Paws NY

What Paws NY does

PAWS NY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 80-0233785) founded in 2008 that helps vulnerable New York City residents remain with their pets by delivering direct, in-home animal welfare services. The organization serves low-income, elderly, and other at-risk pet owners in New York City who face barriers to accessing veterinary care, pet food, and emergency pet housing, reaching 853 people, 987 pets, and 25,905 visits annually. Its core service portfolio comprises four programs: the Housecall Program (in-home visits and care coordination), the Pet Pantry (free pet food and supplies), the Veterinary Care Program (subsidized or free clinical services), and the Foster & Emergency Care Program (temporary pet placement during owner crises).

The organization's underlying operating model is labor-intensive and field-based rather than technology-platform driven; there is no evidence of proprietary software, AI/ML tooling, or scalable digital infrastructure beyond standard nonprofit fundraising and donation-processing platforms (GoFundMe/Classy, CARS, Double the Donation, Merrill Lynch). Revenue mechanics rely on a diversified mix of channels: individual donations, corporate and foundation grants (including a $100,000 ASPCA grant in April 2023), planned giving, vehicle donations, stock gifts, and peer-to-peer fundraising (e.g., the 2026 TCS NYC Marathon team). The 2025 Holiday Campaign carries an explicit $100,000 fundraising goal, suggesting active revenue base-building.

Headcount is small (1–10 employees) and leadership is founder-led, with Rachel Herman serving as Executive Director. The organization holds a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, its sole verified third-party trust designation, and operates from a single New York City office at 134 W. 29th Street, Suite 802. Geographic scope is intentionally concentrated in NYC, which limits addressable market but deepens service density within that footprint. Overall, PAWS NY is a small, founder-led nonprofit with steady programmatic reach, modest operating scale, and a diversified but grant-sensitive revenue base.

Name

Paws NY

Legal name

Pets Are Wonderful Support, Inc.

Website

https://pawsny.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PAWS NY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2008 that helps vulnerable New York City residents keep their pets through in-home visits, pet food distribution, veterinary care, and emergency foster services. It serves 853 people and 987 pets annually with a 1–10 person staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910), Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Foster & Volunteer Network Programs (BPAGAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Needs & Senior In-Home Pet Sitting (HSANAEAH), Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Pet care support
• Veterinary assistance
• Animal welfare services
• Pet food assistance
• Foster care pets

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: PAWS NY receives one-time and monthly donations from individual supporters through its website donation platform, Facebook fundraising, and the Constant Companion Monthly Giving Program.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: The organization receives grants from foundations and animal welfare organizations, such as the $100,000 ASPCA grant received in 2023.
3. Planned Giving: Donors can include PAWS NY in their estate plans through Ruby's Legacy Circle, via will, trust, life insurance, or retirement plan beneficiary designations.
4. Vehicle Donations: PAWS NY partners with CARS (Charitable Adult Rides and Services) to accept vehicle donations, which are sold with proceeds supporting the organization.
5. Stock Gifts: Donors can make gifts of appreciated securities to PAWS NY, providing tax benefits while supporting the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Paws NY is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports vulnerable New Yorkers and their pets by providing direct pet care services, including in-home pet care, pet food assistance, veterinary care, and emergency foster care. Founded in 2008, the organization helps seniors, individuals with chronic illnesses, and other at-risk populations maintain the human-animal bond by ensuring their pets receive necessary care and supplies.

Product overview

PAWS NY (Pets Are Wonderful Support NY) is a nonprofit organization, not a technology product company. Its offering consists of social service programs designed to help vulnerable New York City residents remain with their pets. The core service portfolio includes the Housecall Program (volunteer dog walking and cat care), Pet Pantry (food and supplies distribution), Veterinary Care Program, and Foster & Emergency Care. These programs are complemented by fundraising campaigns including the annual Holiday Campaign and TCS NYC Marathon team participation. The organization operates primarily through volunteer engagement and community partnerships, using external platforms like GoFundMe and Classy for donation processing rather than proprietary technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housecall Program An in-home pet care service that delivers routine pet care assistance — such as dog walking, litter box cleaning, and basic grooming — directly to the homes of vulnerable New Yorkers who have difficulty managing these tasks themselves.
• Pet Pantry

Quantifiable outcome

• 853 vulnerable people and 987 pets supported annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Double the DonationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDouble the Donation is a matching gift partner that allows donors to search for their employer and double or triple their charitable contributions to PAWS NY through employer matching gift programs.
• CARS (Charitable Adult Rides and Services)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCARS partners with PAWS NY to process vehicle donations. CARS handles everything from pickup to sale and sends donation receipts and tax documents to donors.
• GoFundMe / ClassycoreTechnology or IntegrationPAWS NY uses GoFundMe/Classy as its primary online donation and fundraising platform. The platform enables one-time and recurring donations, peer-to-peer fundraising, event registration, and donor management.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• PAWS Chicago: A large, well-known no-kill animal shelter and adoption organization based in Chicago. Like PAWS NY, the 'PAWS' brand targets urban pet welfare, although PAWS Chicago's model centers on shelter operations and adoptions rather than in-home support for vulnerable guardians.
• Pets for the Elderly Foundation: A national nonprofit that funds companion animal programs serving the elderly, directly overlapping PAWS NY's senior-pet-guardian focus. Highly comparable mission (helping seniors keep their pets), with delivery primarily through shelter/rescue partners rather than in-home volunteer visits.
• Pet Peace of Mind: A nonprofit that trains and supports hospice and palliative care teams to keep patients together with their pets at end of life. Closely comparable mission (preventing pet surrender during health crises) and a direct competitor for human-services-aligned animal-welfare funding.
• RedRover: A national nonprofit that brings animals into crisis response by providing emergency sheltering, financial assistance for veterinary care, and support for domestic-violence survivors with pets. Closely comparable in the human-animal bond / crisis-pet-support niche.
• Pets of the Homeless: A national nonprofit providing pet food, veterinary care, and emergency sheltering for pets of homeless families. Directly comparable in addressing pet welfare within a vulnerable-population context, with a food-bank and vet-care service mix that parallels PAWS NY's Pet Pantry and Veterinary Care Program.

Broad incumbents

• Best Friends Animal Society: One of the largest national animal welfare organizations, operating sanctuaries and running the No-Kill 2025 initiative. Overlaps PAWS NY's animal-welfare mission but at a vastly larger scale and with a shelter/adoption-led model rather than in-home volunteer support.
• ASPCA: A national animal welfare leader and a current PAWS NY funder. Comparable in mission (preventing animal cruelty and supporting pet welfare) but operates at national scale through grants, policy, and direct programs rather than single-city in-home services.
• Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): The largest national animal protection organization, active in advocacy, direct care, and disaster response. Comparable animal-welfare positioning to PAWS NY but operates a national, multi-program portfolio rather than a local in-home support model.
• PetSmart Charities: A major national funder of pet welfare programs, including grants to organizations serving vulnerable pet owners. Comparable in the animal-welfare funding ecosystem and a potential source of growth capital for PAWS NY's model.

Regional players

• Family Promise: A national nonprofit serving families experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity. Comparable in serving vulnerable populations in a community-volunteer model, but focuses on housing stability rather than pet-care support — adjacent rather than directly competing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pawsny
• Facebookfacebook.com/pawsny
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paws-ny
• Instagraminstagram.com/pawsny

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Paws NY