betterTogether Forever

What betterTogether Forever does

betterTogether Forever is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 20-1329182) headquartered in Glendale, California, that operates a shelter-prevention and pet-family support model across 29+ zip codes in Los Angeles County. The organization was formed in May 2021 through the merger of two predecessor nonprofits: Bark Avenue Foundation, founded in 2004, and Home Dog LA, founded in 2013 at the North Central Animal Shelter. It is led by co-founders Christy Schilling (Executive Director) and Kerry Armstrong (Associate Executive Director), with a seven-member volunteer board, and delivers all services free of charge to qualifying pet parents.

The organization's offering is structured around three core programs: the Shelter Prevention Program, which provides in-person intervention at North Central Animal Shelter to connect families facing surrender with resources; the Unsheltered People with Pets (UPP) Program, which supports homeless and transiently-housed pet owners with veterinary care, food, and supplies; and Community Engagement / Pet Wellness Clinics, delivered through partner-hosted monthly clinics at locations such as the Weingart YMCA in East Los Angeles. Underlying technology is essentially absent — there is no proprietary platform, mobile app, or API; intake and resource matching are handled via phone, text, and email with a 72-hour response time, supplemented by a website and basic social-media presence on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Revenue is generated entirely through charitable channels: tax-deductible individual donations (including payroll deduction), recurring grants from foundations such as Petco Love ($27,500 cumulative across 2021-2024), Best Friends Animal Society, Michelson Found Animals, PetSmart Charities, California Community Fund, and Start Rescue; vehicle donations; and shop-for-the-cause programs through Amazon Smile, Ralphs, and Chewy. Distribution is community-led and partner-mediated, with referrals flowing from city and county animal services, human-service agencies such as LA Family Housing and PATH, and a network of low-cost veterinary partners including North Figueroa Animal Hospital, Blue Cross Pet Hospital, and the Sam Simon Foundation mobile clinic.

Name

betterTogether Forever

Legal name

Better Together Forever

Website

https://peopleandpetsbtf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

betterTogether Forever is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Los Angeles County that provides free shelter-prevention, veterinary, and pet-food assistance to low-income and unhoused pet owners across 29+ zip codes through three programs: Shelter Prevention, UPP, and Pet Wellness Clinics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Animal welfare services
• Shelter prevention programs
• Pet wellness clinics
• Pet food pantry
• Homeless pet support

Headquarters

HQ city

Glendale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals to support pet families and operational costs. The organization encourages donations through their website and payroll deduction programs.
2. Foundation Grants: Grants from foundations including Petco Love ($7,500 in 2021, 2022, 2023; $5,000 in 2024), PetSmart Charities, Best Friends Animal Society, California Community Fund, Michelson Found Animals Foundation, and other charitable foundations.
3. Vehicle Donations: Vehicle donation program where the organization provides free towing and the donation may be tax deductible.
4. Retail Partner Programs: Shop-for-the-cause programs through Amazon Smile, Ralphs, and Chewy where a percentage of purchases support the organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

betterTogether Forever is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free shelter prevention and pet retention services to low-income and housing-vulnerable pet parents across Los Angeles. Its core offerings include in-person shelter intervention at North Central Animal Shelter, a Unsheltered People with Pets (UPP) program delivering veterinary care, spay/neuter, food, supplies, and ESA assessments, and community engagement pet wellness clinics held at partner locations. All services are delivered at no cost to qualifying residents.

