HAVE A HEART FOUNDATION INC

What HAVE A HEART FOUNDATION INC does

Have A Heart Adopt A Pet Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by Richard H. Schefer and headquartered in Port Washington, New York. The foundation promotes pet adoption and responsible pet ownership across Long Island and New York State through advocacy, legislation, marketing, and education. Its mission centers on raising awareness about animal welfare and increasing pet adoption rates, with a stated objective of reducing euthanasia in municipal shelters.

The foundation's product portfolio consists of four programmatic offerings: the PAL (Pet Adoption Locator) Map, a free web-based tool that aggregates rescues and shelters across New York State into a single browseable interface; Paws in the Park, free adoption events that directly connect residents with rescue groups to divert pets from municipal shelter intake; the Street Sign Project, a community awareness initiative placing signage near municipal shelters; and a Public-Private Partnership advocacy petition under Article 26-C directed at New York State government. The PAL Map represents the foundation's primary digital infrastructure, with no disclosed API, mobile app, or AI integration.

The organization operates as a donation-funded nonprofit, accepting one-time gifts and monthly recurring contributions through the Zeffy platform. It has 1-10 employees, no disclosed revenue, no institutional funding rounds, and no disclosed grants or major donor agreements. Distribution is primarily digital via the organizational website and Facebook, supplemented by in-person events and grassroots petition activity. The foundation's current strategic focus is advocacy for state-level partnership under Article 26-C, which, if enacted, would introduce public funding and formal policy support for the small rescue and shelter ecosystem in New York State.

Name

HAVE A HEART FOUNDATION INC

Legal name

Have A Heart Adopt A Pet Foundation Inc.

Website

https://haveaheart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Have A Heart Adopt A Pet Foundation Inc. is a New York State 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2002 that promotes pet adoption through the PAL Map locator tool, free adoption events, shelter signage, and Article 26-C public-private partnership advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare) (BPAGAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA), Education & Community Outreach (Responsible Pet Ownership) (BPAGAIAK), Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB)

Keywords

• Pet adoption services
• Animal welfare advocacy
• Shelter rescue support
• Public-private partnerships
• Nonprofit pet organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The foundation accepts one-time gifts and monthly recurring contributions from donors to support rescue pets and pet adoption initiatives in New York State.
2. One-time Donations: Single monetary contributions from individuals supporting the organization's mission to increase pet adoption and reduce shelter killings.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Have A Heart Adopt A Pet Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit organization that promotes pet adoption and reduces shelter killing across New York State by operating the PAL (Pet Adoption Locator) Map, a free statewide web directory of rescues and shelters, and by running free adoption events (Paws in the Park) and a municipal-shelter awareness signage program (Street Sign Project). It supplements these programs with online advocacy and petition campaigns calling for Article 26-C public-private partnerships between New York State and small animal rescues.

Product overview

Have A Heart Adopt A Pet Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of pet adoption programs and advocacy services in Long Island and throughout New York State. The core offerings include the PAL (Pet Adoption Locator) Map—a free online tool for locating rescues and shelters statewide; Paws in the Park free adoption events that connect adopters directly with rescue groups; the Street Sign Project for shelter awareness; and advocacy petitions for public-private partnerships supporting small animal rescues. These programs work together to increase pet adoption and reduce killing in shelters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PAL (Pet Adoption Locator) Map A free online locator tool that aggregates rescues and shelters across New York State into a single web-based map, enabling New York residents to browse and find pet adoption resources in one centralized place.
• Paws in the Park Free Adoption Events Free community adoption events held in New York that directly connect residents and rescue groups with potential adopters, designed to prevent pets from entering the municipal shelter system.
• Street Sign Project A community-awareness initiative that places physical signs directing the public to nearby municipal animal shelters, increasing visibility and foot traffic to those shelters across the foundation's service region.

Quantifiable outcome

• Increased pet adoption rates through direct adoption events and centralized locator tools
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• New York State GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHave a Heart Adopt a Pet Foundation Inc. is advocating for a Public-Private Partnership with New York State government under Article 26-C legislation. The partnership would provide funding and policy support for small rescues and shelters across the state, creating a stronger connected network of animal welfare organizations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Animal Haven: NYC-based nonprofit animal shelter focused on adoption and community programs. Comparable NY adoption focus and small-scale nonprofit operating model.
• Bideawee: Historic New York-based pet welfare organization offering adoption, veterinary, and education programs. Shares NY geography and adoption mission with Have A Heart.

Direct peers

• Petfinder: Online database that lists adoptable pets from shelters and rescues. Directly comparable to the PAL Map as a centralized adoption locator, but national in scope and operated by a commercial parent.
• Best Friends Animal Society: National nonprofit focused on ending the killing of pets in shelters through adoption programs, advocacy, and shelter-network partnerships. Highly comparable mission and program mix to Have A Heart, but at significantly greater scale.
• North Shore Animal League America: Long Island-based no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization. Operates in the same Long Island/NY geography with overlapping mission, donor base, and adoption programming.
• Adopt-a-Pet.com: Nonprofit-run online pet adoption platform connecting adopters with shelters and rescues. Closest direct product analogue to the PAL Map.

Broad incumbents

• Humane Society of the United States: Large national advocacy organization working on animal welfare legislation, shelter reform, and rescue support. Comparable policy-advocacy pillar but vastly larger scope and resources.
• Petco Love (formerly Petco Foundation): Corporate-affiliated nonprofit that funds adoption and welfare programs nationally. Overlaps on adoption advocacy and shelter/rescue grantmaking.
• ASPCA: National animal welfare organization with advocacy, shelter, and policy functions. Provides overlapping capabilities to Have A Heart but at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Others

• Maddie's Fund: Family foundation dedicated to achieving a no-kill nation through grantmaking to shelters and rescue groups. Comparable because it funds the same small-rescue segment Have A Heart serves via Article 26-C advocacy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Haveaheartadoptapet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/have-a-heart-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 HAVE A HEART FOUNDATION INC