ASPCA Expands Nationwide Efforts to Increase Access to Spay/Neuter and Support Shelters

ASPCA announces $14 million in grant funding to support organizations working to address the shortfall in available spay/neuter surgeries and improve outcomes for animals in shelters

NEW YORK, June 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced $14 million in funding for U.S. animal shelters and spay/neuter service providers who are working to address the urgent needs of dogs, cats, and equines amid ongoing capacity and staffing challenges. The ASPCA Grants for Shelters and Spay/Neuter Clinics will support high-impact proposals that tackle critical needs, remove bottlenecks, and lead to measurable outcomes for animals in need. 

Many shelters across the country are at capacity, with an estimated 5.8 million dogs and cats entering animal shelters and rescues nationwide last year. As multiple other factors converge simultaneously such as staffing and veterinarian shortages, as well as an increasing proportion of animals with greater medical and behavioral needs, many shelters continue to face an ongoing capacity crisis. Additionally, the field of high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter has not returned to the same national output of affordable surgeries since the COVID-19 pandemic, putting further strain on demand for veterinary care. According to data from Shelter Animals Count, a program of the ASPCA, only 25% of dogs and 23% of cats entering shelters arrive already spayed or neutered.

"With so many shelters across the country struggling to meet the needs of the animals in their care, it's vital that we work together to keep pets in loving homes, reduce the length of time animals are staying in shelters and remove the barriers that prevent many people from adopting," said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA President and CEO. "These grants for shelters and spay/neuter clinics build on our existing grantmaking, enabling us to immediately address the challenges shelters are facing, while also expanding spay/neuter capacity and increasing the number of surgeries to help vulnerable animals for maximum impact."

The ASPCA Grants for Shelters and Spay/Neuter Clinics will fund qualified proposals across the following categories:

• Critical shelter infrastructure: $25,000 - $100,000 for projects that support facility repairs, sanitation and disease control, animal housing improvements, animal enrichment infrastructure, emergency preparedness, and shelter software.
• Strengthening shelter essentials: $25,000 - $100,000 for projects related to return to owner (RTO) strategies, open adoptions support, adoptions promotions, foster expansion, operational optimization, staff and volunteer training.
• Increasing spay/neuter surgeries: $10,000 - $100,000 for increasing the annual number of spay/neuter surgeries performed year-over-year.
• Spay/Neuter major capital projects: $100,000 - $500,000 for projects that support expansions, new clinic openings and remodeling to increase the number of spay/neuter surgeries performed.
• Spay/Neuter special projects: $10,000 - $100,000 for creative, out-of-the-box ideas that don't fit into the "Increasing spay/neuter surgeries" or "Major Capital Projects" categories.

"Through our ongoing collaboration with shelter partners across the country, the ASPCA sees firsthand how critical the need is for more support and funding to address the urgent and long-term challenges shelters are facing so that they can better meet the needs of the animals in their community," said Christa Chadwick, senior vice president of shelter services for the ASPCA. "By expanding access to high-quality, affordable spay/neuter, increasing capacity, and strengthening shelter operations, we can improve community-level outcomes for animals."

As a national organization, the ASPCA collaborates with hundreds of local shelters and rescues, working together to save and improve the lives of animals by providing life-changing tools, resources, and relocation services to help give even more animals a second chance. The ASPCA Grants for Shelters and Spay/Neuter Clinics expand on its recent funding opportunities, which includes: the National Shelter Grants Initiative, Northern Tier Shelter Initiative Quality of Life Grant, New York Shelter Standards Implementation Grants, and The Rescue Effect – the ASPCA's national campaign dedicated to helping shelters and rescues increase pet adoptions and engage their communities, which launches on August 1, 2026. In addition to these ongoing initiatives, the ASPCA also offers targeted support for communities across the country, including a recently announced joint, multi-year $14 million funding and operational support initiative to strengthen and enhance services at Los Angeles Animal Services – one of the largest shelter systems in the country that has continued to face growing challenges with more animals in their care than resources available.

Grants are just one example of how the ASPCA is helping animals and communities in need. The organization supports a variety of programs ranging from increasing pet adoptions to helping communities build strong programs to rescue, shelter, transport, and support animals during natural disasters, improving access to veterinary care, and advancing research that either directly or systemically benefits animals. Since 2001, the ASPCA has provided more than $250 million in grant funding to thousands of animal shelters, municipal and government agencies, rescue groups and other organizations nationwide.

Applications for the ASPCA Grants for Shelters and Spay/Neuter Clinics are open now through June 26, at 8 p.m. ET. For more information about the eligibility requirements, or to submit a proposal, please visit www.aspcapro.org/2026grants.

About the ASPCA®
The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) believes every animal deserves to live free from suffering. For more than 160 years, we've been on the frontlines to save, transform and protect millions of lives in the fight against animal cruelty. As the nation's first and leading animal welfare organization, we assist animals in need through on-the-ground disaster and cruelty interventions, behavioral rehabilitation, animal relocation and placement, legal and legislative advocacy, and the advancement of the sheltering and veterinary communities through research, training and resources. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation with more than 2 million supporters nationwide, our commitment to eliminating animal cruelty is unwavering. For more information visit aspca.org, and follow the ASPCA on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok. 

SOURCE ASPCA