PEDIGREE Foundation Celebrates One Million Dogs Helped and Awards $1.2M in 2025 Grants

Grants will power dog adoption initiatives at shelters and rescues across the U.S. and Canada

FRANKLIN, Tenn., Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, PEDIGREE Foundation announced today the recipients of $1.2M in 2025 annual grants to shelters and rescues across the U.S. and Canada, with 94 grants supporting nearly 119,000 dogs. This year also marks a major milestone for the organization: since its founding in 2008, PEDIGREE Foundation has helped more than one million dogs through grant support and has awarded more than $15.3 million in grants.

As part of this year's grant cycle, PEDIGREE Foundation, in partnership with Maddie's Fund^®, a national family foundation established by Dave & Cheryl Duffield to revolutionize the status and well-being of companion animals, has issued the first-ever set of Foster 50 Challenge Grants. These 12 grants, totaling $100,000, have been awarded to support new and growing foster programs, with the full list of recipients available on the Foundation's website. Adopt a Pet has also contributed an additional $20,000 in grants to pilot foster technology solutions that help organizations test new tools for foster support and management.

For leading the way with creativity, resourcefulness, and measurable impact in fostering, $25,000 grants were awarded to the following recipients of the inaugural "Foster 50 Trailblazer Award," the top honor of the Foster 50 Challenge Grants:

• Bitter Root Humane Society (Hamilton, MT) - awarded by PEDIGREE Foundation
• Santa Barbara County Animal Service (Santa Barbara, CA) - awarded by Maddie's Fund

According to Maddie's Fund, dogs who experience even one foster sleepover are 14 times more likely to be adopted – proof that a simple, community-driven intervention works. Launched in June, Foster 50 is a collaborative program with Maddie's Fund, Adopt a Pet, Mutual Rescue, Petco Love, The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement, and Outcomes for Pets that focuses on fostering as a lifesaving intervention. To date, the program has succeeded in reducing length of stay, easing capacity challenges, and preparing dogs for permanent homes through in-home care and individualized attention.

In its first year, Foster 50 delivered nationwide results with nearly 9,000 net-new fosters, and an 11% increase in active fosters, enabling care for almost 16,000 dogs.

"Foster 50 galvanized nearly 200 communities across the U.S. to embrace fostering - relieving pressure on shelters, speeding adoptions, and creating the capacity that lets transport, enrichment and behavior training move faster," said Deb Fair, Executive Director, PEDIGREE Foundation.

Alongside Foster 50, PEDIGREE Foundation is also announcing their 2025 annual grants to shelters and rescues across the U.S. and Canada. Annual grants support proven solutions that help more dogs find loving homes, including fostering, transport, behavior training, and disaster relief.

Recent data underscores the urgency of this work. In the first half of 2025, an estimated 1.4 million dogs entered U.S. shelters and rescues, while monthly adoptions trailed last year's pace. Dogs are staying longer in care (median 47 days, and longer for large dogs), according to the Shelter Animals Count 2025 Mid-Year Analysis - heightening the need for foster expansion and proven adoption-driving practices. According to the State of Pet Homelessness Report, there are approximately 39,000 pets in shelters and rescues across Canada.

"With adoptions lagging and length of stay rising, our 2025 grants invest in foster expansion and funding transport, behavior, and disaster relief, so shelters can find homes for more dogs," added Fair. "We're proud to have helped more than one million dogs, and we're doubling down with our partners to grow these lifesaving interventions to help the next million."

2025 PEDIGREE Foundation Grant Categories and Recipients
A complete list of recipients is available on the Foundation's website.

DOGS RULE.™ Grants are $100,000 grants provided over two years to develop an innovative initiative that can become a best practice for other shelters and rescues. The 2025 grantees are:

• Gateway Pet Guardians (East St. Louis, MO): The first half of this grant for 2025 and 2026 will support their Finder-to-Foster Program, which empowers residents who find stray dogs to become temporary fosters – keeping dogs out of the shelter to reduce stress and euthanasia risk, and increase the shelter's capacity to serve more animals. The funds will provide supplies, transportation, and support to ensure the pets' wellbeing while awaiting reunion or adoption.
• Dallas Pets Alive! (Dallas, TX): The second half of this grant for 2024 and 2025 will support their Foster+ program, which modernizes the existing fostering program with training scholarships, streamlined access to supplies, transportation assistance for vet visits, and grooming coverage, all aimed at reducing barriers and costs for foster parents to make fostering more appealing and accessible.

Program Development Grants support shelter and rescue activities that expand the programming capacity of the organization to increase dog adoption rates. The focus is on foster, transport, and behavior initiatives.

• This year, more than $480,000 will be awarded for program development funding to 34 shelters and rescues.

Collaborative Grants are awarded to organizations that bring partners together around initiatives to help more dogs get adopted. This year's grants include Foster 50 grants and grants to cover adoption fees during Mars Global Adoption Weekend*:

• This year, 24 of these grants will be given, totaling $265,000.

Disaster Relief Grants are given on an as-needed basis to support dogs in disaster-stricken communities across the U.S.

• This year, 18 grants totaling $227,000 have helped more than 35,000 dogs impacted by natural disasters, including the fires in Los Angeles, floods in Central Texas and more.

Canadian Grants support animal shelters and rescue organizations in Canada with implementing foster, behavior and adoption matching, transport, remote community support, as well as safety net programs.

• This year, $110,000 (CAD) was awarded through 10 program development grants, which were given to 10 shelters across Canada, as well as four grants covering adoption fees as part of Mars Global Adoption Weekend*.
• Additionally this year, an emphasis was put on developing and strengthening support for disaster relief efforts across Canada, particularly in light of the growing wildfire seasons, totaling $15,000 (CAD).
  • As part of the disaster relief grants, one grant was awarded to Winnipeg Humane Society to support with immediate on-the-ground wildfire relief in the local community.
  • An additional grant was made in partnership with Humane Canada to support emergency disaster relief. This first-time grant partnership will enable more timely disaster relief, with an emphasis on supporting pets in need during disasters.

To learn more about PEDIGREE Foundation and the 2025 grant recipients, or to donate to help find loving homes for dogs in need, please visit PEDIGREEFoundation.org and follow PEDIGREE Foundation on social media (Facebook and Instagram).

*PEDIGREE Foundation operates independently from Mars, and grants are awarded solely based on charitable objectives.

About PEDIGREE Foundation
We believe every dog deserves a loving, forever home. PEDIGREE Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to help end pet homelessness. Nearly 3 million dogs end up in shelters and rescues every year, and nearly half never find a home. The foundation was established in 2008 by Mars Petcare, maker of PEDIGREE^® food for dogs, to help increase dog adoption rates. We've awarded more than 6,400 grants and over $15.3 million to U.S. and Canadian shelters and rescues that help dogs in need. Since launching our Canadian grant program in 2022, we have provided more than $465,000 CAD to local shelters and rescues and Disaster Relief Grants across Canada. At PEDIGREE Foundation, we're working toward a day when all dogs are safe, secure, cared for, fed well and loved. See how you can help at PedigreeFoundation.org.

Contacts:
For U.S. media inquiries
Samantha Barron
WOI Communications
(847) 331-4944
[email protected] 

For Canadian media inquiries
Marley Burnes
Weber Shandwick
416-788-9509
[email protected]

SOURCE Mars Petcare US