The Sato Project
501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 rescuing stray dogs from Puerto Rico's streets and beaches, providing veterinary care, transport to mainland US via chartered flights, and adoption placement to East Coast families.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBrooklyn, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Sato Project does
The Sato Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 by Chrissy Beckles, focused on rescuing stray dogs ("satos") from the streets and beaches of Puerto Rico — particularly Yabucoa municipality and the notorious Dead Dog Beach — and transporting them to permanent homes on the U.S. mainland. The organization runs a sequential, integrated service stack: street/beach rescue (Rescue & Rehabilitation), a 21-day quarantine with a proprietary 14-page Vetting Protocol, on-island care at its Sanctuary in Caguas (purchased in December 2024 as the organization's first owned property), free high-volume spay/neuter clinics under Operation Sato, charter air transport via Freedom Flights and the newer SATO United coalition program to Morristown Municipal Airport in NJ, foster placement across the Northeast (NY, NJ, CT, PA, MD, NH), and direct adoption plus a No Dog Left Behind disaster-reunification program. Since founding, TSP has rescued 8,000+ dogs, performed 10,000+ spay/neuter procedures, delivered 150,000+ lbs of disaster relief supplies across Puerto Rico, and reunited 268+ pets with mainland families after natural disasters.
The business model is donation-driven with no commercial revenue motive. Funding flows from: charitable donations via website, PayPal, stock (StockDonator.com), cryptocurrency, donor-advised funds (Pledge), workplace matching, and eBay charity auctions; corporate partnerships (BISSELL Pet Foundation, ASPCA, BarkBox, Tito's Vodka, Petco Love, The RTA Store); foundation grants (Annenberg, Bloomberg, Sidewalk Angels, Segal, Empty Cages); Act 22/60 decree holder donations ($5K-$10K minimum); Cause Marketing affiliate revenue (Chewy 4%, Grounds & Hounds 10%, Huddy B. Good); merchandise sales through F&T Custom Apparel; and a $650 per-dog adoption fee that recovers a fraction of the ~$3,000 average cost to rescue, vet, and transport each dog. The go-to-market is community-led: organic social (Instagram, Facebook), earned media (TIME, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, People, Washington Post, NPR), Puppy Bowl participation, and a foster/adopter pipeline funneled through PetFinder listings and the organization's website.
TSP's primary stakeholders are individual East Coast adopters and fosters (primary segment), corporate sponsors and cause-marketing partners (secondary), Puerto Rico community members receiving free veterinary care through Operation Sato (secondary), and Act 22/60 decree holders obligated to make charitable donations in Puerto Rico (regulatory-tied). The team is described as "small but mighty" (1-10 employees) comprising a founder/president, operations director, development director, communications manager, PR operations director/vetting coordinator, adoption/foster manager, beach rescue coordinators, sanctuary supervisors, and vet techs/kennel attendants. Critical operational infrastructure includes a Coalition of Veterinarians in Puerto Rico (Candelero Animal Hospital, Blanco Veterinary Hospital, LunaVetHelp) offering discounted $350-per-dog vetting packages, and direct coordination with FEMA/Homeland Security following the 2017 Hurricane Maria response.
The Sato Project firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Sato Project
- Legal name
- The Sato Project
- Website
- https://www.thesatoproject.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2011 rescuing stray dogs from Puerto Rico's streets and beaches, providing veterinary care, transport to mainland US via chartered flights, and adoption placement to East Coast families.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Sato Project industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Animal Rescue Services
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sanctuaries & Long-Term Care (Farm, Equine, Exotic) (BPAGAIAH), Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD)
Keywords
Where The Sato Project is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brooklyn
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
The Sato Project business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations: The organization runs almost entirely on charitable donations. Donors can give via website donation forms, PayPal, check, stock donations through StockDonator.com, cryptocurrency, donor-advised funds (DAFs) via Pledge platform, workplace matching programs, and eBay charity auctions.
- Adoption Fees: One-time adoption fee of $650 per dog. Covers a small fraction of the $3,000 average cost to rescue each dog. Includes fully vetted dog with vaccination, spay/neuter, microchip, and travel gear (harness, martingale collar, coupler).
