Best Friends Animal Society
No-kill movement leadership and lifesaving programs for shelter animals nationwide
Our editorial assessment
Best Friends Animal Society has been instrumental in one of the most dramatic animal welfare achievements in US history: reducing shelter euthanasia from 3.4 million animals per year in 2016 to under 400,000 today. Their strategy combines direct sanctuary operations (the largest in the US, in Kanab, Utah) with partnership programmes supporting 3,900+ shelters nationwide. The no-kill goal — defined as a 90% save rate for shelter animals — is within reach in many communities thanks to Best Friends' advocacy, training, and financial support. Their programme spending ratio of 79% is lower than the top tier, partly reflecting the high cost of operating a large sanctuary facility, but the measurable progress toward ending shelter killing gives donors a clear and compelling metric of success.
The problem they're solving
For decades, US animal shelters euthanised millions of healthy, adoptable animals each year simply because there were more animals than homes. Best Friends has proven that this is a solvable problem, and their leadership has catalysed a nationwide movement that is on track to make the US a no-kill nation.
About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends leads the no-kill movement, partnering with 3,900+ shelters across all 50 states.
Where your dollar goes
How this score was produced
The GiveWise score is our own editorial assessment, produced with a weighted rubric covering program spending, transparency and governance, evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and leadership. It draws on publicly available reports from independent evaluators such as GiveWell, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch, but it is not a rating issued or endorsed by any of those organisations. Read the full methodology →