PetSmart Charities
PetSmart Charities®
News and Media Relations Center
Sharing the Story: For Pets. For People. For Good.™
PetSmart Charities is committed to making the world a better place for pets and their people. While ours is a separate 501 (c)(3) organization, we work in partnership with the in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. PetSmart Charities delivers robust local and national grant funding that:
- Helps 2,500 Animal Welfare Partners matching people with pets through adoption.
- Improves access to affordable veterinary care for all.
- Supports families in times of crisis with access to food, shelter and disaster response.
Because generous donors make gifts through estate planning, online or at a store, the important work we do can continue. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart® stores. The average gift is $1.50. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar — granting more than $500 million since 1994. PetSmart Charities is the top funder of animal welfare in the U.S. and Canada.
If you’re a member of the media putting together a story related to animal welfare or PetSmart Charities, please contact our 24-hour media line: mediarelations@petsmart.com
Tools for building stories
Boilerplate:
PetSmart Charities is committed to making the world a better place for pets and all who love them. Through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart® stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities has helped more than 10 million pets connect with loving homes. PetSmart Charities also provides grant funding to support organizations that advocate and care for the well-being of all pets and their families. Our grants and efforts connect pets with loving homes through adoption, improve access to affordable veterinary care and support families in times of crisis with access to food, shelter and disaster relief. Each year, millions of generous supporters help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities directly at PetSmartCharities.org, while shopping at PetSmart.com, and by using the PIN pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses more than 90 cents of every dollar donated to fulfill its role as the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, granting more than $500 million since its inception in 1994. Independent from PetSmart Inc., PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has received the Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the past 18 years in a row – placing it among the top one percent of rated charities. To learn more visit www.PetSmartCharities.org
Facts and statistics
- 70 percent of U.S. homes include pets.
- Some five million pets enter shelters each year.
- 1 in 9 Americans face food insecurity, or don’t have enough food to maintain consistent health. That means many pets experience pet food insecurity, too.
- Each year, PetSmart Charities delivers $34 million in grant funding to more than 2,500 animal welfare organizations.
Subject Matter Experts
If you’re looking a source related to a story about animal welfare, the human-animal bond, pet food Insecurity, disaster response, access to veterinary care, nonprofit leadership, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and more, please contact mediarelations@petsmart.com. We’ll connect you to the appropriate team member for an interview.
The PetSmart Connection
PetSmart’s founders made a bold decision to refrain from selling dogs and cats in stores. Instead, PetSmart Charities was created in 1994 to connect people with local shelters in a friendly, convenient environment.
PetSmart Charities is a nonprofit animal welfare organization, separate from PetSmart, Inc. and committed solely to improving the well-being of pets and the people caring for them. PetSmart is our largest corporate donor, including the lending of valuable retail space for PetSmart Charities Adoption Centers.