- Merchandise Sales: Online shop selling t-shirts, merchandise (SATO DAD ball cap, etc.) through F&T Custom Apparel. A portion of sales from partner companies like Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co. (10%), Huddy B. Good poop bags, and Chewy affiliate commissions (4%) flow to the organization.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Dog Adoption |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Act 22/60 Decree Donation |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tribute Card Pack |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Honorary E-Card Donation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
The Sato Project product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Sato Project rescues abandoned and abused "sato" dogs from Puerto Rico's streets and beaches, provides comprehensive veterinary care (spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping) through a 14-page vetting protocol and 21-day quarantine, and transports them to mainland US adopters via chartered Freedom Flights. The organization also operates a Sanctuary facility in Puerto Rico for rehabilitation, runs Operation Sato free spay/neuter clinics to address overpopulation, and offers disaster relief and family reunification services through its No Dog Left Behind program.
Product overview
The Sato Project is a nonprofit animal rescue organization offering a unified set of interconnected rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption services for stray dogs from Puerto Rico. The core service portfolio centers on: Freedom Flights/SATO United (air transport from Puerto Rico to mainland US), Rescue & Rehabilitation (street/beach rescue with medical protocols), Sanctuary by The Sato Project (on-island shelter and rehabilitation), Operation Sato (free spay/neuter/vaccination clinics), Coalition of Veterinarians (discounted vet services network), No Dog Left Behind (family reunification), and Adoption & Foster Placement (matching dogs with permanent homes). The organization operates as a single integrated rescue program rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, with services designed to work sequentially from rescue through adoption.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Freedom Flights Aircraft transport service that flies rescued dogs from Puerto Rico to mainland US (NY/NJ) on privately chartered or donated passenger planes. Each flight carries 20-353 dogs with an in-cabin escort monitoring the animals throughout.
- SATO United Expanded Freedom Flight program providing zero-cost monthly flights for rescue animals through a coalition of veterinarians, flight partners, and donors. Rescuers receive free transport, allowing them to redirect funds to veterinary care instead of costly cargo flights.
- Sanctuary by The Sato Project Physical shelter facility in Puerto Rico providing extended-stay housing for rescued dogs. Includes kennels, play areas, and rehabilitation space where dogs decompress, receive training, socialization, and behavioral assessment before adoption.
- Operation Sato High-volume spay/neuter, vaccination, and TNR initiative providing free veterinary services to owned and stray dogs in Puerto Rico. Includes regular mobile clinics throughout southeast Puerto Rico plus 100 monthly in-clinic voucher appointments.
- Rescue & Rehabilitation Street and beach dog rescue operations focused on Yabucoa municipality and Dead Dog Beach in Puerto Rico. Includes 21-day mandatory quarantine, 14-page vetting protocol, emergency medical care, behavioral assessments, and rehabilitation before flight readiness.
- No Dog Left Behind Disaster relief and family reunification program that transports dogs to mainland families who evacuated Puerto Rico. Also assists military personnel redeploying, families relocating, and visitors who rescue dogs while in Puerto Rico.
- Education & Awareness Community outreach program including youth education in Puerto Rico schools, distribution of educational materials, volunteer engagement, and advocacy for responsible pet ownership to drive long-term change in animal welfare.
- Adoption & Shelter Placement Direct adoption program matching rescued satos with East Coast families. Includes application review, home visits, reference checks, and post-adoption support. Adoption fee is $650 covering vetting, flight, and supplies.
- Foster Program Temporary housing program for rescued dogs in Puerto Rico and East Coast states (NY, NJ, CT, PA, MD, NH). Organization provides leash, harness, crate, and covers veterinary expenses.
- Coalition of Veterinarians Network of licensed Puerto Rican veterinarians providing discounted veterinary services at $350 per dog. Covers physical exams, vaccines, 4DX testing, CBC/Chem 17 bloodwork, fecal testing, spay/neuter, microchip, and travel certificate.
