San Francisco SPCA Receives $100k Grant from The San Francisco Foundation to Support Keeping Families and Pets Together
The San Francisco SPCA (SF SPCA) this week announced that it received a $100K grant from the San Francisco Foundation (SFF) to support its programs that keep families and their pets together. The grant will fund a variety of SF SPCA programs that address animal welfare as a social justice issue. San Francisco Foundation’s investment comes as it celebrates its 75th anniversary of serving San Francisco Bay Area communities and the SF SPCA celebrates its 155th anniversary.
“Pets are an integral part of our families and provide so many benefits, but the costs of their care can immensely affect Bay Area residents, especially Black and Latinx families, whom our systems have disproportionately excluded from wealth and opportunity,” said Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, San Francisco SPCA CEO. “The San Francisco Foundation is an incredible organization dedicated to advancing racial equity and economic inclusion. Their investment and partnership will enable the SF SPCA to continue providing critically needed community programs.”
“For 75 years, the San Francisco Foundation, together with our donors and partners, has worked to create a Bay Area where everyone thrives,” said Fred Blackwell, San Francisco Foundation CEO. “We are proud to support the SF SPCA’s efforts to ensure that all families, including BIPOC families, can participate, prosper and reach their full potential.”
The grant will support programs that keep families and their pets together, including the SF SPCA’s mobile vaccine clinic, which treats more than 4,500 animals annually; the city’s first fixed-fee Community Veterinary Clinic in San Francisco’s Excelsior District; and the Community Medicine Education Training (CoMET) Program, a workforce development program. The grant will also enable financial assistance to San Francisco residents with low incomes. The SF SPCA provides an average of $1,500 in financial assistance per case, totaling more than $1 million provided each year.
“SF SPCA is a thoughtful community partner that has engaged with local community stakeholders, neighbors and residents to uplift community voices. In trying to meet the diverse needs of the community, the SF SPCA is focused on providing resources to community members equitably,” adds Andrea Baker of En2action, a community partner of the SF SPCA’s first Community Veterinary Clinic in San Francisco’s Excelsior neighborhood which opened in 2022.
Animal welfare is tied to physical, emotional and psychological wellness and can be strained by systemic poverty and societal inequities. Through its programs, the SF SPCA keeps people and their pets together, enriching the lives of both and ensuring animals stay in the best homes for them: the ones they’re already in.