About
Helen Woodward Animal Center is a private, nonprofit, no-kill animal welfare organization located on 12 acres in Rancho Santa Fe, California, serving San Diego County and beyond. Founded in 1972 on the belief that people help animals and animals help people, the Center pairs pet rescue and adoption with veterinary care, humane education, and animal-assisted therapy programs, and it receives no government funding, relying instead on tax-deductible donations.
Mission
The Center is guided by its founding philosophy that animals help people and people help animals — through trust, unconditional love, and respect — and works to inspire others about the animal-human bond.
What they do
- Pet adoption for dogs and cats, with 95 percent of adoptable pets transferred in from other shelters
- AniMeals, a pet food assistance program feeding the pets of more than 700 seniors and disabled veterans
- A Companion Animal Hospital and an Equine Hospital
- Therapeutic riding for people with physical and mental challenges
- Pet Encounter Therapy, reaching more than 10,000 people annually
- Humane education, including Critter Camps, career camps, and school programs
- Pets Without Walls, mobile veterinary services for homeless pet owners
- Home 4 the Holidays, an adoption campaign with shelter partners that has placed more than 20 million cats and dogs
- Remember Me Thursday, a global pet adoption awareness campaign reaching 200 countries with over 1 billion social media impressions
- Pet boarding, grooming, and training through Club Pet
History
The Center was founded in 1972 as the San Dieguito Animal Care and Education Center, established on an old farm in Rancho Santa Fe by philanthropist Helen Whittier Woodward (1907-1983) and her friend Mel Morse. Woodward, a California philanthropist devoted to animal welfare and human services, envisioned a special place where people help animals and animals help people. She died in 1983, and in 1986 the Center was renamed the Helen Woodward Animal Center in her honor.
Scale and impact
In 2024, the Center reported 2,855 pets adopted, 2,637 pets transported in from other shelters, and 578,100 pet food meals distributed through AniMeals. The Center holds a Charity Navigator four-star rating and has held United Nations Special Consultative Status since 2022.
Financials
According to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Helen Woodward Animal Center (EIN 23-7228287) reported revenue of $24.0 million and expenses of $19.1 million for the fiscal year ending December 2024, with net assets of $82.1 million. In 2024, contributions made up 55.2 percent of revenue and program services 29.5 percent.
Governance
Helen Woodward Animal Center is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit; its IRS tax exemption was issued in December 1972. It is privately funded and receives no government funding.