United Coalition for Animals

What United Coalition for Animals does

United Coalition for Animals (UCAN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2001 and headquartered at 2830 Colerain Avenue in Cincinnati, Ohio. The organization operates a high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter and wellness clinic serving a 15-county region across Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Southeast Indiana — a service area with roughly 2.3 million residents. UCAN's mission is to reduce pet overpopulation and shelter euthanasia by removing the cost and access barriers to preventive veterinary care, with priority given to families experiencing financial hardship, domestic violence, homelessness, or other crisis situations.

UCAN's core offering is spay/neuter surgery priced at $55 for cats and $100/$125 for male/female dogs, performed under a high-volume clinic model based on the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance methodology. Adjacent services include Friday vaccine/wellness clinics (rabies, DHPP, FVRCP, Bordetella, FeLV, canine influenza, Lyme), $20 microchipping with lifetime registration, heartworm testing and prevention, and a free Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program for community cats that includes humane trap rental and ear-tipping. The organization has performed more than 200,000 spay/neuter surgeries as of January 2026, with Medical Director Dr. Amy Strabala alone accounting for 65,000+ since joining in January 2014.

The business model blends low-margin service fees with philanthropy: revenue comes from unit-priced services ($10-$125), tiered donations ($10-$275 per gift), the Paw Print Memorial program ($100 per engraved paw print), planned giving and legacy gifts, Kroger Community Rewards, and episodic institutional grants such as the $90,000 PetSmart Charities award in 2024 and a capital grant from the Joanie Bernard Foundation that funded the 2014 clinic build-out. Distribution is via a single physical clinic, online appointment booking (ClinicHQ), Friday walk-in vaccine clinics, and a referral network spanning county shelters, private rescues, and social service agencies including YWCA, Found House, ION Center, and Talbert House. UCAN never turns clients away for inability to pay, with services for community cats and crisis-referred families provided at no cost.

Name

United Coalition for Animals

Legal name

United Coalition for Animals

Website

https://ucancincinnati.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

United Coalition for Animals is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit spay/neuter and wellness clinic in Cincinnati providing low-cost veterinary care to low-income families, rescues, and community cats across a 15-county region, funded by service fees, donations, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veterinary Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093)

akta.pro primary industry

Spay/Neuter & High-Volume Sterilization Clinics (HLAMAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Preventive Care & Vaccination Clinics (HLAMAAAB), Low-Cost & Community Veterinary Clinics (HLAMAAAE), Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD)

Keywords

• Low-cost spay neuter
• Veterinary wellness services
• Community cat TNR
• Pet vaccination clinic
• Nonprofit animal welfare

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Service Fees: Low-cost spay/neuter and vaccination services charged to pet owners. Fees range from $10-$125 depending on service type. As a nonprofit, services are provided free to those who cannot afford to pay through grants and donations.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals supporting the nonprofit mission. Donation amounts specified: $10 for rabies vaccine, $55 for cat surgery, $100 for male dog surgery, $125 for female dog surgery, and other tiered giving options.
3. Trap Rental Deposits: Trap rental service for TNR program with $60 cash deposit returned when trap is returned. Fee can be waived for financial hardship situations.
4. Planned Giving/Legacy Gifts: Bequests in wills, charitable trusts, life insurance beneficiary designations, and retirement/IRA account beneficiary designations.
5. Paw Print Memorial Program: Engraved personalized paw prints sold for $100 each, permanently displayed in clinic lobby as tribute to pets or people.
6. Kroger Community Rewards: Quarterly cash distributions from Kroger when shoppers select United Coalition for Animals (NPO #HL337) as their charity using Kroger Plus Card.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

United Coalition for Animals (UCAN) operates a nonprofit, high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter clinic offering cat and dog sterilization surgery ($55 for cats, $100 male dog, $125 female dog), a Friday wellness and vaccination clinic with core vaccines and microchipping, and a free Trap-Neuter-Return program for community cats. Services are delivered in person at the Cincinnati clinic with financial assistance available for those unable to pay.

