Spanky Project

What Spanky Project does

Spanky Project is a Canadian registered non-profit charity (Business Number 767996291RR0001), founded on December 14, 2003, and headquartered in Picton, Ontario. The organization was established by Terry Shewchuk following the death of his dog Spanky on September 5, 2003, and operates in the animal welfare vertical, with a focused mission of conducting mass sterilization and deparasitization campaigns for dogs and cats in Cuba. The organization runs 2-3 mass sterilization campaigns per year on the island, including a flagship World Spay Day initiative in February that has sterilized 500+ animals in a single campaign, and is the only foreign organization authorized to conduct surgical campaigns in all Centros Históricos of Cuba. Since 2016, Spanky Project has sterilized close to 3,000 animals, delivered over 5,000 parasite treatments, and trained more than 100 veterinary students through its long-running partnership with the Universidad Agraria de la Habana. A 2019 campaign alone delivered 628 sterilizations in 6 days.

Operationally, the organization is volunteer-driven and medical-supply-constrained: because of Cuban import restrictions, team members bring surgical and pharmaceutical supplies as personal luggage, with each member typically carrying 100-150 lbs of equipment per trip. The model depends on a small core team led by Founding Director Terry Shewchuk and Medical Director Dr. Michael Belovich, with Dr. Byron Mass as a team member and Audrey Mabie serving as President of Spanky Project USA, the US fundraising entity. Spanky Project is 100% donation-funded and sells no products or services; donations are processed through CanadaHelps for Canadian and international donors and through PayPal for USA donors routed via Spanky Project USA. Strategic in-country partnerships underpin operational access, including CEDA (Cubanos en Defensa de los Animales, since 2019), Quinta de Los Molinos (since 2014), the Universidad Agraria de la Habana (since 2011), and Cuban government authorizations from the Oficina del Historiador and Zoonosis (Habana Vieja) secured in 2019. The organization's growth is therefore expressed in operational metrics (animals treated, students trained, partner institutions added) rather than revenue.

Name

Spanky Project

Legal name

Spanky Project

Website

https://spankyproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Spanky Project is a Canadian non-profit charity founded in 2003 that runs 2-3 mass animal sterilization and deparasitization campaigns per year in Cuba, serving stray dogs and cats and training veterinary students via 100% donation funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (541940)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Spay/Neuter & Population Control Programs (BPAGAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD), Animal Welfare & Advocacy Organizations (AFAEALAC)

Keywords

• Animal welfare services
• Veterinary sterilization campaigns
• Spay and neuter programs
• Parasite treatment services
• Trap neuter return

Headquarters

HQ city

Picton

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations from Canada and USA: Registered Canadian charity (767996291RR0001) accepting donations through CanadaHelps platform for Canadian and international donors, and PayPal for US donors. No products or services are sold; all activities are funded by charitable donations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Spanky Project provides free mass veterinary sterilization and deparasitization campañas (campaigns) for dogs, cats, and horses in Cuba, conducted 2-3 times per year. These are supplemented by a permanent veterinary exam room at Quinta de Los Molinos in Havana, TNR programs for street cats coordinated with colony keepers, and educational talks on animal care delivered during campaigns. All services are provided at no charge to Cuban pet owners and are funded entirely by charitable donations.

Product overview

Spanky Project is a Canadian-registered nonprofit charity (767996291RR0001) authorized by the Cuban government to conduct animal welfare operations. The organization operates a core service model centered on mass sterilization clínicas (campañas) held two to three times annually, supplemented by parasite treatment (deparasitización) services and veterinary exam facilities. These services are delivered through a structured surgical workflow: registration, clinical exam, anesthesia/sedation, pre-operative preparation, surgery, recovery, and discharge with post-operative instructions. Educational talks on animal care run concurrently during campaigns, and TNR (Trap Neuter Return) programs coordinate with colony caretakers for street cats. The organization collaborates with Quinta de Los Molinos and the Oficina del Historiador in Havana, and partners with CEDA (cubanos en defensa de los animales) for adoption and rehoming support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mass Sterilization Clinics (Campañas) Free government-authorized veterinary mass sterilization campaigns held 2-3 times per year in Cuba, providing spay/neuter services for dogs and cats to humanely control animal populations. Services are delivered at no charge to Cuban pet owners.
• Parasite Treatment (Deparasitización) Free parasite prevention and treatment services for cats, dogs, and horses, addressing internal and external parasites which are costly and scarce in Cuba. Over 5,000 treatments have been administered since 2016.
• Veterinary Exam Room (Consultorio) A functioning veterinary exam room at Quinta de Los Molinos in Havana, established in 2014 with donor funding, which serves both park animals and the public with consultations and treatments.
• Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Program Coordination with colony keepers to trap, sterilize, and return street cats they feed and care for, as part of humane population control efforts in Cuba.

