.

Program Development Grants

These grants support shelter and rescue activities that expand the programming capacity of the organization to increase dog adoption rates. The focus is on foster, transport and behavior initiatives. This year, more than $480,000 was awarded for program development funding to 34 shelters and rescues. The 2025 grantees were:

• Animal Rescue League of Iowa (Des Moines, IA): $14,368 to support their From Foster to Forever program, which increases adoptions and strengthens the foster network to reduce shelter overcrowding. Funding supports foster recruitment, training, promotion and adopter support to improve dog welfare and capacity.
• Animal Welfare Society of Howard County (CHARM Rescue) (Columbia, MD): $15,000 to support their Golden Ticket Home Program, which transports at-risk dogs from rural shelters to Maryland fosters, bypassing kennels to reduce stress and length of stay. Funding supports foster network expansion and adoption support.
• ASTRO Foundation (Oakdale, CA): $15,000 to support their Foster Program Expansion and Behavioral Support Program, which aims to double lifesaving capacity by recruiting foster homes and providing professional behavior training. Funding supports all stages of dog care, reducing overcrowding and improving adoptability.
• Big Dog Ranch Rescue (Loxahatchee Groves, FL): $15,000 to support their Foster a Dog, Change a Life program, which places at-risk dogs into foster homes to reduce stress and improve adoptability, while increasing intake capacity. Funding supports foster onboarding, training, supplies and behavioral resources for over 600 dogs.
• Brown County Humane Society (Nashville, IN): $15,000 to support their Behavior, Enrichment, Socialization and Training (BEST) Program, which improves well-being and adoptability through behavior modification, enrichment and socialization. Funding supports staff training, enrichment supplies and behavior consultations to reduce stress and prevent unnecessary relinquishments.
• Cherished Tails Senior Sanctuary (Marana, AZ): $10,000 to support their A Bridge to Forever Program, which expands their foster network to rescue seniors and at-risk dogs from overcrowded rural shelters. Funding supports outreach, training and supplies to increase foster placements and successful adoptions.
• Columbus Humane (Hilliard, OH): $15,000 to support their Expanding Foster Care for Vulnerable Dogs program, which expands foster care for vulnerable dogs, including those with behavioral challenges and cruelty cases. Funding increases foster homes, prevents negative outcomes, reduces disease risk and improves live release rates.
• Compassion Without Borders (Santa Rosa, CA): $14,948 to support their Ready, Set…Stay! Post-Adoption Behavior Support Program, which provides post-adoption behavioral support for dogs with advanced needs to reduce return rates. Funding offers virtual and in-person training for adopters, ensuring dogs remain in loving homes long-term.
• Dubuque Regional Humane Society (Dubuque, IA): $14,000 to support their Homeward Bound: A Foster Program to End Long Stays program, which revitalizes their foster program to reduce dog length of stay. Funding supports a coordinator, educational resources, supplies, behavioral support and marketing to improve welfare and adoption readiness.
• Easel Animal Rescue League (Ewing, NJ): $15,000 to support their Shelter Dogs Adoptability Improvement by Targeted Behavior Modification and Enrichment Program, which enhances well-being and adoptability through behavior modification and enrichment initiatives. Funding supports training services, volunteer education and behavior assessments to reduce stress and increase adoption rates.
• Fairfield Area Humane Society (Lancaster, OH): $10,300 to support their Fetch A Friend Program, which creates dog-friendly socialization outings in the community to reduce shelter stress and improve adoptability. The program encourages volunteers to transition into short-term fosters, increasing adoption rates and shelter capacity.
• Forsyth County Humane Society (Cumming, GA): $15,000 to support their Path to Positive Outcomes: Enhancing Adoptability through Staff-led Training program, which trains staff in behavior modification to improve dog adoptability, reduce length of stay and lower post-adoption returns. Funding supports workshops, consistent protocols and Behavior Champions among staff.
• Free to Live, Inc. (Guthrie, OK): $15,000 to support their Canine Behavior Modification: Dog Training and Dogs Playing for Life program, which improves dog behavior and socialization through structured playgroups and individualized training. Funding supports assessments, training, enrichment and adopter support to increase adoption rates and reduce returns.
• Friends of the Animal Shelter and Guardians of the Homeless Animals (Aldie, VA): $15,000 to support their Behavior Training mobile app optimization, which enhances volunteer and foster training via a mobile app offering tailored behavior modification support. Funding expands online courses, improves app features and provides foster caregiver training to reduce shelter stays and improve adoption outcomes.
• Green Dogs Unleashed (Troy, VA): $15,000 to support their Animal Behaviorist Intern Program, which trains positive reinforcement interns to support foster families and shelters in caring for special needs and behaviorally at-risk dogs. Funding builds foster capacity, improves adoption outcomes and develops a skilled workforce of behaviorists.
• Home Fur Good Animal Rescue and Placement (Phoenix, AZ): $12,000 to support the Heading Home K-9 Training program, which increases adoption outcomes for at-risk dogs through individualized behavior training and consistent handling practices. Funding supports workshops, board-and-train services and post-adoption support to move dogs more efficiently into permanent homes.
• Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA): $10,000 to support their “On Our Best Behavior” program, which expands behavior training and enrichment for large-breed dogs experiencing fear and stress. Funding supports staff development, enrichment tools and post-adoption behavior support for families at risk of surrendering pets.
• Humane Society of North Texas (Fort Worth, TX): $14,540 to support their Foster to Adopt Program, which allows potential adopters a 7-day trial foster period to reduce adoption hesitation and stress for challenging-to-place dogs. Funding supports expansion, supplies and marketing to increase adoption rates and improve welfare.
• Humane Society of Utah (Murray, UT): $15,000 to support their Foster Foundations Program, which trains specialized foster families to care for litters and behaviorally challenged dogs. Funding supports training and behavior counseling, and pilots direct-from-foster adoptions to improve dog welfare and adoption success
• Louie’s Legacy Animal Rescue (Cincinnati, OH): $15,000 to support their From Shelter to Home: Transport & Foster Expansion, which expands proven transport and foster systems to increase lifesaving outcomes at overcrowded shelters. Funding supports strategic transports, foster support and recruitment to reverse declining intake trends.
• Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (Arlington, VA): $15,000 to support their Puppy Fosters to the Rescue program, which rebuilds the puppy foster program to address overcrowded shelters. Funding provides equipment, support teams and community engagement to grow a sustainable foster network and save hundreds of puppies.
• Maui Humane Society (Puunene, HI): $15,000 to support their Animal Care & Enrichment and Transfer Program, which combines behavioral training with strategic mainland transfers to reduce shelter length of stay and increase adoption rates. Funding supports professional trainers, enrichment resources and transfer logistics to improve dog well-being and expand adoption opportunities.
• Muttville (San Francisco, CA): $15,000 to support their Senior Dog Behavior Support for Adoption Success program, which provides specialized behavior support for senior dogs to improve adoption outcomes and long-term placement success. Funding expands enrichment programs, professional training for adopters and a Behavioral Foster Team.
• Operation Kindness (Carrollton, TX): $15,000 to support their Expanding Operation Kindness’s Foster Program, which reduces overcrowding and accelerates adoptions through home-based foster care. Funding expands foster options, staff support and community engagement to improve dog welfare and live release outcomes.
• PAWS Atlanta (Atlanta, GA): $15,000 to support their Pawsitive Futures: Shelter Success and Unicorn Foster Programs, which combine behavior-focused foster and adoption initiatives to improve adoption rates and reduce stress for long-term and challenging-to-place dogs. Funding supports foster recruitment, behavior support and targeted adoption campaigns.
• Sacramento, SPCA (Sacramento, CA): $14,996 to support their Canine Foster Program, which places dogs with medical, behavioral or age-related needs in foster homes to reduce stress and improve adoption outcomes. Funding supports foster materials, medical care, training and program staffing.
• Snake River Animal Shelter (Idaho Falls, ID): $10,366 to support Paw-L In This Together, which rescues dogs from overcrowded shelters and transports them to Idaho Falls for adoption. Funding supports travel, care supplies and logistics to provide dogs a “fresh start” and increase lifesaving outcomes.
• SPCA of Texas (Dallas, TX): $15,000 to support their Behavior Boost Foster program, which provides specialized foster care for dogs with behavioral challenges, many from cruelty cases. Funding supports foster recruitment, technology platforms and behavior kits to improve adoption outcomes and overall dog welfare.
• Spokane Humane Society (Spokane, WA): $15,000 to support their Saving Dogs for Rural Washington Through Transfers program, which transfers at-risk dogs from rural shelters to Spokane Humane Society for veterinary care, foster placement and adoption. Monthly transports expand lifesaving capacity, increase adoption rates and relieve resource-constrained rural shelters.
• Strong Paws Rescue (Croton-on-Hudson, NY): $15,000 to support their Lone Star Liberty Program, which transports at-risk dogs from high-euthanasia municipal shelters in Texas to foster homes in New York. Funding supports transport, veterinary care and foster coordination to ensure safe placements and permanent adoptions.
• The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County (Tacoma, WA): $15,000 to support their Foster to Family: Direct Adoptions for Dogs program, which streamlines adoption from foster homes to reduce length of stay and improve dog visibility. Funding supports process improvements, training, marketing and community adoption events.
• Warrick Humane Society (Newburgh, IN): $14,995 to support their Foster Forward: Expanding Compassion Care Beyond the Shelter program, which expands their foster program to place more animals, reduce stress and accelerate adoptions. Funding increases staff capacity, provides supplies and enhances outreach to foster families.
• Washington County Humane (Washington, IA): $15,000 to support their Diamond in a Ruff Program, which provides targeted behavior interventions and foster care for hard-to-place dogs. Funding supports training, enrichment and post-adoption resources to increase adoption success and reduce returns.
• Yavapai Humane Society (Prescott, AZ): $10,000 to support their Barks & Rec/Enrichment & Behavior Modification Program, which enhances emotional and behavioral well-being of shelter dogs through enrichment, positive reinforcement and staff/volunteer training. Funding supports materials and behavior specialist time to reduce stress, promote adoption readiness and lower return rates.