Product overview

United Coalition for Animals (UCAN) is a nonprofit spay/neuter clinic providing affordable veterinary services to the Greater Cincinnati area. The organization operates a high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter surgery clinic as its core offering, complemented by Friday vaccine/wellness clinics and a free Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) program for community cats. UCAN also offers a Personalized Paw Print fundraising product. Services include pre-surgical exams, anesthesia, pain medication, vaccinations (rabies, DHPP, FVRCP, FeLV, Bordetella, canine influenza, Lyme), microchipping with lifetime registration, heartworm testing and prevention, and parasite treatment. Financial assistance is available for those who cannot afford services, and community cats receive free spay/neuter and vaccinations through the TNR program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spay/Neuter Surgery Services Low-cost spay and neuter surgery services for owned cats ($55) and dogs (Male $100, Female $125), including pre-surgical exam, anesthesia, pain medication, and the surgical procedure. Community cats receive free surgery, and financial assistance is available for owners who cannot afford to pay.
• Wellness & Vaccination Services Friday vaccine/wellness clinic offering low-cost core vaccinations (rabies, DHPP/FVRCP, FeLV, Bordetella, canine influenza, Lyme, Leptospirosis, DA2PP), microchipping with lifetime registration, heartworm testing and prevention, FeLV/FIV combo testing, and parasite treatment.
• Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) Program Free spay/neuter surgery and vaccinations for community cats, including humane trapping support, ear-tipping, overnight recovery, and return to outdoor colony locations. Includes a $60 refundable trap rental program that can be waived for financial hardship.
• Personalized Paw Print Memorial Engraved 5x5 inch personalized paw prints sold for $100 each, permanently displayed in the clinic lobby as tributes or memorials for pets or people, with up to 48 characters of customization and a maximum of 5 per order.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ spay/neuter surgeries performed, contributing to decreased shelter intake and euthanasia in Greater Cincinnati
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Stray Haven RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeekly standing appointments for rescue organization transporting 20-40 stray dogs and cats from Northern Kentucky. UCAN's low-cost services enable Stray Haven to maintain $215 adoption fees instead of $400-$1,000, making adoption affordable for families.
• YWCA (Cincinnati)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDomestic violence services organization partnering with UCAN to ensure pets receive vaccinations needed to stay safely with families during crisis. UCAN provides services to help families meet housing requirements.
• Found House (Interfaith Hospitality Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHomeless families services organization partnering with UCAN to keep families and pets together during temporary housing crises. UCAN provides FREE spay/neuter surgery and core vaccines for clients.
• ION Center for Violence PreventioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPersonal violence prevention organization partnering with UCAN to provide emergency veterinary services for families in crisis, helping them maintain pet ownership during difficult circumstances.
• Talbert HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAddiction and mental health services organization partnering with UCAN to provide veterinary care that helps families keep their pets during recovery and treatment programs.
• Best Friends Animal SocietymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational animal welfare organization recognizing UCAN as a Network Partner. UCAN's clinic model based on ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance methodology recommended by Best Friends.
• KrogerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKroger Community Rewards program allows shoppers to select UCAN (NPO #HL337) as their charity, with UCAN receiving quarterly cash distributions from Kroger's donations based on shopping purchases.
• County Shelters in 15-County Service AreacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with county shelters across Boone, Bracken, Brown, Butler, Campbell, Clermont, Dearborn, Franklin, Gallatin, Grant, Hamilton, Kenton, Ohio, Pendleton, and Warren counties to provide low-cost spay/neuter making animals adoption-ready.
• Adopt-A-Pit RescueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal pit bull rescue that UCAN staff member Erin Bullock adopted puppy Darla from, demonstrating staff commitment to rescue community.
• Crazy Cats Animal RescueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal rescue organization where Operations Manager Rachel Gideon fosters cats and kittens in her spare time.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals): National animal welfare organization whose Spay/Neuter Alliance methodology UCAN explicitly adopts. Functions as both an industry incumbent and the source of UCAN's operating playbook.
• Banfield Pet Hospital: Largest network of veterinary clinics in the U.S., co-located inside PetSmart stores; Dr. Amy Strabala joined UCAN from Banfield. Represents the scale corporate-vet incumbent that could compress UCAN's low-cost positioning.

Others

• Maddie's Fund: Major family foundation focused on achieving no-kill outcomes through community spay/neuter and shelter medicine programs. Comparable as a capital and best-practices resource shaping the same mission space.
• Best Friends Animal Society: National no-kill animal welfare organization that formally recognizes UCAN as a Network Partner. Functions as an ecosystem ally and referral/funding channel rather than a direct service competitor.
• Petco Love (formerly Petco Foundation): Animal welfare foundation funding nationwide spay/neuter and adoption initiatives. A peer funder/ecosystem partner in the same national grant-pool that supports UCAN's PetSmart Charities-aligned work.

Direct peers

• FixNation: Nonprofit specializing in Trap-Neuter-Return for community cats, providing free sterilization and vaccinations. Highly comparable on the TNR side of UCAN's offering, including volunteer-driven logistics and ear-tipping protocols.
• Emancipet: Nonprofit operator of low-cost, high-volume spay/neuter and veterinary clinics across multiple U.S. states. Closest structural analog to UCAN: nonprofit mission, sliding-scale fees, high-volume surgical model and grant-funded free care.
• Planned Pethood International: Nonprofit focused on affordable spay/neuter and preventive veterinary services with both clinic-based and mobile delivery. Comparable mission, target customer (low-income pet owners and rescues), and ASPCA-aligned high-volume methodology.
• Spay-Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP): Nonprofit low-cost spay/neuter and wellness clinic network serving low-income pet owners and rescue groups. Directly comparable operating model, pricing tiers and reliance on donations/grants to subsidize free care.

Regional players

• Humane Society of Greater Cincinnati: Regional animal welfare organization operating in the same tristate service area as UCAN. Overlapping rescue/shelter ecosystem and referral network but broader scope (adoptions, cruelty investigations) rather than spay/neuter focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ucanclinic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-coalition-for-animals-ucan-

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 United Coalition for Animals