BISSELL Pet Foundation
BISSELL Pet Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) foundation located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, founded in 2011 by Cathy Bissell. The foundation operates as a private operating foundation dedicated to reducing pet homelessness and supporting animal welfare organizations across the United States and Canada. The organization works directly with shelters and rescue organizations to facilitate pet adoptions, provide spay/neuter services, and respond to animal welfare crises.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
—
Annual Giving
$210K
-84.0% YoY
Grant Count
61
-66.8% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$3K
-51.9% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission is to help reduce the number of animals in shelters and rescues and to find a loving home for every pet. The organization operates three primary program areas:
Empty the Shelters – Facilitates pet adoptions by organizing and funding national and regional adoption events. The program enables adopters to take home spayed or neutered, fully vaccinated, and microchipped pets for reduced fees at hundreds of shelters throughout the country.
Fix the Future – Addresses the lack of access to spay/neuter services for both shelters and pet owners. The foundation pays contracted veterinarians directly and connects them with approved host organizations including animal shelters and designated spay/neuter facilities. Services include sterilization, vaccinations, and microchipping for $35 or less.
Donor Designated – Supports specific projects and initiatives outside of regular programming to amplify the foundation's ability to save lives.
The foundation also operates an Animal Incident Management (AIM) team that provides crisis response, rescue, and transport services for pets in disaster zones, cruelty cases, and other emergency situations.
Grantmaking
The foundation made 949 grants in 2024. Typical grant awards range from $34 to $150,000. The foundation supports 100+ shelter and rescue organizations throughout the United States, including The Humane Society of the United States.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation operates in all 50 states and Canada. Recent financial data indicates primary grantmaking focus in Michigan, Louisiana, and Florida, though the organization's programs extend nationally.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
2024 Financial Data:
- Total Assets: $2,838,834
- Total Revenues: $9,931,644
- Total Expenses: $11,620,014
- Number of Employees: 0
2023 Financial Data:
- Total Assets: $4,580,000
- Total Revenues: $10,300,000
- Total Expenses: $8,640,000
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | — | — | — |
| Revenue | — | — | — |
| Expenses | — | — | — |
| Qualifying Distributions | — | — | — |
| Net Investment Income | — | — | — |
| Distributable Amount | — | — | — |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from BISSELL Pet Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Cathy Bissell – Founder of BISSELL Pet Foundation. In 2008, her adoption of a black Labrador named Bear from a local Humane Society inspired her to establish the foundation as a way to help homeless pets everywhere.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| M Catherine Bissell | Director/President | 60 | — |
| Mark J Bissell | Director/Vice President | 5 | — |
| Max M Bissell | Director | 5 | — |
| Joel M Van Winkle | Secretary | 5 | — |
| Kevin J Little | Treasurer | 5 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
**2025 Impact Milestone** – In June 2025, BISSELL Pet Foundation announced it had impacted 1 million pets since its founding in 2011 through its rescue, adoption, transport, and spay/neuter initiatives.
15,356 Pets Adopted BISSELL Pet Foundation's 2025 Empty the Shelters\xAE\**2025 End-of-Year Report** – Released in December 2025, the report (covering October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025) highlighted that more than 1.1 million pets were impacted across spay/neuter, adoptions, transport, and crisis response programs.
BISSELL Pet Foundation Celebrates 1 Million Pets Impacted Through Lifesaving**2024 Record-Breaking Year** – The foundation's 2024 End-of-Year Impact Report (covering October 23, 2023 through September 24, 2024) documented:
BISSELL Pet Foundation Celebrates 1 Million Pets Impacted Through LifesavingNearly 100,000 pets adopted
More than 75,000 pets spayed/neutered through the Fix the Future program
More than 1,200 pets rescued and transported from disaster zones during hurricane response efforts (Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton)
More than 97,740 dogs and cats adopted through Empty the Shelters events
15,356 Pets Adopted BISSELL Pet Foundation's 2025 Empty the Shelters\xAE\**2025 Empty the Shelters Holiday Hope Event** – In December 2025, the foundation's holiday adoption event resulted in 15,356 pets adopted.
15,356 Pets Adopted BISSELL Pet Foundation's 2025 Empty the Shelters\xAE\**Veterinary Care Expansion** – The foundation partnered with the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation to expand access to veterinary care for pets.
15,356 Pets Adopted BISSELL Pet Foundation's 2025 Empty the Shelters\xAE\Contact Information
Address: 2345 Walker Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49544
Phone: 616.735.6666
Fax: 616.735.6666
Email: info@bissellpetfoundation.org
Tax ID: 38-3853264
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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