Wings of Rescue

What Wings of Rescue does

Wings of Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity founded in 2012 and headquartered in San Diego, California, that operates large-scale air transport missions to move at-risk pets from overcrowded shelters and disaster zones to receiving shelters with available kennel space and adoption demand. The organization's core service uses a fleet of pressurized, temperature-controlled turboprop aircraft — including Embraer Brasilia 120, Pilatus PC-12, and Saab 340 planes — with all pets traveling in the same cabin as flight crew rather than in cargo holds. Each flight averages over 1,000 miles in approximately four hours, materially reducing transit stress and enabling geographic rebalancing of shelter supply and demand across all 50 U.S. states, 8 Canadian provinces, Mexico, and 15 Caribbean countries. As of 2026, the organization has flown over 92,000 pets to safety and delivers humanitarian and veterinary aid (375+ tons to date) on inbound disaster response flights.

Beyond transport, Wings of Rescue runs Operation Pit Stop, a free spay/neuter initiative targeting large-breed and bully-breed dogs in low-income families, with 23,012 pets altered cumulatively. The organization also formalized disaster response partnerships with American Humane Society, the Red Cross, Paws For Life K9 Rescue, and corporate donors including Hill's Pet Nutrition, Mars, Zoetis, and PEDIGREE Foundation — most visibly during the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires where over 300 shelter animals were evacuated. The business model is entirely donor-funded: Wings of Rescue never charges shelters for transport, with revenue drawn from individual donations (one-time and recurring), corporate sponsorships (RAM Trucks/Stellantis, Hill's, Mars, Zoetis, PEDIGREE Foundation), merchandise sales via a Shopify storefront, and legacy/estate giving. The leadership team is led by CEO Ric Browde (since 2017) and President Nelda Corbell, with celebrity board members David Chokachi and Share Ross. The organization holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating, a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency, and operates with 1–10 employees supported by volunteer pilots and a 30+ shelter partner network.

Name

Wings of Rescue

Legal name

Wings of Rescue

Website

https://wingsofrescue.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wings of Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that flies at-risk pets from overcrowded shelters and disaster zones to receiving partners using a fleet of pressurized turboprop aircraft, serving shelters, low-income pet owners, and disaster-affected communities across North America and the Caribbean.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters. Monthly giving program available. Donations fund flight operations and rescue missions. Wings of Rescue never charges shelters for transport.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors provide financial support and in-kind contributions. Notable sponsors include RAM Trucks and Stellantis. Sponsors receive naming rights and recognition in mission publicity.
3. Merchandise Sales: Online merchandise store selling branded apparel and goods. Proceeds support flight operations and rescue missions.
4. Legacy & Estate Giving: Planned giving program allowing supporters to include Wings of Rescue in estate planning, honoring loved ones, or memorializing pets.
5. Naming Rights & Flight Sponsorships: Donors can sponsor specific flights, partner organizations, or individual pets, receiving recognition in publicity and communications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Wings of Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free air transport services for at-risk pets, flying animals from overcrowded shelters and disaster zones to receiving shelters with available adoption capacity. Transport is conducted in fully pressurized aircraft cabins with pets riding alongside flight crew. The organization complements this core service with the Operation Pit Stop free spay/neuter program, disaster relief supply delivery, and a merchandise store to fund operations.

Product overview

Wings of Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal rescue organization offering a suite of services centered on air transport of at-risk pets. The core offering is large-scale pet air transport flights that move animals from overcrowded shelters and disaster zones to receiving shelters with available space. This transport service is complemented by Operation Pit Stop, a free spay/neuter initiative targeting pet overpopulation at its source, and Disaster Relief Services that deliver humanitarian aid while returning with shelter animals. The organization also operates a merchandise store on Shopify to generate additional funding. The organization uses a fleet of pressurized aircraft including Embraer Brasilia 120, Pilatus PC-12, and Saab 340 turboprop planes. Wings of Rescue does not have a traditional software product, tech platform, or SaaS offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Operation Pit Stop: Free spay and neuter initiative providing free surgeries to low-income families with large-breed and bully-breed dogs

