St Francis Animal Shelter

What St Francis Animal Shelter does

Saint Frances Animal Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit open-admission animal shelter founded in 1983 in Georgetown County, South Carolina, operating under contract with both the City of Georgetown and Georgetown County to accept all stray and impounded dogs and cats. The organization rescues and rehomes more than 2,200 animals annually and maintains a daily population of over 225 dogs and cats awaiting adoption, offering adoption services with fees ranging from $60 to $285 based on animal type and health status, plus foster placement and volunteer programs. Its operations are supported by the on-site Cotton Memorial Veterinary Clinic (established 2014), which provides low-cost spay/neuter, vaccinations, testing, heartworm treatment, and preventative products to the general public, removing financial barriers to veterinary care in a rural service area. Saint Frances also runs a TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) program for feral cats, a free Pitty Community Clinic for pitbull spay/neuter, and a Healthy Heart Fund addressing the ~15% of incoming dogs that test heartworm-positive. The organization has no proprietary technology; its only AI-adjacent capability is a partnership with Petco Love Lost, which provides facial-recognition-based lost-and-found pet reunification. Revenue is generated primarily through individual donations, adoption fees, and veterinary service fees, with the Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation identified as a historically significant donor.

Name

St Francis Animal Shelter

Legal name

Saint Frances Animal Center

Website

https://sfanimals.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Saint Frances Animal Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit open-admission animal shelter in Georgetown County, SC, providing adoption, foster, low-cost veterinary, and community outreach services for dogs and cats across the county.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Shelter Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (541940), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD), Spay/Neuter & Population Control Programs (BPAGAIAE)

Keywords

• Animal shelter services
• Pet adoption programs
• Low-cost veterinary clinic
• Spay and neuter services
• Animal welfare nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Georgetown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, Saint Frances Animal Center relies heavily on individual donations from the community. They receive donations through their website, mail, and various fundraising events.
2. Adoption Fees: Revenue generated from pet adoptions, with fees ranging from $60-$285 depending on animal type, age, and health status (heartworm status).
3. Veterinary Clinic Services: Low-cost veterinary services including spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, testing, and preventative products sold to the general public.
4. Vehicle/Boat Donations: The organization accepts vehicle and boat donations as another revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Saint Frances Animal Center operates Georgetown County's only open-admission animal shelter, providing care, sheltering, and adoption services for abandoned, neglected, lost, and abused dogs and cats. The organization runs the Cotton Memorial Veterinary Clinic offering low-cost spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, diagnostics, and preventative products to the general public. It supplements shelter operations with a Foster Program, a Volunteer Program, a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program for feral cats, and the Healthy Heart Fund for heartworm-positive dogs.

Product overview

Saint Frances Animal Center operates as an open-admission animal shelter providing a comprehensive range of animal welfare services. The core offering is sheltering and adoption services for dogs and cats, supported by a Foster Program for animals needing temporary homes and a Volunteer Program for community involvement. The Cotton Memorial Veterinary Clinic provides low-cost veterinary care including spay/neuter, vaccinations, and diagnostics. Specialized programs include TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) for feral cats, the Healthy Heart Fund for heartworm treatment, and the Pitty Community Clinic for pitbull spay/neuter. The organization also offers emergency preparedness education and community outreach, with lost and found pet services utilizing Petco Love Lost facial recognition technology. All services work together to fulfill the mission of providing compassionate care, safe shelter, and second chances while strengthening the community through accessible veterinary services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cotton Memorial Veterinary Clinic: A low-cost veterinary clinic established in 2014 with a donation from Hayden Blackwell Quattlebaum in memory of her Cocker Spaniel, Cotton. Provides affordable veterinary services to the public and shelter animals.

Products and services

• Pet Adoption Services
• Foster Program
• Volunteer Program
• Cotton Memorial Veterinary Clinic
• Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) Program
• Healthy Heart Fund
• Pitty Community Clinic
• Emergency Preparedness Program
• Lost and Found Pet Services
• Open-Admission Shelter Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,200 homeless, abused, or neglected cats and dogs rescued annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

AI capability2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Georgetown County and City of GeorgetowncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative relationships with city and county animal control officials established a unified approach to caring for the area's homeless pets. The organization is under contract to take all stray and impounded dogs and cats from both jurisdictions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• PetSmart Charities: Major funder of shelter adoptions, spay/neuter, and pet welfare programs. A peer in the animal welfare ecosystem that frequently grants funding to shelters like Saint Frances and supports similar adoption and low-cost vet initiatives.
• Petco Love: Animal welfare nonprofit affiliated with Petco that funds adoption and spay/neuter programs and operates the Petco Love Lost reunification platform already used by Saint Frances. Ecosystem partner and analogous nonprofit operator.

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA: One of the largest national animal welfare organizations with sheltering, veterinary, and advocacy programs. Operates an adoption center and mobile spay/neuter clinics that mirror Saint Frances' core offerings, though at a national scale.
• Best Friends Animal Society: National no-kill animal welfare organization operating sanctuaries and partnering with shelters nationwide. Comparable mission and program design (TNR, adoption, community spay/neuter), though at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Humane Society of the United States: National animal protection organization running shelter/rescue support, spay/neuter, and advocacy programs. Overlaps with Saint Frances on mission and TNR/community cat programming.

Regional players

• HALO Animal Rescue: No-kill shelter and pet adoption organization offering community pet support services. Comparable shelter-plus-services model focused on rehoming and preventive care in a single region.
• Charleston Animal Society: South Carolina's largest open-admission animal shelter, serving the Charleston region. Operates a similar model of sheltering, adoptions, and low-cost veterinary services in an adjacent geography, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Pet Helpers: No-kill animal rescue and low-cost spay/neuter clinic serving the Charleston, SC area. Comparable mix of sheltering, adoption, and affordable veterinary services targeting low-income pet owners.

Emerging players

• Alley Cat Allies: National advocacy and field-services organization focused on TNR and feral cat population control. Closely comparable to Saint Frances' TNR and community cat work, though operating as an advocacy rather than shelter-based entity.
• SNIP Society (formerly Spay Neuter Assistance Program): Affordable spay/neuter clinic operator focused on reducing pet overpopulation. Directly comparable to the Cotton Memorial Veterinary Clinic and Pitty Community Clinic programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-francis-animal-shelter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 St Francis Animal Shelter