Mission Animal Welfare

Linking People to Paws

May 2, 2006

By Abny Santicola, editor, FS Advisor

"The state of animal welfare in this country, I believe, is a true measure of the overall health of our society," says Matthew Bershadker, VP of development for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Less than 1 percent of all foundations support companion-animal welfare, Bershadker says, adding that that is just one of the funding challenges his organization and other animal-welfare organizations face. Among the others: getting the 66 million households with pets to support an organization with a mission of serving the 5 million-plus homeless companion animals across the country; and fragmentation within the sector.