Shelter Planners of America

Name

Shelter Planners of America

Legal name

Shelter Planners of America

Website

https://shelterplannersofamerica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Shelter Architectural Consulting

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Animal shelter consulting
• Shelter design services
• Needs assessment studies
• Kenneling concept design
• Animal welfare architecture

Headquarters

HQ city

Grapevine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Needs Assessment Studies: Comprehensive studies involving 1-2 day on-site visits to develop operational profiles. Delivered in a 30-40 page format outlining required rooms, spaces, animal capacity, operating features, estimated construction costs, staffing levels, and operating budgets.
2. Architectural and Engineering Design Services: Full architectural and engineering services for animal shelter design including conceptual design, site selection, equipment and finish specification, HVAC and drainage system design, and construction guidance through completion.
3. Fundraising Partnership Referrals: Referral partnership with Animal Shelter Fundraising for capital campaign fundraising services. Shelter Planners of America facilitates introductions to their affiliate for fundraising feasibility studies and campaign management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shelter Planners of America provides specialized consulting, conceptual design, and full architectural and engineering services for animal shelter facilities. Engagements typically begin with a 1-2 day on-site needs assessment delivered as a 30-40 page study, then progress to proprietary kennel/cattery concept design, HVAC and drainage system specification, and complete A&E services for new construction, renovation, or expansion. The firm also offers capital campaign fundraising referral services through a partnership with Animal Shelter Fundraising.

Product overview

Shelter Planners of America is an animal shelter consulting firm founded in 1993, offering a unified suite of services centered on needs assessment studies, conceptual design, and full architectural and engineering services for animal shelter new construction, renovation, and expansion. The core offering combines on-site needs assessment (delivered as a 30-40 page comprehensive study) with design consultation covering kenneling concepts, cattery designs, HVAC systems, and equipment selection, culminating in complete architectural and engineering design services. A digital component includes virtual tours of completed projects and an online questionnaire for prospective clients. Capital campaign fundraising consulting is offered through a strategic partnership with Animal Shelter Fundraising. The firm has completed over 750 animal shelter projects across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Needs Assessment Studies Comprehensive on-site study performed during a 1-2 day visit to develop an operational profile of the client organization covering over 200 items of information, statistics, and preferences. Deliverable is a 30-40 page report outlining required rooms, spaces, animal housing capacity, operating features, estimated construction costs, staffing levels, and operating budgets. Designed for animal welfare organizations and municipalities planning new shelter construction, renovation, or expansion.
• Conceptual Design Services Design consultation covering proprietary kenneling concepts (Courtyard Kennel Designs, Fully Enclosed Sky-Lighted Kennels, Convertible Kennels, Adoption Room Kenneling, Community Display Kenneling), cattery concepts (Island cage arrangements, Cat condos, Cat community rooms, Sun/exercise rooms), equipment and finish selection, and HVAC and floor drainage system design specifications. Intended for animal welfare organizations and municipalities preparing to build or renovate shelters.
• Full Architectural and Engineering Services Complete architectural and engineering design services for animal shelter new construction, renovation, and expansion projects, including conceptual design, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration. Services span site selection, equipment and finish specification, HVAC and drainage system design, and ongoing guidance through construction completion. The firm has completed over 750 animal shelter projects since 1993 and typically partners with local associate architects (e.g., Kirksey, Hatch Mott McDonald) for construction administration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 750 animal shelter projects completed since 1993
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Animal Shelter FundraisingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShelter Planners of America partners with Animal Shelter Fundraising to provide comprehensive capital campaign fundraising services to shelter clients. SPA facilitates introductions to this affiliate which provides fundraising feasibility studies and campaign management. Animal Shelter Fundraising CEO Tim Crum is a nationally recognized expert who has raised in excess of $200 million and authored a book on animal shelter capital campaigns.
• FMD ArchitectscoreOthersFMD Architects is the parent company of Shelter Planners of America. Located in Grapevine, TX, FMD Architects provides the corporate umbrella and additional architectural resources. Principals Mark Moore and Melanie Friedman dedicate 25+ years and extensive expertise to the animal care industry through this partnership.
• Kirksey ArchitectureminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHouston-based architecture firm Kirksey served as the primary architect for the Harris County Pets Resource Center project. SPA served as the shelter design consultant for this 60,000 SF facility with 6,500 SF animal hospital.
• Thompson Litton Architects & EngineersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThompson Litton Architects & Engineers worked in association with Shelter Planners of America to complete the Montgomery County Animal Adoption & Care Center project in Christiansburg, Virginia.
• Hatch Mott McDonaldminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNYC-based architecture firm Hatch Mott McDonald served as the architect of record for the Animal Care Center of New York City project in Bronx and Queens boroughs. SPA served as Animal Shelter Consultant.
• The Architectural CompanyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTucson-based The Architectural Company served as the architect of record for the Humane Society of Southern Arizona's 37,000 SF facility. SPA provided shelter design consultation.
• Dalas DisneyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDalas Disney prepared the construction documents for the Naples Humane Society project involving major addition and renovation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Best Friends Animal Society: Best Friends Animal Society is an ecosystem influencer in animal welfare and no-kill advocacy; it is not a design peer but shapes shelter design priorities (longer stays, adoption focus) that drive demand for SPA's specialized kenneling concepts.
• Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA): SAWA is a professional association for animal shelter executives — not a competitor but a key referral channel and standards body that influences which firms shelters engage for planning and design work.
• Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): HSUS is not a direct competitor but is a critical ecosystem participant — SPA's founder previously led shelter consulting there for 11 years, and HSUS continues to influence shelter standards, training, and referrals in the market SPA serves.

Emerging players

• SHKS Architects: SHKS Architects is an emerging player in animal care facility design with a growing portfolio of shelter and veterinary projects; while its animal shelter work is a subset of broader practice, it competes for similar municipal and nonprofit clients.

Direct peers

• FMD Architects: FMD Architects is the parent company of Shelter Planners of America and shares the Grapevine, TX headquarters; it provides the corporate umbrella, additional architectural resources, and shares principal staff including Mark Moore and Melanie Friedman who dedicate time to the animal care practice.
• Animal Arts: Animal Arts is the most direct competitor to Shelter Planners of America — an architecture and design firm exclusively focused on animal care facilities including shelters, veterinary hospitals, and boarding kennels, serving a similar nonprofit and municipal client base with comparable service offerings.
• Animal Shelter Fundraising: Animal Shelter Fundraising is both a strategic affiliate and adjacent service provider to Shelter Planners of America, offering capital campaign fundraising services to the same shelter client base; it bundles with SPA but is itself a separately operated peer in the shelter services ecosystem.
• Hogle Architecture: Hogle Architecture is a direct peer specializing in animal shelter and humane society facility design, providing architectural services to nonprofit and municipal animal welfare clients with comparable scope of needs assessment and full design work.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shelter-planners-of-america

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Shelter Planners of America