Best Friends Animal Society Awards More Than $120,000 in Grants and Distributions to Partner Shelters and Rescue Organizations in Northwest Arkansas

12 Projects Will Be Funded and Positively Impact Over 5,000 Pets
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Best Friends Animal Society awarded more than $120,000 to Northwest Arkansas Partnership for Animal Welfare (NWA PAW) organizations. NWA PAW is a group on a mission to use collaborative public and private partnerships to build and sustain a no-kill* community. The grants will fund 12 projects that will positively impact over 5,000 pets.  

“We are incredibly proud of the work our coalition partner organizations are doing to save lives in Northwest Arkansas and throughout the state,” said Jackie Roach, Executive Director, Best Friends Animal Society in Northwest Arkansas. “These grants will support their efforts by funding various programs such as medical voucher programs for pet owners, veterinarian services, including low-cost spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations, training, pet identification initiatives and facility upgrades. We look forward to continuing to work together to save them all.” 

A full list of grant recipients and amounts are below: 

  • Animal League of Washington County: $6,400   

  • Fayetteville Animal Services: $5,000 

  • Friends of Prairie Grove Pound: $5,000 

  • Good Shepherd Humane Society: $14,800 

  • Humane Society for Animals: $20,000 

  • Humane Society of the Ozarks: $7,500 

  • Mew Cat Rescue: $10,000 

  • Washington County Animal Shelter: $18,750 

  • I’m Your Huckleberry: $15,000 

  • Big Paws of the Ozarks: $10,000 

  • Taysia Blue Husky & Malamute Rescue: $8,550 

  • Pit Ridge Rescue: $2,250 

NWA PAW is made up of 36 partner organizations that bring together animal experts that lead in local lifesaving work, including programs for spay/neuter, community cats, adoptions and transfers, among other things. The group focuses on collaboration, particularly with the rescue and shelter community, along with civic representatives and the public, to share responsibility, information, resources and tactics to save all healthy and treatable pets in Northwest Arkansas area shelters.       

Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization focused on ending the killing of pets in America’s shelters by 2025, was asked to guide the coalition formation due to its intensive efforts and hands on experience implementing no-kill initiatives in shelters and communities across the country. 

Since the formation of NWA PAW, over $350,000 has been granted to group members for continuing education, community assistance, wellness, spay/neuter and TNR projects.     

*No-kill means that at least 90% of the animals entering shelters leave alive, either through adoption, rescue by another group, or return to owner. The remaining 10%, or less, typically are humanely euthanized for severe, untreatable medical or behavioral issues.  

Northwest Arkansas Partnership for Animal Welfare  

Northwest Arkansas Partnership for Animal Welfare (NWA PAW) is a group of 36 animal welfare agencies working together to help pets in Northwest Arkansas. The group’s mission is to use collaborative public and private partnerships to build and sustain a no-kill community where 90 percent or more of the dogs and cats in the Northwest Arkansas area are saved. NWA PAW is a voluntary association of nonprofit organizations and government animal shelters working toward achieving the mission. Each coalition member maintains its own independent status as a stand-alone 501(c)(3) organization or government agency. For more information, visit nwapaw.org.    

About Best Friends Animal Society  

Best Friends Animal Society is the leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to around 347,000. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs all across the country, as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 3,500 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org.   

About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization working to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters in 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has helped reduce the number of animals killed in shelters from an estimated 17 million per year to 415,000 last year. Best Friends runs lifesaving programs across the country, as well as the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. Working collaboratively with a network of more than 5,000 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All®. For more information, visit bestfriends.org