Doris Day Animal Foundation

What Doris Day Animal Foundation does

The Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity headquartered at 8033 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 845, Los Angeles, California, founded in 1978 by legendary performer Doris Day as the Doris Day Pet Foundation. The foundation's mission is to fund animal welfare organizations across the United States through grants, with an emphasis on root-cause solutions such as spay/neuter and on acute needs such as emergency veterinary care for senior and special-needs animals, disaster relief, and veterinary education.

DDAF's programmatic surface spans the World Spay Day campaign (co-founded 1995, now active in 74 countries with millions of animals altered since inception), the Duffy Day Lifesaving Program for senior/special-needs animals, the Doris Day/Terry Melcher Scholarships at UC Davis and Iowa State for shelter medicine, the Seniors for Seniors adoption assistance program, and the Doris Day Equine Center at Cleveland Amory's Black Beauty Ranch. The foundation is governed by an uncompensated volunteer board and led by CEO Dr. T. Robert Bashara (a practicing veterinarian for 50+ years and 2018 AVMA Animal Welfare Award recipient) and CFO Dr. Peter C. Bashara.

DDAF's revenue model relies entirely on donations and grants rather than commercial revenue. Streams include individual donations (Give Lively, PayPal, Facebook fundraisers, direct mail), corporate sustaining partnerships at $10,000/year (Cypress Inn, Ludacka Wealth Partners, Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals), passive partnership programs (iGive, eScrip, Ralphs Community Contribution, Hilton HHonors, eBay for Charity), planned giving/bequests, and merchandise sales through a Shopify storefront. Recent strategic activity includes a three-year flagship partnership with Miranda Lambert's MuttNation Foundation (announced February 2026) that awarded $233,000 to 63 Southern California shelters and clinics in 2026, ongoing emergency disaster-relief grants (Maui wildfires, 2023), and scaled recurring grants to Feeding Pets of the Homeless.

Name

Doris Day Animal Foundation

Legal name

Doris Day Animal Foundation

Website

https://dorisdayanimalfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Founded in 1978 by Doris Day, the Doris Day Animal Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Los Angeles that funds animal welfare organizations nationwide through grants for spay/neuter, emergency care, senior pets, and disaster relief.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Welfare & Advocacy Organizations (AFAEALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA), Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD)

Keywords

• Animal welfare grants
• Spay and neuter programs
• Nonprofit animal rescue
• Veterinary education scholarships
• Senior pet care funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through the website using Give Lively platform, Facebook fundraisers, and direct mail. The foundation receives donations from supporters who want to help animals.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners commit to sustaining donations of $10,000 per year. Partners include Cypress Inn, Ludacka Wealth Partners, and Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals.
3. Partnership Programs: Revenue generated through iGive.com, eScrip, Ralphs Community Contribution Program, Hilton HHonors points donations, and eBay for Charity. A percentage of purchases is donated to DDAF.
4. Planned Giving: Bequests and estate gifts through wills. The foundation encourages supporters to include DDAF in their estate plans with sample bequest language provided.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Doris Day Animal Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity that funds animal welfare nonprofit organizations across the United States through grant programs. It administers named initiatives including World Spay Day (a global spay/neuter campaign), the Duffy Day Lifesaving Program (emergency funding for senior and special-needs animals), veterinary scholarships, and disaster relief grants, while also operating a small online merchandise store to support fundraising.