Collaborative Grants

These grants are awarded to organizations that bring non-profit partners together around initiatives to help more dogs get adopted. This year, five of these grants were given, totaling $170,000. The 2025 grantees were:

• American Humane Society (AHS): $35,000 to cover pet preparedness kits, vaccination  supplies and medicine for a community clinic near the newly established AHS Sanctuary in Palm Beach, FL.
• Austin Pets Alive! (Austin, TX): $50,000 to support their transport and direct-to-adopter and foster programs. Building on APA!’s National Transport Program, which has moved more than 10,000 animals since 2021, this initiative helps reduce euthanasia in under-resourced Texas shelters. The funding will support their latest Remote Adoption Center (RAC) and streamline operations, simplifying transport logistics and connecting more animals with loving adopters.
• Dogs Playing for Life’s Canine Center: $50,000 to support The Willan Fund, which provides scholarships for shelter staff and volunteers to advance their hands-on training and enrichment skills. This program gives caregivers the chance to learn in a supportive environment, away from the pressures of their home shelters, while developing sustainable approaches to canine well-being. Graduates return to their organizations equipped to improve quality of life for dogs and strengthen enrichment programming across their communities.
• Kansas Humane Society (Wichita, KS): $25,000 to seed Pawsitive Paths, a new initiative taking the first steps toward keeping pets safely in their homes through targeted support and education.
• Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (Arlington, VA): $10,000 to cover pet vaccination clinic work, medications and medical supplies for animal welfare organizations in Puerto Rico.

