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Healthy Paws Pet Insurance & Foundation was born nearly 12 years ago on one guiding principle: to help pets, whether homed or not.
In 2021, the foundation arm of the company helped homeless pets to the tune of $336,325. Since the foundation started, it has distributed over $1.7 million, helping more than 440 animal welfare charities in the U.S.
With a focus on smaller, underfunded no-kill shelters and rescues, the foundation helped nonprofits across the U.S. save more animals, covering costs for medical care, food, transportation, or operating expenses in 2021. COVID-19 continued to create more need than ever, as charities shelved fundraising events and more people sought help because of economic hardship.
Even a small grant can make such a difference to these small organizations – sometimes, they are operated by one or two people. Many rescues are struggling just to stay afloat.
“I would like to say we are so beyond thankful for the generous donation from Healthy Paws Foundation,” said Niccalina Santilli, co-founder of Tiny N Tall Rescue, St. Charles, Ill, who received a donation of $3,000. “This money will go towards the heartworm treatment for 6 of our heartworm-positive dogs. Sadly, this treatment is costly at $500. So, this donation will not only save the lives of 6 dogs who so desperately need treatment, but it will also touch the hearts of 6 lucky families who adopt these dogs when they are available for adoption!”
This year, the foundation initiated a small grant program, where we invited nonprofits to apply for grants throughout the year. Each month, a committee of Healthy Paws employees chooses three or four rescues to assist. The foundation helped 41 animal welfare groups with grants averaging about $3,000 each through this program.
Another program gives all employees a chance to vote on their favorite rescues each month, helping another 48 charities last year.
Besides the employee selected grants, the foundation ran two virtual events in 2021:
Steps for Strays
A campaign to encourage people to go for a walk with their dogs and raise money for homeless pets simultaneously, the initiative raised $10,340, which was donated to the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in Lynnwood, Wash.
Paws (Pause) on Black Friday
We encouraged social media followers and employees to take a #PawsOnBlackFriday pledge and spend at least an hour with their pets on the year’s busiest shopping day. We had 1,697 participants, raising $16,970 for Paws for Paul, a small rescue in Georgia that plans to use the funds to help build a dog sanctuary for Buggy, a special needs dog who has had a tough life.
Here are some other giving highlights for 2021:
- Disaster help: the foundation made several donations to shelters or rescues impacted by natural disasters this year – such as the west coast wildfires, floods in Louisiana and Tennessee, and tornadoes in Kentucky.
- Giving Tuesday: In December, for Giving Tuesday, the foundation donated $5,000 to Greater Good to distribute to pet food pantries.
- Holiday giving: The foundation sponsored an “Employee Giving Tree” in December, where employees had the chance to select from 10 rescues. We distributed a total of $30,000 to these groups.
- Senior pets: In honor of Adopt a Senior Pet Month, the foundation gave $5,000 to Saving Senior Dogs week, a campaign to rehome senior dogs.
How the foundation is funded
The foundation is funded by our Every Quote Gives Hope™ and Refer-A-Friend programs, where we set aside a donation for each person who requests a pet insurance quote or refers a new customer. None of the foundation funding comes from premiums paid by our customers.
If you want to support the Healthy Paws Foundation, we will set aside a donation for each person who requests a quote for pet insurance. Start by getting a quote.
