$14 Million Initiative Launched to Support LA Animal Services

We are excited to announce that, in collaboration with LA Animal Services (LAAS), the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society launched a joint, multi-year $14 million funding and operational support initiative to strengthen and enhance services at Los Angeles city animal shelters. This first-of-its-kind collaboration represents the largest combined investment by the two national organizations in a single municipal shelter system.

“If we can help LA Animal Services — one of the largest shelter systems in the country — build a future where every animal receives the care, compassion and safety they deserve,” said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President & CEO, “we won’t just be helping transform one city, we’ll be showing communities across the country what’s possible.”

Through this groundbreaking proposal, LAAS will receive $7 million in grant funding from us and Best Friends to support 23 critical new staff positions, including expanded adoption and foster teams and specialists dedicated to community cat programs. In addition, the ASPCA, alongside Best Friends, will embed four experienced professionals directly within LAAS facilities to support leadership in program development and implementation and provide staff training and support.

“Animal sheltering nationwide has undergone a dramatic shift in recent years — from simply housing animals to prioritizing positive outcomes,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “This historic investment will enable LA Animal Services staff to place an even greater emphasis on those positive outcomes and position the department at the forefront of accountable, transparent sheltering — all with the goal of supporting pet owners and helping animals find loving homes. I’m grateful to the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society for these visionary grants, which will support the department’s dedicated staff, volunteers, and New Hope partners as they advance humane care and help keep people and pets together.”  As one of the largest municipal shelters in the country, LAAS serves approximately 50,000 animals and responds to more than 20,000 emergency calls involving animals and people in danger.

If approved by decision makers, the ASPCA and Best Friends will work alongside LAAS leadership to implement strategic improvements focused on three core priorities:

• Preventing unnecessary shelter intake via community engagement;
• Improving in-shelter care and operational efficiency to ensure animals receive timely, coordinated care; and
• Increasing positive outcomes for animals such as adoptions, fostering, and reunification with owners.

We, alongside Best Friends, are committed to supporting LAAS over an initial three-year period. As part of this partnership, LAAS will make a good faith effort to maintain key positions and continue program advancements for an additional three years, helping ensure this investment delivers lasting impact, through the six-year period and beyond. 

“The combined support from the ASPCA and Best Friends extends beyond the immediate operations needs of LA Animal Services,” said Annette G. Ramirez, Interim General Manager for LA Animal Services. “It demonstrates a commitment to a renewed vision for animal welfare across the city to keep pets and people together, by providing support to shelter staff, and creating a faster, more efficient path for animals in our care to find loving homes.”

 “Through collaboration, we can create permanent, systemic change in Los Angeles,” said Julie Castle, CEO, Best Friends Animal Society. “This will be a moment in history we look back on, knowing animal welfare in Los Angeles was forever changed by this groundbreaking partnership.”

This initiative marks the first time the ASPCA and Best Friends have combined resources at this scale to support a single shelter system, although both organizations have been actively supporting animal welfare efforts in the Los Angeles area for decades. Since 2014, the ASPCA has been working to assist animals in underserved communities across Los Angeles through its direct care services and programmatic investments, as well as by partnering with city, county and private agencies to provide more than $16 million in grant funding. To date, the ASPCA has spayed/neutered more than 167,000 Los Angeles pets and shelter animals at its ASPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic in South Los Angeles; provided more than 56,000 primary pet care appointments at its stationary and mobile clinics; prevented more than 14,000 kittens from entering crowded shelters through its kitten foster program; safely transported more than 70,000 dogs and cats from Los Angeles area shelters to other organizations for a better chance of adoption; and advocated for stronger animal welfare laws at the local, regional and state level.

Together, the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society are partnering with LAAS to deliver immediate improvements while building a more effective and sustainable shelter system for the future.