Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a public charity based in Kanab, Utah. Founded in 1984, it describes its work as saving the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Its filing describes initiatives, program cities, emergency response, Network Partners, and other national outreach.
Best Friends Animal Society at a glance
In short: Best Friends Animal Society gave $14.3M across 418 grants in 2025 (avg $34K). 48% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $14,261,469
- -11.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 418
- +36.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $34,118
- -34.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $12,500
- Total assets
- $194,689,106
- -2.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 48% first-time grantees (200 of 418, 2025)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Best Friends Animal Society
- How to Apply
-
The Rachael Ray programs use a letter-of-interest process. Applicants must be Network partners, implement projects in the United States, spend awarded funds within one year, and meet the applicable data-reporting requirements. Shelter and rescue organizations eligible for the Shelter Pet Data Alliance must submit monthly data for January 2025 through August 2026 before submitting an LOI. Other groups, including spay/neuter, intake-prevention, and transport-only organizations, must submit 2025 annual data before applying. Save Them All proposals must address a shelter with a lifesaving gap; No-Kill Excellence grants are for no-kill organizations and support innovative projects. The 2027 cycle allows one Rachael Ray grant proposal per organization.
- Review Cycle
- For the 2027 Rachael Ray cycle, LOIs and required data are due October 14, 2026. Grant applications are due December 16, 2026.
- Deadline
- For the 2027 Rachael Ray cycle, LOIs and required data are due October 14, 2026.
- Next open deadline
- April 6, 2027 (Pet Lovers' Choice Awards)
- Contact
Mailing address: 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, UT 84741
Phone: (435) 644-2001
Website: https://bestfriends.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Best Friends Animal Society
Who Best Friends Animal Society funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Austin Pets Alive ($1.1M). Together the top 10 received $5.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
1,401 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 1,164 grants of 1,401 (83%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Rachael Ray grant programs support projects implemented in the United States. The Best Friends Network includes animal welfare organizations in all 50 states; the Network Partner Grants listing excludes U.S. territories.
Is Best Friends Animal Society open to new grantees?
48%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 200 of 418 grantees (48%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $17K; repeat grants $50K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $16K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $4.0M (2019) to $16.1M (2024). In 2025 it made 418 grants totaling $14.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Pets Alive | Program service support | $1,121,824 |
| Jacksonville Humane Society | Program service support | $855,400 |
| Operation Kindness | Program service support | $725,525 |
| MSPCA | Program service support | $519,600 |
| San Diego Humane Society | Program service support | $410,198 |
| Humane Society of North Texas | Program service support | $407,500 |
| The Underground Dog | Program service support | $359,000 |
| Richmond Animal League Inc | Program service support | $279,759 |
| Humane Society of Northeast Georgia | Program service support | $263,255 |
| Humane Society for Greater Savannah | Program service support | $241,083 |
Ready to take the next step with Best Friends Animal Society?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $194,689,106 | $173,780,697 | $175,675,944 | $14,261,469 | 418 | $7,154,904 |
| 2024 | $200,572,201 | $148,272,851 | $173,381,071 | $16,053,157 | 307 | $4,232,138 |
| 2023 | $216,306,392 | $173,491,983 | $148,139,598 | $12,569,352 | 309 | $3,909,922 |
| 2022 | $178,197,428 | $141,488,178 | $123,525,355 | $6,085,475 | 193 | $2,048,565 |
| 2021 | $180,215,436 | $125,326,390 | $103,177,874 | $6,519,194 | 174 | $3,015,158 |
| 2020 | $152,713,432 | $106,903,525 | $100,665,535 | $4,635,863 | 172 | $2,859,703 |
| 2019 | $154,320,227 | $102,896,740 | $99,934,785 | $4,025,828 | 119 | $4,417,311 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
Best Friends Animal Society’s stated mission is to save the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and make the entire country no-kill. Its grant programs support lifesaving projects, including adoption, spay/neuter, return-to-home, intake prevention, medical care for at-risk animals, shelter enrichment, and innovative shelter operations.
The organization’s 2025 filing lists grants for program service support to animal welfare organizations, including Austin Pets Alive, Jacksonville Humane Society, Operation Kindness, MSPCA, and San Diego Humane Society.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, Best Friends reported 418 grants totaling $14,261,469. Grant amounts ranged from $2,500 to $1,121,824, with a median of $12,500. Its largest reported grants included $1,121,824 to Austin Pets Alive, $855,400 to Jacksonville Humane Society, $725,525 to Operation Kindness, and $519,600 to MSPCA, each for program service support.
