The Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt Charitable Trust Pledges $200,000 to ASPCA to Support Animal Cruelty Response Efforts Nationwide
February 13, 2026
NEW YORK – The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced the receipt of a generous donation from the Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt Charitable Trust to fund the organization’s animal cruelty response efforts. The donation has been allocated toward the Lewyt Rescue Fund, which provides the ASPCA with crucial funding to be used in efforts to rescue and care for animal victims of cruelty.
“We are deeply grateful to the Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt Charitable Trust for their extraordinary generosity and partnership,” says Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO. “The Lewyt Rescue Fund provides the ASPCA with critical resources that allow us to respond swiftly and effectively when animals are suffering from cruelty and neglect. For years, the Lewyt Trust has stood alongside us in this work, and their continued commitment honors a powerful legacy of compassion.”
The Lewyt Rescue Fund was created in memory of the Trust’s founders, the late Alex and Elisabeth "Babette" Lewyt, who championed organizations that helped save stray and abandoned pets and were instrumental in saving countless animals from euthanasia, both through philanthropy and hands-on work. The donation follows the Trust’s significant contribution toward the development of the ASPCA Recovery & Rehabilitation Center, a facility in Pawling, New York, dedicated to the specialized care and treatment of animal victims of cruelty rescued in New York City.
The ASPCA deploys nationally to assist local authorities with animal cruelty cases including animal fighting, hoarding and puppy mills. It also provides local communities with resources including grant funding and training to effectively assist animals affected by cruelty and disaster situations. ASPCA national field response work has resulted in the rescue of more than 35,000 animal victims of cruelty and disasters in the past 15 years.
The ASPCA urges the public to learn more about signs of animal cruelty and how to report it by visiting aspca.org/fightcruelty.
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