Products and services

• Pet Air Transport Services Core free air transport service moving at-risk pets from overcrowded shelters and disaster zones to receiving shelters with available adoption capacity. Pets travel in fully pressurized, temperature-controlled aircraft cabins alongside flight crew (never in cargo holds), averaging 1,000+ miles per flight in approximately 4 hours. Provided at no charge to shelter partners across all 50 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.
• Operation Pit Stop Free spay and neuter initiative providing surgical sterilization services to low-income families' large-breed and bully-breed dogs. Targets root cause of pet overpopulation by removing financial barriers to sterilization (services averaging $700+) in underserved communities, in partnership with Helping Paws Across Borders, Operation Kindness, Dallas Animal Services, and Humane Society of North Texas.
• Disaster Relief Services Emergency humanitarian and veterinary aid delivery to communities affected by hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions. Planes deliver supplies (food, water, blankets, medical supplies) on incoming flights and return with shelter animals to free kennel space for incoming displaced pets. Operations have spanned Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, Alabama, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Nebraska, Haiti, Los Angeles, Canada's Northwest Territories, and St. Vincent.
• Merchandise Store Online Shopify storefront selling branded apparel and merchandise (t-shirts and other goods) to supporters worldwide. Proceeds support Wings of Rescue's flight operations and rescue missions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92,282+ pets saved since founding in 2012
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Nextdoor Rescue SquadcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026Volunteer-led community initiative leveraging hyper-local Nextdoor app reach for rapid response coordination, emergency fostering, transport, and adoptions. Wings of Rescue provides transport for rescue missions coordinated through the platform.
• American Humane SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2025Joint response to Los Angeles wildfires, transporting over 300 shelter animals to safety. Wings of Rescue provided flight transport while American Humane coordinated wellness clinics, welfare checks, and shelter support for evacuees and their pets.
• Paws For Life K9 RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2025Collaborated in Los Angeles wildfire animal rescue efforts, coordinating animal welfare checks, shelter support, and wellness clinics for evacuees and their pets.
• Red CrosscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2025Partnered during Los Angeles wildfire disaster response for integrated animal welfare checks, shelter support, and coordinated relief operations.
• The Sato ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPuerto Rico-based rescue organization partnering with Wings of Rescue for flights transporting stray dogs (including 'Sato' street dogs) to receiving partners in the continental U.S. for adoption.
• Dog Lover RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew York-based rescue receiving at-risk dogs from Texas and other overcrowded shelters via Wings of Rescue flights. Recipient of organization's 89,000th pet (Lorelai) and 92,000th pet (JoJo).
• Shelter Partners NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 30+ shelter partners across North America and the Caribbean including Blue Mountain Humane, Bakersfield SPCA, ARLGP, Bahamas Humane Society, Berkshire Humane, BVSPCA, and others who send or receive transported pets.
• Operation Pit Stop PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Helping Paws Across Borders, Operation Kindness Humane Society, Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center, and Humane Society of North Texas for free spay/neuter clinics serving low-income families.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA: Major national animal-welfare organization operating rescue, disaster response, and shelter grant programs. Comparable in donor-driven funding model and disaster-response mission, but with a much larger budget and a broader advocacy focus.
• Best Friends Animal Society: Large national animal-welfare nonprofit running sanctuary operations, transport programs, and no-kill advocacy. Comparable in mission (saving at-risk shelter pets) and in operating its own transport network, but at a significantly larger scale and with a broader advocacy remit.
• PetSmart Charities: Largest U.S. funder of animal-welfare adoptions, with national transport and disaster-response grant programs. Comparable in funding rescue transport and in corporate-sponsored nonprofit structure, but does not directly operate air rescue flights.
• Humane Society of the United States: One of the largest U.S. animal-welfare organizations, running national rescue, shelter support, and disaster-response programs. Comparable in mission scope and donor base, though its animal transport is typically ground-based and shelter-focused rather than air-centric.

Direct peers

• Pilots N Paws: Volunteer-pilot network that transports rescue animals by air from high-intake to receiving shelters across the U.S. Closest comparable model to Wings of Rescue, though operated via individual general-aviation pilots rather than a centralized pressurized fleet.
• International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW): International nonprofit running animal rescue and disaster-response programs across multiple continents. Comparable in cross-border rescue operations and disaster deployment, including hurricane and wildfire response, though at a much larger international scale.
• RedRover: Nonprofit focused on emergency sheltering, disaster response, and animal rescue grants. Closely aligned with Wings of Rescue on the emergency-animal-welfare and disaster-response niche, though smaller in air-transport scale.
• Greater Good Charities: National nonprofit operating animal rescue, transport, and disaster relief programs including pet food distribution and shelter support. Overlapping donor base, partner ecosystem, and disaster-response positioning with Wings of Rescue.
• American Humane: National animal-welfare nonprofit running rescue, military-dog, and disaster-response programs and an existing operational partner of Wings of Rescue during the LA wildfires. Direct overlap in disaster-response mission and corporate/foundation donor base.

Others

• Maddie's Fund: Major animal-welfare foundation funding shelter, rescue, and community pet programs nationwide. Comparable donor/funder ecosystem and overlapping grant-eligible mission areas, though operates as a grantmaker rather than direct service provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WingsofRescue
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wingsofrescue
• Instagraminstagram.com/wingsofrescue_official
• TikToktiktok.com/@wingsofrescue
• Xx.com/WingsOfRescue

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Wings of Rescue