- The Sato Project Shop Merchandise store selling t-shirts and branded items including 'SATO DAD Ball Cap'. Operated through F&T Custom Apparel partnership for inventory and fulfillment management.
Quantifiable outcome
- 8,000+ dogs rescued and flown to loving homes since 2011
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use The Sato Project
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
The Sato Project technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
The Sato Project partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- BISSELL Pet FoundationcorePartnership with BISSELL Pet Foundation for animal air transportation. BISSELL Pet Foundation supports organizations providing air transportation for animals in life-threatening situations. TSP partnered with them for Freedom Flights and Operation Sato equipment donations.
- ASPCAcorePartnership with ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) for animal rescue and transport operations.
- Candelero Animal HospitalcoreFounded by Dr. Gustavo Brito (Kansas State University School of Veterinary Medicine). Has served Humacao community for over 30 years. Primary veterinary partner for TSP, caring for rescued dogs until they're ready for adoption. Included in SATO United Coalition of Veterinarians.
- Blanco Veterinary HospitalcorePart of SATO United Coalition of Veterinarians. Provides discounted vetting services (physical exam, vaccines, 4DX, CBC/Chem 17, spay/neuter up to 60lbs, health certificate) for rescue dogs at $350 per dog.
- LunaVetHelp (Dr. Adriana Luna)coreLocal veterinarian in Puerto Rico running LunaVetHelp clinic. In 2024, TSP partnered with Dr. Luna to offer appointments alongside pop-up Operation Sato clinics, expanding spay/neuter services.
- Animal HavenminorShelter partner in New York, NY. Historically received TSP dogs for adoption. Note: TSP has not sent dogs to partner shelters for almost three years due to overwhelming crisis in animal rescue - all satos now placed directly from flights.
- Animal Refuge League of PortlandminorShelter partner in Portland, Maine. Historically received TSP dogs for adoption.
- BideaweeminorShelter partner in New York, NY. Historically received TSP dogs for adoption.
- Brandywine Valley SPCAminorShelter partner in West Chester, PA. Historically received TSP dogs for adoption.
- Humane Society of Broward CountyminorShelter partner in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Historically received TSP dogs for adoption.
- Kent Animal ShelterminorShelter partner in Calverton, NY. Historically received TSP dogs for adoption.
- Potter League for AnimalsminorShelter partner in Middletown, RI. Historically received TSP dogs for adoption.
- BarkBoxminorCorporate partner. BarkBox provides dog toys/products support for rescued dogs.
- Tito's Vodka DogsminorCorporate partner (Titos Vodka Dogs program) supporting animal rescue organizations.
- The RTA StoreminorCo-Founder & Co-CEO Tyler Ackerman stated: 'Supporting The Sato Project has been one of the most meaningful partnerships we've had. Knowing that our support helps rescue and re-home dogs from Puerto Rico is incredibly fulfilling—and being a Freedom Flight partner is a reminder that businesses can help save lives.'
- Petco LoveminorFoundation/corporate partner supporting animal welfare organizations.
- MoroccanoilminorCorporate partner listed on supporters page.
- Sydney Hale & Co.minorCorporate partner (sydneyhaleco.com).
- Grounds & Hounds Coffee Co.minorGrounds & Hounds donates 10% of all registered sales to TSP when customers shop through their link. TSP is member of G&H Grounds Crew.
- Huddy B. GoodminorHuddy B. Good poop bags company. TSP receives a portion of profits from every box of poop bags sold.
- ChewyminorChewy Gives Back program. TSP earns 4% commission on both new and existing customer orders when completed through TSP's affiliate link.
- PledgeminorPledge is a fundraising platform partnership enabling donations through cryptocurrency, stock contributions, and donor-advised funds (DAFs).
- FEMAminorFederal Emergency Management Agency. Dead Dog Beach is now headquarters to FEMA and Homeland Security. They keep in contact with TSP team and investigate any new dogs that appear.
- RVR AviationcoreSimilar to how RetrievAir operates with RVR Aviation for pet transport flights. TSP partners with licensed U.S. air carriers for SATO United charter flights (not a direct air carrier itself).