Product overview

betterTogether Forever is a nonprofit organization (not a technology company) offering community social services. The organization provides three core service programs: the Shelter Prevention Program (connecting at-risk families with resources to prevent pet surrender), the Unsheltered People with Pets (UPP) Program (supporting homeless and transient pet owners), and Community Engagement through Pet Wellness Clinics (partnering with local organizations to provide pet food, supplies, and veterinary services). These programs work together to keep pets with their families, out of shelters, and off the streets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shelter Prevention Program Connects families facing challenges with resources and support to offer alternatives to surrender, keeping pets safe, cared for, and at home. Includes spay/neuter, veterinary care access, pet food, supplies, ESA assessments, landlord assistance, licensing, owner redemption fees, dog training, and humane euthanasia referrals. For at-risk pet parents in Los Angeles County.
• Unsheltered People with Pets (UPP) Program Dedicated program for homeless or transiently-housed pet owners in Los Angeles, providing spay/neuter, wellness, vaccines, veterinary care assistance, pet food, supplies, ESA support, landlord assistance, licensing, owner redemption fees, and humane euthanasia. Delivered in coordination with PATH and LA Family Housing.
• Community Engagement Pet Wellness Clinics Partnerships with local organizations to host pet event days, share information, and provide low and no-cost services including pet food, supplies, vaccinations, medications, and veterinary care at locations such as Weingart East LA YMCA. For under-resourced pet owners in Los Angeles.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 2,000 requests for help responded to in a single year (2022)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Off the Leash Modern Pet ProvisionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2023Glendale-based pet food shop partnering to provide one free bag of pet food per month to striking WGA and SAG-AFTRA members during the Hollywood labor disputes.
• LA Family HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021Partnership to deliver pet food and supplies on site, serve companion animals with devotion and care, and support participants being moved to permanent housing by keeping pets with their families.
• Best Friends Animal SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational animal welfare organization providing programmatic support and partnership for community animal welfare initiatives.
• Pasadena Humane SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for pet food bank services, spay/neuter programs, and pet wellness assistance in the Greater Los Angeles area.
• LA Animal ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity animal services partnership for shelter intervention programs and pet food pantry services at city shelters including North Central Animal Shelter.
• LA County Animal Care and ControlcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty animal care partnership for community animal welfare programs and services.
• People Assisting the Homeless (PATH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver pet food and supplies to unhoused individuals and those in transitional housing programs.
• North Central Animal SheltercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-site shelter intervention program location where the organization provides assistance with vet care, pet food, supplies, free spay/neuter services, vaccines, and owner redemption fee aid.
• Weingart East LA YMCAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly pet wellness clinic location at 2900 Whittier Blvd, LA, CA 90023, hosting veterinary services for East Los Angeles community.
• North Figueroa Animal HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal veterinary partner providing compassionate care for pets of low-income families, connecting clients to organization's assistance programs.
• Sam Simon Foundation ClinicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMobile spay/neuter clinic partnership providing low-cost surgical services.
• Pets for Life (Humane Society HSUS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational program partnership focused on providing resources and support to underserved communities for pet care.
• Blue Cross Pet HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal veterinary hospital providing low-cost veterinary services through partnership network.
• HEART LAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHuman education and animal rescue team partnership for Los Angeles animal welfare initiatives.
• Latino Alliance for Animal Care Foundation (LAACF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish-language focused animal care alliance supporting underserved Latino communities in Los Angeles.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stray Cat Alliance: An LA-based nonprofit focused on TNR, cat rescue, and community cat welfare across Los Angeles. It operates in the same LA animal welfare space with a community-services orientation similar to betterTogether Forever.
• HEART LA (Human Education and Animal Rescue Team): An LA-based animal welfare nonprofit that provides rescue, education, and resources for companion animals. It is a current partner of betterTogether Forever and serves overlapping at-risk pet owner populations in Los Angeles.
• Pets for Life (Humane Society of the United States): A national HSUS program that delivers resources and support to under-resourced pet owners to keep pets in their homes. It mirrors betterTogether Forever's shelter-prevention mission, target population, and community-led service model, and is already listed as a programmatic partner.
• Downtown Dog Rescue: An LA-based nonprofit that rescues and rehomes dogs while supporting low-income owners in keeping their pets. It is closely comparable to betterTogether Forever's surrender-prevention work in the same Los Angeles geography and is referenced in the leadership team's mentoring lineage.

Broad incumbents

• spcaLA: A regional animal welfare organization serving Los Angeles County with adoption, shelter, spay/neuter, and pet support services. It operates at broader scale in the same LA geography and competes for donor and volunteer attention.
• Best Friends Animal Society: A national no-kill animal welfare organization and current programmatic partner of betterTogether Forever. It operates at far broader geographic and financial scale, encompassing shelter, advocacy, and community programs that overlap with bTF's mission.
• Pasadena Humane Society: A regional animal welfare organization in greater Los Angeles providing shelter, adoption, spay/neuter, and pet food bank services. It is a current partner of betterTogether Forever and overlaps substantially on shelter intervention and pet wellness service lines, but operates at broader scale with its own facility.
• Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF): A California-based animal welfare nonprofit offering adoption, pet support, and community programs. Comparable as a mid-sized regional nonprofit focused on keeping people and pets together, though it operates at materially larger scale than bTF.

Regional players

• Sam Simon Foundation: An LA-based foundation that operates a mobile spay/neuter clinic serving low-income communities. It is a current programmatic partner of betterTogether Forever and is comparable on the spay/neuter and access-to-vet-care dimension of the service mix.

Others

• Michelson Found Animals Foundation: A national foundation funding pet welfare initiatives, including pet food pantries and access-to-care programs. Comparable as a current grant funder and ecosystem participant rather than a direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCI7J7LpnuJGNzuBApNiBcng
• Facebookfacebook.com/PeopleAndPetsBTF
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/better-together-forever
• Instagraminstagram.com/peopleandpetsbtf

Compliance7 records

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 betterTogether Forever