The Hand2Paw Foundation

What The Hand2Paw Foundation does

The Hand2Paw Foundation is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in 2009 by Rachel Cohen, that provides paid internships and humane education programs connecting marginalized youth (ages 15-24) with rescue animal care work. The organization operates three core programs: Unleashing Opportunities, a six-month paid internship at $15/hour for 20-30 hours/week targeting youth ages 18-24; Pawspurr, a six-week introductory paid internship at $75 per six-hour shift for ages 15-24; and customized Humane Education Workshops for schools and organizations serving ages 5-24. Participants earn an Animal Welfare and Advocacy Certificate and PA Career Ready Skills certification, with 100% of Unleashing Opportunities interns achieving housing stability in the most recent reported cohort (up from 40% at program start).

The organization's revenue model is multi-stream and characteristic of a small established nonprofit: individual and corporate donations (suggested levels $25-$325, monthly recurring subscriptions, and the $500+ Hand2Paw Heroes donor tier), adoption fees ranging from $25 (small mammals) to $250 (puppies), competitive foundation awards such as the 2022 GSK Impact Award and Aging Out Institute Award, and corporate/employer giving via Benevity. Adoption services placed animals at a 96% rate (80 animals cared for in 2022), and community pet pantry events served 140+ community members and 235 pets.

Operationally, Hand2Paw runs three paid staff members and a seven-person Board of Directors (including a Board President who is a Penn Law adjunct and Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania SPCA Board, plus a DVM). The organization leases its own facility in Philadelphia's Olney neighborhood since 2022, having previously operated from donated pandemic-era space. Program delivery depends on a network of 18+ partner organizations — including animal welfare agencies (PAWS, PSPCA, ACCT Philly, Bond Vet) and youth services organizations (Covenant House PA, Youth Build Philly, CB Community Schools) — for both animal supply and youth referral pipelines. Distribution is geographically constrained to Philadelphia, with no proprietary technology platform; the underlying asset is the trauma-informed curriculum and the cross-sector partnership ecosystem that produces referral flow on both sides of the human-animal equation.

Name

The Hand2Paw Foundation

Legal name

The Hand2Paw Foundation

Website

https://hand2paw.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Hand2Paw Foundation is a Philadelphia-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs paid internships (ages 15-24) and humane education programs pairing marginalized youth with rescue animal care work to build job, life, and coping skills.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Workforce Development & Animal Welfare Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (611710), Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGAIAA

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Animal Welfare & Wildlife Rescue

SECONDARYBPAGADAL

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

Keywords

• Youth workforce development
• Animal welfare services
• Humane education programs
• Paid internship programs
• Animal adoption services

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Hand2Paw operates as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization relying primarily on donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Recurring monthly donations and one-time contributions are accepted through the website. The organization is registered on Benevity for employee giving programs with potential employer matching.
2. Donate by Mail: Accepts mailed donations sent to The Hand2Paw Foundation, P.O. Box 40122, Philadelphia, PA 19106-0122.
3. Adoption Fees: Fees collected from animal adoptions including cats ($75), kittens ($100), dogs ($125), puppies ($250), rabbits ($95), guinea pigs ($25/pair), rats ($25/pair), and turtles ($25). Bonded pairs receive second adoption fee waiver.
4. Foundation Awards and Grants: Receives competitive awards such as the GSK Impact Award for community health initiatives and Aging Out Institute Award for foster care programming.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Hand2Paw Foundation provides paid internships (Unleashing Opportunities and Pawspurr) and humane education workshops that connect marginalized youth ages 15-24 with hands-on rescue animal care work to develop socio-emotional and career readiness skills. The organization also operates animal adoption services, a community pet pantry, and post-graduation support for participants. Programs are delivered in-person at its Philadelphia facility and partner animal welfare sites, with program participation provided free to eligible youth as paid internships.