Foster 50 Grants

In partnership with Maddie’s Fund®, PEDIGREE Foundation issued the first-ever set of Foster 50 Challenge Grants. These 12 grants, totaling $100,000, have been awarded to support new and growing foster programs. The 2025 grantees from PEDIGREE Foundation are below, and the full list can be found here:

• Foster 50 Trailblazer Award – Bitter Root Humane Association (Hamilton, MT): $25,000 for leading the way with creativity, resourcefulness and measurable impact in fostering, and for a transformative commitment to innovation and growth that sets the gold standard for what’s possible in animal fostering. By fostering through same-day “adventure days,” multi-night sleepovers with curated “sleepover bags” – including pet treats, toys, sleep masks and toothbrushes for both pets and humans – seasonal outreach programs like “Foster for the 4th” and “Turn Labor Day into Labor YAY!,” and community training seminars, they created fun and engaging experiences, boosting adoptions and strengthening connections between pets, foster families and the broader community.
• Foster 50 Pathfinder Award – Lake Oconee Humane Society (Greensboro, GA): $5,000 for a total program overhaul and a relentless drive to keep improving foster outcomes. By redefining foster caregivers from a “nice to have” to a “need to have,” they forged a new path in fostering – reconnecting with past caregivers, highlighting fostering in orientations and public spaces, recruiting via social media, appointing a dedicated Foster Coordinator, using structured forms to strengthen relationships and implementing new software – transforming the lives of animals and families alike.
• Foster 50 Community Connector Award – The Humane Society for Tacoma & Pierce County (Tacoma, WA): $5,000 for outstanding work engaging communities, expanding access and creating inclusive pathways to fostering. This organization showed that fostering success isn’t just about recruiting volunteers – it’s about building a supportive community where fosters can connect through events like “Foster Fest” and ongoing Foster Q&A sessions, where fosters could ask questions and gain the confidence they need, ensuring every placement starts off strong and successful.
• Foster 50 Innovator Award – Project Hope Animal Rescue Foundation (Gilberts, IL): $5,000 for bold, creative thinking that reimagines what fostering can look like – meeting people where they are. By rethinking foster recruitment from the ground up – listening to volunteers, improving communication and providing targeted orientations and consultations – PHARF has transformed its approach and created a more engaged, effective foster program.
• Foster 50 Catalyst Award – SPCA Monterey County (Salinas, CA): $5,000 for remarkable momentum and commitment – streamlining onboarding and embracing the challenge with energy and heart. Building on efficiencies they had already achieved – streamlining foster onboarding by eliminating home visits, simplifying applications and reducing the process to just 60 minutes – they leveraged these wins as a catalyst to boost recruitment and enhance foster-to-adoption outcomes.
• Foster 50 Transformation Award – Humane Society of North Texas (Fort Worth, TX): $5,000 for a complete program reinvention inspired by the challenge – turning lessons learned into lasting change. By implementing focused intake and planning across shelter staff, medical teams and the foster department, they created a new system for large-scale intakes and same-day fostering, quickly supporting municipal shelters and preparing for future high-need cases.

PEDIGREE Foundation also awarded 8 Foster 50 Site Support Grants of $2,500 each to shelters and rescues that co-hosted foster events with the Mars Volunteer Program. The 2025 grantees were:

• Great Plains SPCA (Merriam, KS)
• PawMetto Lifeline (Columbia, SC)
• The Good Life Rescue (Grand Island, NE)
• Putnam Pet Pals (Ottawa, OH)
• Nashville Humane Association (Nashville, TN)
• Aurora Humane Society (Aurora, IL)
• Friends of MACC (Nashville, TN)
• Friends of WCAC (Brentwood, TN)

Disaster Relief Grants

PEDIGREE Foundation contributed $227,000 in disaster relief to 18 organizations to help local communities impacted by natural disasters. Funds provide transport, food, medical care and safe shelter for dogs displaced by disasters, such as the California wildfires and floods in Texas and New Mexico. Disaster Relief Grants in 2025 included:

• $25,000 to Greater Good Charities to support efforts around the Southern California wildfires
• A $125,000 partnership with American Humane Society to support their rescue team in addressing the growing challenges faced by displaced animals due to more frequent and severe natural disasters, enabling quicker response times and ensuring that animals receive the critical care they need during crises
• $77,000 to a variety of other organizations aiding in disaster relief

Mars Global Adoption Weekend

PEDIGREE Foundation contributed $25,000 in the U.S. and $10,000 CAD in Canada to cover dog adoption fees at select shelters across each country during the annual Mars Global Adoption Weekend*.

Canadian Grants

In its fourth year, 16 grants were awarded, totaling $125,000 CAD, for implementing foster, behavior and adoption matching, transport, remote community support, disaster relief, as well as safety net programs. The 2025 grantees were:

Program Development:

• Alberta Animal Rescue Crew Society (Calgary, AB): $10,000 CAD to support their Faster Paths to Forever Homes program, which aims to increase adoptions, shorten shelter stays and make the adoption process more accessible through events, community partnerships, promotions and adopter support.
• Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) Alberta (Calgary, AB): $10,000 CAD to support their Rescue Ride Program, which provides safe transport for at-risk animals from remote and Indigenous communities, ensuring medical care and increasing adoption opportunities, while expanding the organization’s reach and long-term impact across Alberta.
• Niagara SPCA & Humane Society (Welland, ON): $10,000 CAD to support their Homeward Bound program, which creates a dedicated Adoption Coordinator role to match dogs with adopters, provide pre- and post-adoption support and reduce shelter stays while expanding foster care and outreach efforts.
• Northwest Territories Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Yellowknife, NT): $10,000 CAD to support their Northern Community Spay Neuter Program, which provides spay and neuter clinics in remote communities to reduce dog overpopulation, lower shelter intake and improve overall animal welfare through local partnerships and ongoing community support.
• Oakville & Milton Humane Society (Oakville, ON): $10,000 CAD to support their Advanced Behavioural Analysis and Training Program, which trains staff, volunteers and foster families to manage complex dog behaviors, increase adoptions and expand intake capacity, while providing consistent post-adoption support.
• Oromocto and Area SPCA (Oromocto, NB): $10,000 CAD to support their Kibble Food Bank, which provides pet food to families in need, helping keep pets in their homes, prevent unnecessary surrenders and support animal welfare across New Brunswick.
• Save Our Scruff Rehome & Rescue (Burlington, ON): $10,000 CAD to support their From Rescue to Ready program, which uses a tiered behavioral assessment and training approach in foster care to improve adoption outcomes, reduce length of stay and ensure dogs are ready for long-term placement.
• The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth (Kitchener, ON): $10,000 CAD to support The Home Connection program, which strengthens safety-net services to keep pets and families together by providing food, veterinary care, training and enrichment, reducing surrenders, shortening shelter stays and supporting lasting adoptions.
• The Nova Scotia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dartmouth, NS): $10,000 CAD to support their Pawsitive Solutions program, which provides behavioral training and support for dogs with challenges, aiming to increase adoptions, reduce shelter stays and improve long-term placement success across six provincial shelters.
• The Winnipeg Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Winnipeg, MB): $10,000 CAD to support their Pet Food Bank, which helps keep pets with their families during financial hardship by providing free food, reducing shelter intake and supporting pet health through mobile distribution, partnerships and community resources.

Disaster Relief:

• Humane Canada (Ottawa, ON): $10,000 CAD to support emergency disaster relief. This first-time grant partnership will enable more timely disaster relief, with an emphasis on supporting pets in need during disasters.
• Winnipeg Humane Society (Winnipeg, MB): $5,000 CAD to support with immediate on-the-ground wildfire relief in the local community.

 

*PEDIGREE Foundation operates independently from Mars, and grants are awarded solely based on charitable objectives.