ASPCA Announces $5 Million California Wildfire Response & Preparedness Fund
Up to $5 million in grants available for animal welfare organizations supporting disaster response and preparedness
Initiative complements ASPCA’s boots-on-the-ground efforts in Southern CA In response to the devastating wildfires burning across Southern California, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) has announced a $5 million California Wildfire Response & Preparedness Fund to provide critical funding to animal welfare organizations responding to animal needs due to the wildfires. Funding is also available to prepare for and build capacity to defend against future fires and other disasters.
“These wildfires are devastating to people and animals, and we are collaborating with our partners in California to provide protections for the health and safety of owned and shelter animals, but the wreckage is vast and the rebuild will require tremendous resources and effort,” said Tim Rickey, vice president of national field response at the ASPCA. “Our $5 million relief fund will provide animal welfare organizations in the area critical resources to continue protecting and supporting animals in their communities and address longer-term impacts on their organizations, as well as help develop resources and infrastructures to protect from future disasters.”
The funds can be applied to:
Disaster response costs incurred in supporting owned and shelter animals by animal welfare organizations currently supporting disaster response in Los Angeles County. These include costs related to field operations, emergency sheltering or medical care for impacted animals, animal evacuation and relocation, or animal supply and food distribution.
Capacity-building for disaster preparedness to help communities in California protect and support animals in future fires and other disasters.
Applications may be submitted now through Feb. 17 for disaster response funding and through June 30 for capacity building funding. For more information about the eligibility requirements and to apply, please visit aspcapro.org/wildfiregrants.
The ASPCA’s California Wildfire Response & Preparedness Fund will also provide funding for disaster recovery costs for shelters with direct fire damage and, as needs become more apparent, longer-term operating support for key organizations in severely impacted communities that experience significant fundraising shortfalls and/or declines in adoptions.
Boots on the Ground
The ASPCA disaster response team is currently on the ground, at the request of Pasadena Humane, to provide animal search and rescue, subject matter expertise, operational assistance, and critical support for impacted communities. Cats and kittens in the care of the ASPCA Kitten Foster Program near the disaster zone have been relocated as a precautionary measure and are now safely in foster care in currently unaffected areas. In addition, the ASPCA’s Los Angeles-based Community Medicine team is providing veterinary support to help local shelters prepare animals for adoption, foster, and relocation by
ASPCA Announces $5 Million California Wildfire Response & Preparedness Fund
Up to $5 million in grants available for animal welfare organizations supporting disaster response and preparedness
Initiative complements ASPCA’s boots-on-the-ground efforts in Southern CA
assisting with vaccinations, health certifications and spay/neuter. The ASPCA is also arranging for the safe transport of homeless animals in Los Angeles to partner shelters out of the disaster zone to make room for other animals in need.
The ASPCA is continuing to collaborate with animal welfare organizations and emergency management agencies across the impacted areas to determine where it can support the most critical needs. The ASPCA is grateful to its partners outside of the disaster zone, including the San Diego Department of Animal Services and the San Diego Humane Society, North Valley Animal Disaster Group (NVADG), for their assistance with these urgent response efforts.
The ASPCA deploys nationwide to assist in relocation, search-and-rescue, sheltering and placement of animals during disaster situations including severe weather, wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods. Since the inception of the ASPCA's disaster response team in 2010, the ASPCA has responded to more than 77 disasters and assisted over 128,000 animals in crisis.
As one of the country’s largest animal welfare grant makers, the ASPCA provides essential grants and collaborates with hundreds of local shelters and rescues, working together to save and improve the lives of animals by providing life-changing tools and resources to help give even more animals a second chance. In 2024, the ASPCA provided more than $23 million in grants, including $3 million in disaster response and relief funding for animal welfare organizations impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Since 2001, the ASPCA has provided more than $200 million in grant funding to over 3,500 mission- aligned organizations nationwide. These funds support a variety of programs ranging from increasing pet adoptions to helping communities build strong programs that assist animals during natural disasters, improving access to veterinary care, and partnering with food banks to serve more than 4.3 million pet food meals since 2017.
For more information on the ASPCA's efforts to help animals impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires, please visit www.aspca.org/lawildfireresponse.