Product overview

The Hand2Paw Foundation is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization operating as a social enterprise that provides paid internship programs connecting marginalized youth (ages 15-24) with rescue animal care and welfare work. The core product portfolio includes: (1) Unleashing Opportunities, a 6-month intensive paid internship at $15/hour; (2) Pawspurr, a 6-week introductory internship at $75/shift; and (3) Humane Education Workshops, custom programs for schools and organizations. The organization also operates animal adoption services and community pet food pantries. Hand2Paw is the only nonprofit in Philadelphia whose mission is to teach youth practical work skills in a trauma-informed animal welfare setting, providing socio-emotional development, career readiness, and animal welfare career pathways.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of Unleashing Opportunities interns achieved housing stability (up from 40% at program start)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PAWS (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimal welfare partner organization; Hand2Paw operates adoption programming and animal care at PAWS locations
• PSPCA (Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric partner; Hand2Paw operated satellite adoption center for PSPCA Fishtown from 2018-2019; ongoing animal care collaboration
• EmancipetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLow-cost veterinary services partner providing resources and referrals for community pet owners
• Covenant House PAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYouth services partner serving young people experiencing housing insecurity; refers youth to Hand2Paw internship programs
• Youth Build PhillycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorkforce development partner for disconnected youth; refers participants to Hand2Paw programs
• CB Community SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducational partner providing humane education workshops to students at partner schools
• ACCT Philly (Animal Care and Control Team)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhiladelphia's animal control agency; provides animals for care and adoption programming
• Phila No-Kill CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working toward no-kill outcomes for Philadelphia animals
• Phila Outward Bound SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner providing experiential learning opportunities for youth
• CARE (Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoard members completed REDI (Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) training and certification through CARE; organizational capacity building partner
• Life of Riley at Spring PointminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImpact partner providing additional programming and support for Hand2Paw participants
• Ark of SafetyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorYouth services partner organization
• VEG (Veterinary Emergency Group)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterinary partner providing animal care support
• Bond VetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVeterinary partner providing animal care support
• WAGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnimal welfare partner organization in Philadelphia
• Pegasus Riding AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquine partner providing additional animal programming opportunities
• Aging Out InstituteminorOthersAwarded Hand2Paw a 2022 AOI Award recognizing innovative strategies supporting youth aging out of foster care
• GSK (GlaxoSmithKline)minorOthersAwarded Hand2Paw a 2022 GSK Impact Award recognizing Philadelphia nonprofits improving community health

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pet Partners: Pet Partners is a national nonprofit that trains and registers therapy animal teams for animal-assisted interventions across healthcare, education, and community settings—the broader institutional framework for Hand2Paw's trauma-informed approach.
• Humane Society of the United States (HSUS): HSUS is the largest national animal welfare organization with extensive humane education and advocacy programming; relevant as a broad incumbent in the animal welfare space where Hand2Paw operates.
• Best Friends Animal Society: Best Friends is a large national animal welfare nonprofit operating sanctuary and adoption programs; comparable in the animal welfare dimension but with much broader geographic and operational scale than Hand2Paw.

Direct peers

• Green Chimneys: Green Chimneys is a New York-based nonprofit that uses farm and animal-assisted activities to support at-risk children and youth with therapeutic, educational, and vocational programming—the closest direct peer to Hand2Paw's dual youth development + animal welfare model.
• Pets for Vets: Pets for Vets pairs shelter dogs with U.S. military veterans to help with PTSD and other service-related challenges, combining animal rescue with human services delivery in a comparable dual-mission structure.
• Canine Companions for Independence: Canine Companions trains service dogs and supports people with disabilities through the human-animal bond, representing a comparable nonprofit combining animal welfare expertise with human-development outcomes.

Regional players

• Pennsylvania SPCA (PSPCA): PSPCA is a regional animal welfare organization in Pennsylvania with overlapping Philadelphia footprint; a historic Hand2Paw partner with comparable adoption and shelter programming.
• PAWS (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society): PAWS is a Philadelphia animal welfare organization that is also a core Hand2Paw partner; comparable in animal welfare mission with regional overlap and direct operational coordination.
• YouthBuild Philadelphia: YouthBuild Philly is a Philadelphia-based workforce development program for disconnected youth; a core Hand2Paw referral partner with highly comparable target population and education/employment outcomes focus.
• Covenant House Pennsylvania: Covenant House PA serves youth experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in the same Philadelphia region as Hand2Paw and is a core referral partner; comparable target population with overlapping service delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Hand2PawFB
• Instagraminstagram.com/hand2paw_philly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-hand2paw-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 The Hand2Paw Foundation