The website lists Best Friends Network Partner Grants and two Rachael Ray Foundation-funded opportunities: the Rachael Ray No-Kill Excellence Grants, offering up to $60,000, and the Rachael Ray Save Them All Grants, offering up to $50,000. The Rachael Ray grants require applicants to be Best Friends Network partners, and organizations may submit only one proposal between the two programs in a cycle.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Julianne Castle as Board Member/Chief Executive Officer. Alfred Battista is Board Chair/Co-Founder/Internal Consultant, and Abigail Jones is Board Vice-Chair. Other listed officers and directors are Bernadette Mejia, Cyrus Mejia, Denise Clark, Gregory Castle, Lona Williams, Lynn Flanders, and Micarl Hill.
Best Friends Animal Society is led by Julianne Castle, Board Member & Chief Executive Officer since 2025 (on filings since 2019); 19 of 26 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Julianne Castle
Board Member & Chief Executive Officer
CEO → Chief Executive Officer, 2021
Chief Executive Officer → Board Member & Chief Executive Officer, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$210K (2019) → $536K (2025)
Alfred Battista
Board Chair, Co-Founder & Internal Consultant
Board Chair Internal Consultant → Board Chair & Internal Consultant, 2024
Board Chair & Internal Consultant → Board Chair, Co-Founder & Internal Consultant, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$151K (2019) → $204K (2025)
Bernadette Mejia
Board Member, Co-Founder & Director of Principal Gifts
Director of Principal Gifts → Board Secretary & Director of Principal Gifts, 2024
Board Secretary & Director of Principal Gifts → Board Member, Co-Founder & Director of Principal Gifts, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$116K (2019) → $186K (2025)
Karen Gallardo
Senior Director, Major & Planned Giving
Senior Director - Major & Pla → Senior Director - Major & Planned Giving, 2022
Senior Director - Major & Planned Giving → Senior Director, Major & Planned Giving, 2024
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$205K (2019) → $284K (2025)
Erika Westbay Arnold
Director & Process Excellence
Director - Process Excelle → Director - Process Excellence, 2022
Director - Process Excellence → Director & Process Excellence, 2024
On filings since 2020
40 hrs/week
$180K (2020) → $203K (2025)
Cyrus Mejia
Board Member, Co-Founder & Internal Consultant
Internal Consultant → Co-Founder & Internal Consultant, 2024
Co-Founder & Internal Consultant → Board Member, Co-Founder & Internal Consultant, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$85K (2019) → $98K (2025)
Gregory Castle
Board Member, Co-Founder & Internal Consultant
Board Member & CEO Emeritus → Co-Founder & Internal Consultant, 2023
Co-Founder & Internal Consultant → Board Member, Co-Founder & Internal Consultant, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$238K (2019) → $178K (2025)
Greta Palmer
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
Chief Brand & Communications Officer → Chief Brand & Communications, 2021
Chief Brand & Communications → Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$159K (2019) → $232K (2025)
Holly Sizemore
Chief Mission Officer
Chief Mission Officer → Chief Missions Officer, 2020
Chief Missions Officer → Chief Mission Officer, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$157K (2019) → $236K (2025)
Judah Battista
Chief Sanctuary Officer
Chief of Staff → Chief Sanctuary Officer, 2021
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$147K (2019) → $234K (2025)
Marc Peralta
Chief Program Officer
Senior Director of National No-Kill Advancement → Senior Director - National No Kill Advancement, 2020
Senior Director - National No Kill Advancement → Chief Program Officer, 2021
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$152K (2019) → $226K (2025)
Stephen Howell
Chief Operating & Financial Officer
Chief Operating Officer → CFO & COO, 2022
CFO & COO → Chief Operating & Financial Officer, 2025
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$255K (2019) → $459K (2025)
Susan Citro
Chief Experience Officer
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$190K (2019) → $296K (2025)
Valerie Dorian
Chief Development Officer
On filings since 2019
40 hrs/week
$207K (2019) → $284K (2025)
Amy Starnes
Principal & Growth Initiatives
Chief Innovation Officer → Principal & Growth Initiatives, 2025
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$124K (2021) → $220K (2025)
Elise Traub
Chief External Affairs Officer & Chief of Staff
Senior Director Office of External Affairs → Chief External Affairs Officer & Chief of Staff, 2023
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$155K (2021) → $224K (2025)
Joseph Angelo
Chief People & Culture Officer
Board Member → Chief People & Culture Officer, 2024
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$263K (2024) → $300K (2025)
Rebecca Huss
General Counsel
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$172K (2021) → $248K (2025)
Susan Cosby
Senior Advisor, Strategy & Integration
Senior Director - Lifesaving Centers → Senior Advisor, Strategy & Integration, 2024
On filings since 2021
40 hrs/week
$153K (2021) → $195K (2025)
Abigail Jones
Board Vice Chair
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Denise Clark
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lona Williams
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lynn Flanders
Board Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Micarl Hill
Board Secretary
Board Member → Board Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Oke Mueller
Board Member
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Phefelia Nez
Board Member
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (10)
- Former: Erin Katribe (2024) — Director & National Veterinary Program
- Former: Jose Ocano (2019–2023) — Senior Director - Talent & Culture
- Former: Tara Timpson (2022–2023) — Staff Veterinarian
- Former: Molly Jordan Koch (2019–2022) — Board Member
- Former: Angela Embree (2019–2021) — Chief Information Officer
- Former: Mary McDonell (2021) — Senior Director - Finance
- Former: Charles Bradbury (2020) — General Manager of Hospitality
- Former: Brent Toellner (2019) — Senior Director of National Programs
- Former: Elissa Jones (2019) — Senior Director, Communications & Creative
- Former: Teresa Bodem-Linebaugh (2019) — Director of Opertaions & Strategic Projects
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $536K, to Julianne Castle (Board Member/Chief Executive Officer). 19 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Best Friends Animal Society
How much does Best Friends Animal Society give each year?