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Sato Project competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wings of Rescue: Wings of Rescue transports at-risk shelter and rescue animals via chartered flights across the US. Directly comparable to TSP's Freedom Flights and SATO United programs in terms of air-transport rescue model and donor-funded mission.
- Pilots N Paws: Pilots N Paws is a volunteer pilot network that transports rescue animals across the country. Both Pilots N Paws and TSP rely on volunteer aviation capacity to overcome commercial flight restrictions for rescue dogs, with overlapping transport mission.
- Save a Sato: Save a Sato is a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit dedicated to rescuing and rehoming sato dogs. It overlaps directly with TSP's mission, geography, and adopter base, and the two organizations sometimes collaborate on transport and adoption logistics.
- Animal Haven: Animal Haven is a NYC-based animal shelter and adoption organization that has historically received TSP satos for placement. Both organizations share the NYC adoption market and overlap directly in foster-to-adopt workflows and community education.
- Bideawee: Bideawee is a longstanding NYC pet welfare organization offering adoption, veterinary care, and hospice services. As a named TSP shelter partner historically receiving rescued satos, Bideawee serves the same Northeast adopter base with overlapping services.
Broad incumbents
- ASPCA: ASPCA is a national animal welfare organization with rescue, transport, advocacy, and grantmaking capabilities. TSP is a named ASPCA partner, and ASPCA operates at a much larger scale across a broader portfolio of animal welfare programs.
- Best Friends Animal Society: Best Friends runs the no-kill movement with sanctuaries, transport, and adoption programs nationwide. While TSP focuses narrowly on Puerto Rico satos, Best Friends operates across all US animal welfare categories with substantially larger scale and similar transport-adoption DNA.
- Humane Society of the United States: HSUS is the largest US animal welfare advocacy and rescue organization. Like TSP, it runs rescue, transport, and disaster-relief programs (especially in PR post-Hurricane Maria), but HSUS operates across all 50 states and federal policy advocacy.
- BISSELL Pet Foundation: BISSELL Pet Foundation funds animal welfare organizations and empty-shelter-killing initiatives. TSP is a named BISSELL Pet Foundation partner for air transport and Operation Sato support, but BISSELL Pet Foundation operates across the entire pet welfare ecosystem rather than focusing on a single geography.
- PetSmart Charities: PetSmart Charities is a major funder of pet adoption, spay/neuter, and rescue programs across North America. It is a named TSP supporter and operates as a national foundation backing thousands of rescue partners, including those with transport and shelter-placement missions similar to TSP.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Sato Project social profiles
Digital presenceThe Sato Project financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Sato Project leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
The Sato Project funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Sato Project M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Sato Project
What does The Sato Project do?
The Sato Project rescues abandoned and abused "sato" dogs from Puerto Rico's streets and beaches, provides comprehensive veterinary care (spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping) through a 14-page vetting protocol and 21-day quarantine, and transports them to mainland US adopters via chartered Freedom Flights. The organization also operates a Sanctuary facility in Puerto Rico for rehabilitation, runs Operation Sato free spay/neuter clinics to address overpopulation, and offers disaster relief and family reunification services through its No Dog Left Behind program.
Is The Sato Project a public or private company?
The Sato Project is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Sato Project founded?
The Sato Project was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Sato Project based?
The Sato Project is headquartered in Brooklyn, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Sato Project make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Charitable Donations are the primary driver. The others are adoption Fees and merchandise Sales.
Who are The Sato Project's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wings of Rescue, Pilots N Paws, Save a Sato, Animal Haven and Bideawee. Broad incumbents are ASPCA, Best Friends Animal Society, Humane Society of the United States, BISSELL Pet Foundation and PetSmart Charities.
Does The Sato Project have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Sato Project.
What industry is The Sato Project in?
The Sato Project's product category is Animal Rescue Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAIAA, Animal Shelters & Adoption Services, with a secondary code of BPAGAIAH, Sanctuaries & Long-Term Care (Farm, Equine, Exotic). Its NAICS code is 813312.