Product overview

The Doris Day Animal Foundation is a nonprofit grant-giving organization (not a technology company) that funds animal welfare programs across the United States. Its core offerings consist of grant programs including World Spay Day (global spay/neuter initiative founded 1995), the Duffy Day Lifesaving Program (emergency care for senior/special-needs animals), and the Doris Day/Terry Melcher Scholarships for veterinary students. Additional programs include Seniors for Seniors adoption assistance, the Doris Day Equine Center, disaster relief grants, and an e-commerce store. The foundation partners with organizations like MuttNation Foundation for collaborative spay/neuter campaigns. All programs support the mission of helping animals and the people who love them.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Spay Day Annual global event and grant program that funds spay/neuter initiatives for nonprofit animal welfare organizations to reduce homeless pet overpopulation and euthanasia rates.
• Duffy Day Lifesaving Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 14,873 cats, dogs and rabbits spayed/neutered between 2008-2018 through $760,000 in grants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• MuttNation Foundation (Miranda Lambert)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 20263-year partnership announced for MuttNation's 'It Takes Balls' spay & neuter campaign. 2026 campaign focuses specifically on Southern California. Initiative has provided over 125 grants to qualifying low-cost programs. Awarded $233,000 to 63 shelters, rescues and clinics in 2026.
• Feeding Pets of the HomelesscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 January 2024DDAF provided $20,000 grant (eighth grant since 2014) to help unhoused pet owners care for companion animals. As the number of people experiencing homelessness grows, DDAF doubled its grant amount from previous years.
• Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation (HARF)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 August 2023Emergency grants for Maui fire relief. HARF brought pet food, water and medical supplies to the disaster zone and is focusing on caring for displaced pets as owners recover.
• Save Maui CatscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 August 2023Emergency grants for Maui fire relief. All-volunteer organization has been feeding approximately 400 cats while advocating for TNRM for Maui's cat colonies for 17 years.
• Chimpanzees in Need Campaign (7th Generation Advisors & NAPSA)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 July 2020$20,000 grant to care for and re-home 32 chimpanzees from the now-closed Wildlife Waystation in Southern California.
• Cypress InncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSustaining partner committing to $10,000 annual donation. The historic hotel in Carmel, CA was formerly co-owned by Doris Day and hosts events benefiting DDAF including the Gold Record Award presentation.
• Ludacka Wealth PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSustaining partner committing to $10,000 annual donation.
• Gentle Doctor Animal HospitalscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSustaining partner committing to $10,000 annual donation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Best Friends Animal Society: Major no-kill animal welfare organization operating the nation's largest sanctuary and funding partner rescues. Comparable in advocating for spay/neuter and shelter funding, though with direct operational programs.
• ASPCA: Major US animal welfare charity funding spay/neuter, anti-cruelty, and shelter programs nationally. Overlaps with DDAF in mission and donor pool but operates direct programs in addition to grantmaking.
• Humane World for Animals (formerly Humane Society of the United States): Largest US animal welfare organization; absorbed the Doris Day Animal League in 2006. Operates a much broader portfolio (advocacy, direct operations, grants) but competes for the same donor audience.
• American Humane: Historic US animal welfare organization funding rescue, military, and farm animal programs. Comparable national grantmaking scope and brand-led fundraising approach.

Direct peers

• Animal Welfare Institute: Nonprofit that provides grants to shelters, sanctuaries, and wildlife programs; founded 1950. Comparable grantmaking scope and long operating history.
• Petco Love (formerly Petco Foundation): Corporate-affiliated grantmaking foundation funding animal welfare organizations nationwide, including spay/neuter and adoption initiatives. Highly comparable funding model and grant scope.
• Maddie's Fund: Family foundation focused on achieving no-kill animal welfare through grants to shelters and rescue groups. Comparable grantmaking structure and target beneficiary population.
• PetSmart Charities: Largest grantmaking pet welfare foundation in the US, funding spay/neuter, adoption, and emergency programs. Directly comparable to DDAF in mission, funding model, and grantee base.
• RedRover: Nonprofit that provides emergency grants and Safe Escape funding for animals and domestic-violence survivors with pets. Directly comparable as a grant-focused animal welfare foundation.

Regional players

• The Humane Society of the United States' Pets for Life: Program supporting underserved pet owners with access to veterinary care and resources. Comparable to DDAF's Seniors for Seniors and Feeding Pets of the Homeless grantees in addressing affordability barriers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DDAF_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/DDAF.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/dorisdayanimalfoundation/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Doris Day Animal Foundation