Brooke USA

What Brooke USA does

Brooke USA, Inc. is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 and headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky with a small staff of approximately eight people. The organization functions as the American fundraising and grant-making affiliate of Brooke: Action for Working Horses & Donkeys, the larger international charity headquartered in London that traces its origins to Dorothy Brooke's 1930s rescue of more than 5,000 former British war horses in Cairo. Brooke USA raises funds from individual donors, major gift patrons, planned giving vehicles, workplace giving programs, peer-to-peer fundraisers and signature equestrian events held in equestrian hubs such as Wellington, Ocala, Aiken and Palm Beach.

Its fundraising programs include tiered monthly giving (The Guardians at $10–$100+/month), major gifts through The Dorothy Brooke Society ($5,000+ annually, led by patrons Fritz and Claudine Kundrun), The DOTS women's affinity group ($1,000 annually), tribute gifts, planned giving and corporate matching gifts. Donations are processed via Qgiv, with planned giving routed through lifelegacy.io, Donor Advised Funds through Every.org, and peer-to-peer fundraising through Crowdrise and Facebook. The organization applies 76% of restricted donations to programs and 24% to support services.

Programmatically, Brooke USA channels grants to Brooke: Action for Working Horses & Donkeys and other vetted nonprofits operating in Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal, Niger), Asia (Pakistan, India, Nepal), the Middle East (Egypt), and the Americas (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Cuba, Colombia, and the United States). Programs cover direct animal care, owner training, veterinary capacity building, policy advocacy against the ejiao/donkey hide trade, emergency disaster relief, and a domestic Native American Equine Welfare Initiative delivering hoof care and farrier training on US reservations. The organization supplements operational execution with an in-house Federal Advocacy function and an ambassador program spanning polo, dressage, eventing, show jumping, Western and Thoroughbred racing, plus a podcast series averaging 1,500 monthly downloads.

Name

Brooke USA

Legal name

Brooke USA, Inc.

Website

https://brookeusa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Brooke USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fundraising affiliate of Brooke: Action for Working Horses & Donkeys, raising and granting funds from US donors to support the welfare of working horses, donkeys and mules and the impoverished communities that depend on them.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Nonprofit

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Agricultural Services (700), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Welfare & Advocacy Organizations (AFAEALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD), Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare) (BPAGAIAJ), Foster & Volunteer Network Programs (BPAGAIAF)

Keywords

• Equine welfare nonprofit
• Working animal advocacy
• Donor fundraising programs
• Grantmaking for animal welfare
• Farriery training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters through the organization's website and fundraising events.
2. Monthly Giving (Guardians Program): Recurring monthly donations ranging from $10 to $100+ per month, providing predictable revenue stream.
3. Major Gifts (Dorothy Brooke Society): Annual gifts of $5,000 or more from dedicated donors, led by patron Fritz and Claudine Kundrun.
4. Planned Giving and Legacy Gifts: Bequests in wills, beneficiary designation gifts, gifts of life insurance, and charitable gift annuities.
5. Corporate Matching Gifts and Workplace Giving: Corporate matching gift programs and United Way payroll deduction donations.
6. Grants to Other Organizations: Brooke USA funds Brooke: Action for Working Horses & Donkeys and accepts unsolicited proposals from qualifying nonprofit organizations globally.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Brooke USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that raises funds in the United States to support programs improving the welfare of working horses, donkeys, and mules and the livelihoods of the communities that depend on them. Core offerings include individual giving programs (The Guardians monthly giving, Dorothy Brooke Society major gifts, DOTS women’s affinity program, tribute gifts), planned giving and bequests, peer-to-peer fundraising, signature equestrian fundraising events, corporate matching and workplace giving, and grantmaking to partner organizations such as Brooke: Action for Working Horses & Donkeys.

Product overview

Brooke USA is a nonprofit fundraising organization (not a technology product company) that raises funds to improve the welfare of working horses, donkeys, and mules worldwide. The organization operates several interconnected fundraising programs: one-time and monthly donations processed through secure platforms, peer-to-peer fundraising via Crowdrise and Facebook, planned giving through lifelegacy.io, stock/DAF donations, and signature equestrian events (Divertimentos & Dressage, Ponies & Pearls, Donkey Dance). The portfolio centers on donation-based giving programs rather than a software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Dorothy Brooke Society: Major donor society for annual gifts of $5,000 or more
• The Guardians
• The DOTS
• Native American Equine Welfare Initiative
• Sunset Polo & White Party

