Los Angeles, CA – California Animal Welfare Funders Collaborative (CAWFC) recently awarded nearly $300,000 in grants to 27 organizations to make the largest possible impact for homeless pets across the state."Last year was an untraditional year in our state’s animal shelters. By taking our COVID-19 operating learnings and applying them to our ‘new normal’, we’re seeing services improving for both the people and pets in our communities across California. CAWFC is honored to provide funding to help make those operational pivots a new reality,” said Kaylee Hawkins. Pacific Region Director for Best Friends Animal Society.
Kaylee Hawkins, Image courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society
CAWFC, a unique model of funders pulling their dollars together, includes the Annenberg Foundation with support from Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, Best Friends Animal Society, Maddie’s Fund®, and Michelson Found Animals Foundation.“This collaboration has provided a tremendous opportunity for the funding organizations to come together and collectively make a larger impact than we would individually,” said Shelly Thompson, Maddie’s Fund Director of Operations. “Maddie’s Fund is proud to support animal shelters and rescue organizations who are making a difference for animals and the people who love them in California”.
Shelley Thompson, Maddie's Fund
Like it did in 2020, the first CAWFC granting year, the group focused on organizations in California who demonstrated a desire to preserve the human-animal bond through either launching or improving upon services or programs to help keep pets and people together or improving lifesaving outcomes for dogs and cats in our state’s animal shelters. The funding cycle will start in July 2021 and end in June 2022.“It is exciting to build on the momentum of CAWFC’s inaugural year,” said Courtney Stone, Animal Care Manager at Annenberg PetSpace. “As shelters and rescues across the state continue to face unique challenges due to COVID-19, we are proud to collaborate with our fellow funders to increase our impact and support these organizations who are committed to helping both animals and pet parents in need.”
Courtney Stone, Annenberg Petspace
Close to $56,000 in grants were given to Southern California organizations. This included:
More than $123,000 in grants were given to organizations in the Central/San Joaquin Valleys, which is a high priority region for increased lifesaving. Grants include:
Grants totaled more than $48,000 for the Central Coast/Bay Area, including:
Close to $65,000 in grants were awarded to Northern California organizations, including:
Brett Yates, CEO Michelson Found Animals
"Collaboration among some of the largest funders in the country has led to development of some incredible lifesaving programs and innovative ways to move the industry forward," said Brett Yates, CEO of Michelson Found Animals Foundation. "As a collective we are able to fund more conceptual programs that challenge the status quo so we can change the trajectory of life saving throughout the country."
About Annenberg Foundation and Wallis Annenberg PetSpace
The Annenberg Foundation is a family foundation focused on addressing the critical issues of our time through innovation, community, compassion, and communications for more than 30 years. Since 1989, it has funded programs in education and youth development; civic and community life; equity and social justice; health and human services; animal services and the environment; and arts, culture, and humanities. To learn more about the Annenberg Foundation and its various initiatives, click here.Wallis Annenberg PetSpace is a unique community space featuring an interactive place for pet adoptions, an education center, and an academic leadership institute. The mission of Annenberg PetSpace is to strengthen and promote the human-animal bond. Learn more at AnnenbergPetSpace.org. About Best Friends Animal Society
Moose and Becca: photo courtesy of bestfriends.orgBest Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to around 347,000. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs all across the country, as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 3,300 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.About Maddie’s Fund
Maddie's Fund® is a family foundation established in 1994 by Dave and Cheryl Duffield and is the fulfillment of a promise to their inspirational dog, Maddie. She provided them much joy from 1987 – 1997 and continues to inspire them today.The Foundation has awarded nearly $250 million in grants toward increased community lifesaving, pioneering shelter medicine education and establishing foster care as a standard across the U.S.Maddie’s Fund proudly offers the industry a national voice, important funding opportunities for bold ideas, learning resources and access to collaborate and share innovative solutions. The Foundation invests its resources in a commitment to keeping pets and people together, creating a safety net of care for animals in need and operating within a culture of inclusiveness and humility. #ThanksToMaddie About Michelson Found Animals FoundationMichelson Found Animals Foundation is a leading animal welfare nonprofit that believes people and pets are better together. Generously funded by Dr. Gary Michelson and Alya Michelson, Found Animals operates a range of social enterprises, impact investments, strategic partnerships, and thought leadership initiatives that share a common goal: to champion pets at every point they intersect with our society. Found Animals has helped more than 5 million pets since it was founded in 2005.
The Michelson Found Animals Foundation is part of the Michelson Philanthropies network.
© 2026 Michelson Found Animals Foundation, Inc.
