Animal Protection Society of Durham

What Animal Protection Society of Durham does

The Animal Protection Society of Durham (APS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1970 that manages and operates the Durham County Animal Shelter under contract with Durham County government, a relationship that has been continuously held since 1990. APS cares for nearly 4,000 stray, surrendered, abandoned, abused, and neglected animals annually and delivers an integrated service portfolio: pet adoption, foster placement, spay and neuter programs, microchipping, lost and found pet reunification, behavior support with personality color-coding matching, community education, and a Safety Net Program that helps owners retain pets. The organization's operating model is open-admission — APS accepts all animals regardless of adoptability — and revenue mechanics combine donations from individuals and corporations, a recurring government contract for shelter operations, modest adoption fees (often waived during flash sales), and small grant contributions such as the Margaret T. Petrie Spaying and Neutering Foundation funding for low-cost spay/neuter vouchers.

Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and community-led. The single physical shelter at 2117 E. Club Blvd., Durham, NC is supported by an online animal listings storefront, email alerts, organic social media, YouTube storytelling videos, community events including the Tails at Twilight Gala, and a volunteer pipeline of 1,000+ active individuals managed by a dedicated Foster Program & Volunteer Manager. Marketing is locally concentrated in Durham County, North Carolina. Pricing across the portfolio is one-time or pay-as-you-go for adoption and voucher services, with adoption fees periodically waived as promotional events.

The organization is supported by a 15-person team led by three directors — Director of Lifesaving Programs (Leah Santelli, with APS since 2005), Director of Facilities and Animal Husbandry (Kevin "Skipp" Morgan, 19 years tenure), and Director of Animal Well-Being (Dr. Samantha Zurlinden, DVM NC State 2023) — and governed by a board drawing on executives from IBM, Ernst & Young, OneGoal, Triangle Community Foundation, Loevy & Loevy, and bioPharma. Technology infrastructure is operational rather than digital: behavior assessment programs, animal inventory catalogs, and adoption listings run on standard nonprofit web tooling without proprietary AI, ML, or platform components. The strategic posture is steady-state municipal animal welfare service delivery with incremental professionalization rather than scaled expansion.

Name

Animal Protection Society of Durham

Legal name

The Animal Protection Society of Durham

Website

https://apsofdurham.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Animal Protection Society of Durham is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1970 that manages the Durham County Animal Shelter under government contract, caring for nearly 4,000 stray and surrendered animals annually through adoption, foster, and community education programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB), Animal Cruelty Prevention, Investigation & Humane Law Enforcement (BPAGAIAG), Low-Cost & Community Veterinary Clinics (HLAMAAAE)

Keywords

• Animal shelter services
• Pet adoption services
• Spay neuter programs
• Animal welfare nonprofit
• Foster care programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Relies on donations from caring individuals and corporations to feed, shelter and provide medical attention for animals
2. Government Contract: Contracted to manage and operate the Durham County Animal Shelter - collaboration of nonprofit and government resources
3. Animal Adoption Fees: Adoption fees for animals, with periodic fee waivers and promotions such as cat/kitten flash sales

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Animal Protection Society of Durham is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1970 that has managed and operated the Durham County Animal Shelter since 1990 under contract with Durham County. APS delivers open-admission animal sheltering, pet adoption, foster placement, community spay and neuter services, lost and found pet reunification, microchipping, behavior support, and volunteer coordination, caring for nearly 4,000 stray, surrendered, abandoned, abused, and neglected animals each year.

Product overview

The Animal Protection Society of Durham operates as a non-profit organization that manages the Durham County Animal Shelter. The organization offers a unified set of shelter and community services including animal shelter management, pet adoption, foster care, volunteer programs, community spay and neuter services, lost and found pet reunification, behavior support, microchipping, and donation programs. The portfolio is structured as a single integrated service delivery model combining nonprofit and government resources to support pets and people in the Durham community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 4,000 stray, surrendered, abandoned, abused and neglected animals cared for each year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Durham County Animal ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPS refers animal cruelty complaints and injured animal pickup requests to Durham County Animal Services at 919-560-0900
• Rescue OrganizationsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with rescue organizations to ensure each animal is given the best chance to thrive, including transfer of animals that cannot be added to adoption programs

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Charleston Animal Society: A regional open-admission animal shelter providing adoption, spay/neuter, and community programs in the Charleston, SC area. Comparable to APS in operating model as a community-focused, donation-supported regional shelter with an emphasis on live-release outcomes.
• Austin Pets Alive!: An innovative regional animal shelter in Austin, Texas known for progressive adoption, behavior, and foster programs. Comparable to APS in mission and operating structure as a regional nonprofit shelter employing innovative programming like APS's behavior color-coding system.
• Guilford County Animal Services: County-operated animal shelter in North Carolina providing open-admission shelter services and animal control. Comparable to APS as another North Carolina county-level shelter operator where APS's Director of Animal Well-Being previously worked.
• SPCA of Wake County: A North Carolina-based animal welfare organization operating shelters and adoption services in Wake County, directly comparable to APS as a regional shelter operator serving a single adjacent county. Both organizations provide adoption, spay/neuter, and community education services.

Others

• Maddie's Fund: A national family foundation dedicated to achieving a no-kill nation by funding community shelters and rescue programs. Comparable to APS as an ecosystem participant and confirmed funder (APS received a $2,500 grant in May 2023), relevant as a funding source for shelter operations nationwide.

Broad incumbents

• Best Friends Animal Society: A leading national animal welfare organization operating the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and a network of regional no-kill shelter partnerships. Comparable to APS in mission focus on adoption and live-release outcomes, but with national reach and partnership funding models.
• ASPCA: The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a national animal welfare organization providing shelter support, grants, and direct services. Comparable to APS as a peer nonprofit in the same mission space but at a national scale with grantmaking and advocacy functions.
• Humane Society of the United States: The largest national animal welfare organization in the United States, operating across advocacy, shelter support, and direct services. Comparable to APS as an overarching animal welfare nonprofit but operating at a vastly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-animal-protection-society-of-durham

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

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 Animal Protection Society of Durham