Best Friends Animal Society gave $14.3M across 418 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $16.1M across 307 grants.
What is Best Friends Animal Society's typical grant size?
Best Friends Animal Society's median grant in 2025 was $12,500, and its average grant was $34,118, across 418 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Best Friends Animal Society that year got $17K on average.
Does Best Friends Animal Society give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 418 grants with a stated purpose on Best Friends Animal Society's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Program service support" (418 grants).
Who are Best Friends Animal Society's largest grantees?
Best Friends Animal Society's largest 2025 grantees include Austin Pets Alive ($1,121,824), Jacksonville Humane Society ($855,400) and Operation Kindness ($725,525), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Best Friends Animal Society?
Best Friends Animal Society reported $194.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $173.8M.
What does Best Friends Animal Society fund?
Best Friends Animal Society’s stated mission is to save the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and make the entire country no-kill. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Best Friends Animal Society?
The Rachael Ray programs use a letter-of-interest process. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
Where does Best Friends Animal Society make grants?
The Rachael Ray grant programs support projects implemented in the United States. The Best Friends Network includes animal welfare organizations in all 50 states; the Network Partner Grants listing excludes U.S. territories.
What is Best Friends Animal Society's EIN?
Best Friends Animal Society's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 23-7147797. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 30, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 5, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 7, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS December 13, 2024)
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Best Friends Animal Society funds
Environment & Animals Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Best Friends Animal Society's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Similar funders in Utah
Onerefugee
Salt Lake City, UT
ONEREFUGEE primarily supports people with refugee or immigrant backgrounds pursuing higher education and careers, including scholarships, academic and career support, and citizenship-related assistance. Its 2025 grants ranged from $8 to $75,000, with a median of $1,623, and focused mainly on recipients in Utah, Idaho, and Arizona. It accepts online applications for its program; the website says applications are currently closed and scheduled to reopen January 1 for the 2027–2028 academic year.
Assets
$36K
Grants
495
Total Given
$1.3M
George S and Dolores Dore
Salt Lake City, UT
The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation funds arts and culture, community, education, health and wellness, and preservation and conservation, primarily for organizations serving Utah. Its 2024 grants had a median of $17,750, though awards ranged from $500 to $5.575 million. It accepts unsolicited requests through an online Letter of Inquiry.
Assets
$966.8M
Grants
400
Total Given
$27.0M
Larry H Miller and Gail Miller Family Foundation
Sandy, UT
The foundation supports shelter and food security, jobs and economic self-reliance, and healthcare, with most of its giving focused on Utah. In 2024, it made 324 grants totaling $33.2 million; the median grant was $25,000, though awards ranged from $1,000 to over $10 million. It funds only preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.
Assets
$773.9M
Grants
324
Total Given
$33.2M
University Impact
Provo, UT
University Impact supports charitable projects addressing social and environmental problems, including emerging projects without federal tax-exempt status; its 2024 grants ranged from $5,100 to $15.4 million, with a median of $20,000. Funding is concentrated in Utah, with grants also going to organizations elsewhere in the U.S. and beyond. The profile does not state whether it accepts unsolicited requests.
Assets
$384.7M
Grants
317
Total Given
$42.3M
The Community Foundation of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
The Community Foundation of Utah supports nonprofit organizations addressing community needs, with work spanning areas such as homelessness, healthcare access, refugee support, and nonprofit capacity. Its 2024 grants had a median amount of $20,000, and it supports organizations serving Utah and the broader United States.
Assets
$190.4M
Grants
299
Total Given
$60.0M
Sorenson Legacy Foundation
Midvale, UT
The Sorenson Legacy Foundation funds education, arts education, innovation, health care, and community initiatives, with a strong preference for work in Utah. In 2024, it made 266 grants ranging from $700 to $5.675 million, with a median award of $20,000. It accepts applications through its application process and lists quarterly deadlines of December 1, March 1, June 1, and September 1.
Assets
$465.5M
Grants
266
Total Given
$28.0M
More similar funders
More Funders in Utah
The filing figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0. About GrantGraph Open
Figures come from Best Friends Animal Society's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
Best Friends Animal Society down — hundreds of funders to go?