Quantifiable outcome

• Close to 3000 animals sterilized since 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CEDA (Cubanos en Defensa de los Animales)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 November 2019Spanky Project collaborates with CEDA for humane population control. CEDA educates and facilitates adoption and rehoming of rescued street animals. Together they work toward shared goals of animal welfare in Cuba.
• Oficina del HistoriadorminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Co-hosts events with Quinta de Los Molinos, such as the consultorio inauguration and deparasitation event celebrating the public opening of the veterinary office.
• Zoonosis (Habana Vieja)minorOthers · 1 January 2019Government animal control agency that supports Spanky Project's work in Habana Vieja by providing rabies vaccines and issuing certificates. While Spanky Project does not agree with Zoonosis's collection methods, the relationship enables rabies prevention and collaborative population control efforts.
• Quinta de Los MolinoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Havana park (12 acres) serves as the primary venue for Spanky Project mass campaigns. Spanky Project funded the conversion of an unused room into a functioning veterinary exam room in 2014. Dr. Leyssan, the resident veterinarian, leads surgical teams during campaigns.
• Universidad Agraria de la HabanacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Cuban veterinary university provides student participants for Spanky Project campaigns. Over 100 veterinary students have received hands-on training since 2011. The collaboration provides practical surgical experience and international knowledge exchange.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• World Animal Protection: Global animal welfare nonprofit with programs addressing stray animal management and veterinary capacity building in developing countries. Comparable mission and international nonprofit funding model, though with substantially broader programmatic reach.
• Humane Society International: Large international animal welfare organization running spay/neuter and sterilization programs in multiple underserved countries. Much larger scale and broader mandate than Spanky, but operates a directly comparable international mass-sterilization playbook.
• Four Paws (Vier Pfoten): International animal welfare organization running spay/neuter and stray animal management programs across multiple countries. Operates at significantly larger scale with broader programmatic scope, but overlaps with Spanky on the core sterilization-driven population control mission.
• PetSmart Charities: Major North American animal welfare grantmaker funding spay/neuter programs across the US and Canada. Distinct funding/grantmaking model, but directly comparable mission area and donor base overlap with Spanky Project's Canadian/US donor pipeline.
• International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW): Global nonprofit focused on animal welfare and conservation, with programs addressing stray animal populations and veterinary care in underserved regions. Comparable international nonprofit structure and population control focus, though at substantially larger scale.
• Best Friends Animal Society: Large US animal welfare organization running spay/neuter programs as a core population control strategy. Operates a directly comparable sterilization-driven approach at much larger scale and primarily US-based, but overlapping programmatic methodology.

Direct peers

• CEDA (Cubanos en Defensa de los Animales): Cuban animal welfare organization and explicit Spanky Project partner focused on rescue, adoption, and humane population control in Cuba. Comparable mission, geography, and target population, though Spanky's specialization in surgical sterilization distinguishes its role.
• Animals Asia: International nonprofit delivering animal welfare programs (including spay/neuter and veterinary care) in underserved markets through partnerships with local institutions. Similar small-team, donor-funded, partnership-driven model targeting supply-constrained veterinary environments.
• World Vets: International nonprofit that deploys veterinary teams to deliver spay/neuter campaigns and training in developing countries. Closely mirrors Spanky Project's model of periodic mass campaigns, volunteer-driven veterinary teams, and veterinary student training.

Regional players

• ADDA (Alianza Defensora de los Animales) Cuba: Cuban-focused animal welfare nonprofit advocating for animal rights and supporting sterilization and population control in Cuba. Operates in the same geography and addresses the same stray population, though primarily through advocacy rather than surgical campaigns.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/spankyproject

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spanky Project