Products and services

• The Guardians (Monthly Giving Program) Recurring monthly donation program offering sustaining donors tiered options ($10, $25, $85, $100+/month) that fund feed, water, medical training, and farriery training for working equines. Designed for individual donors wanting predictable, automated impact in the United States.
• The Dorothy Brooke Society (Major Gifts Program) A major-gift donor recognition society for individuals contributing $5,000 or more annually, patronized by Fritz and Claudine Kundrun, that funds high-impact Brooke USA initiatives and provides donors with recognition and direct engagement opportunities.
• The DOTS (Women’s Affinity Giving Program) An annual membership affinity group for women donors contributing $1,000 per year, providing membership benefits such as silver charms and event invitations.
• Brooke USA Your Way (Peer-to-Peer Fundraising) A peer-to-peer fundraising platform enabling supporters to create personal fundraising pages or events using Crowdrise or Facebook, with all proceeds going directly to Brooke USA.
• Donation Processing (One-Time, Stock, Donor-Advised Funds, QCDs, Planned Giving) One-time and planned giving options including stock donations, Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) processed via Every.org, Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), and planned giving through the lifelegacy.io platform.
• Signature Fundraising Events (Divertimentos & Dressage, Ponies & Pearls, Donkey Dance) Signature fundraising events including equestrian showcase events (Divertimentos & Dressage in Wellington, Ocala, and Tryon; Ponies & Pearls in Aiken and Sarasota) and the Donkey Dance fundraising gala, supporting Brooke USA programs through ticket sales, sponsorships, and auctions.
• Sunset Polo & White Party The signature annual fundraising event held at the International Polo Club Palm Beach, raising more than $210,000 in 2021 and exceeding $350,000 in a subsequent year, attracting equestrian community donors and sponsors.
• Native American Equine Welfare Initiative Program providing hoof care for 800+ horses and farriery skills training for reservation youth on reservations including Oglala Lakota, Crow Nation, Northern Cheyenne Nation, and Standing Rock Reservation in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
• Grant Giving Program Brooke USA's core grantmaking program, distributing restricted funds primarily to Brooke: Action for Working Horses & Donkeys and accepting unsolicited proposals from qualifying nonprofit organizations across Africa, Asia, Middle East, Americas, and the Caribbean.
• Ejiao Federal Advocacy Campaign Federal advocacy campaign to ban the import and sale of ejiao (a product made by boiling donkey hides) in the United States, including Congressional engagement, outreach to Amazon and Etsy CEOs, and educational outreach videos.
• The Donkey Project (Multi-Year Campaign) Multi-year fundraising campaign launched to support donkey welfare programs across East Africa and global partners, raising $1,762,481 by June 30, 2024, exceeding its $1.6 million stretch goal.
• Volunteer Program Volunteer engagement program for individuals aged 16 and older to support Brooke USA fundraising events, awareness campaigns, administrative tasks, and community outreach activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 million working equines supported
• +3 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Donkey Project PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Multi-year campaign raising $1,762,481 to support donkey welfare programs globally. The project funds Brooke East Africa teams and local partners working on the ground in donkey-dependent communities.
• Congressional Advocacy PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 July 2022Brooke USA hosted its first National Advocacy Days on July 21-22, 2022 in Washington, DC to advocate for banning the import and sale of ejiao in the United States. Board members, friends and supporters met with Members of Congress.
• Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership to understand the best way to conduct research on equine and Native American wellbeing on reservations. Brooke USA and HHRF collaborate on research initiatives.
• Brooke: Action for Working Horses & DonkeyscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrooke USA's sister organization headquartered in London, England. Brooke is the leading international animal welfare charity dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules. Brooke USA grants funds to Brooke which are carefully reviewed, traced and monitored by the Brooke USA Board of Directors.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Equine Welfare Alliance: US coalition advancing equine welfare through policy advocacy and education. Comparable mission overlap on policy-driven equine welfare, though smaller scale and more focused on US horse slaughter issues.
• American Horse Defense Fund: US nonprofit focused on equine advocacy, anti-slaughter legislation, and welfare policy. Comparable through shared equine-advocacy and federal-policy focus, particularly around legislation analogous to Brooke USA's Ejiao Act work.

Others

• American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP): US professional association for equine veterinarians. Comparable through overlapping equine-welfare concerns, veterinary capacity building, and equestrian-community reach, but functions as a member association rather than a fundraising charity.

Broad incumbents

• Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): Largest US animal welfare organization with broad programmatic and advocacy reach including farm and equine animal issues. Comparable as a large incumbent animal-welfare charity with US donor infrastructure and federal advocacy capability that Brooke USA could partner with or compete against for donor attention.
• PetSmart Charities: Major US animal-welfare grantmaker supporting shelter, rescue, and access-to-care programs nationally. Comparable as a large incumbent US animal-welfare nonprofit funder, providing a benchmark for nonprofit scale and an alternate destination for equine-welfare donor dollars.

Direct peers

• The Donkey Sanctuary: International donkey welfare charity headquartered in the UK, operating globally with field programs across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Directly comparable mission focus on donkey welfare and the same donor constituency concerned with working equines and the ejiao crisis.
• World Horse Welfare: International equine welfare charity operating field programs in the Americas, Africa, and Asia, with advocacy and government-relations functions. Closely comparable as another internationally focused working-horse welfare nonprofit with similar donor profile.
• SPANA (Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad): UK-based charity providing free veterinary treatment to working animals in low-income communities across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Directly comparable mission, beneficiary base, and program model centered on working animals of the poor.
• Brooke: Action for Working Horses & Donkeys: The UK-headquartered parent charity from which Brooke USA derives its mission, programs, and brand. Directly comparable mission (working equine welfare globally) and serves as the principal grant recipient of Brooke USA.

Regional players

• Days End Farm Horse Rescue: US-based horse rescue and welfare organization. Comparable as a US-anchored equine-welfare nonprofit, though it focuses on direct rescue/rehabilitation rather than international working-equine programs.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/brooke-usa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Brooke USA