For Immediate Release—1/14/2025
Contact: Diane Ashton, 71 Oglethorpe Street NW | Washington, DC 20011
Humane Rescue Alliance Launches a New Chapter Receives Support of $1.5M Grant to Increase Access to Pet Care, Thanks to Maddie!
We are thrilled to announce that the Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) has received a transformative $1.5 million grant from Maddie’s Fund®, a national family foundation established by Dave and Cheryl Duffield to revolutionize the status and well-being of companion animals.
This grant will advance HRA’s mission of building a compassionate, community-based pet care system in Washington, DC. With this incredible support, HRA will launch a series of vital new programs designed to bridge the gap in access to pet resources and veterinary care—ensuring that families who are struggling to keep their animals have more opportunities to access the care they need, and that fewer animals enter the city’s sheltering system.
A New Era in Pet Wellbeing for Washington, DC
In 1870, the Washington Humane Society was chartered to protect the animals in the nation’s capital from cruelty and neglect. Now doing business as HRA, the organization continues with this vital animal protection work and has offered an array of programs through the decades to serve animals and people. As we have watched a dramatic surge of animals entering DC’s shelter system, we have come to understand the inherent limitations of a centralized shelter model. Our community needs more than just animal shelters; it needs pet resources that meet people and animals where they are. Thanks to Maddie, we will shift toward this community-centric model, moving away from “rescue and rehome” toward an integrated approach to keeping people and animals together.
While HRA will still take in animals surrendered by their owners – as we have the space to do so – at our 71 Oglethorpe Street, NW, facility, we will now expand our efforts into early intervention, eliminating the need for animals to be relinquished if their owners want to keep them. This shift will also expand to our St. Hubert’s campus in Madison, NJ, ensuring our outreach has a broader impact.
“We’re grateful beyond words to Maddie’s Fund for their generous support and belief in this vision,” said Lisa LaFontaine, Chief Executive Officer of HRA. “This grant will make a meaningful difference in the lives of thousands of families, creating a model for accessible, 71 Oglethorpe Street NW | Washington, DC 20011 compassionate care that we hope will inspire other communities across the country.”
“With this grant, HRA will establish critical resources in these communities, said Amy Zeifang, Maddie’s Fund Executive Leadership. “Maddie’s Fund and HRA believe that every family who wants the love and companionship of a pet should be able to have one, along with access to care and support.”
Why This Work is Urgent
Our city, like many others, is divided by a clear socioeconomic line. For DC, that line is the Anacostia River. West of the river, pet owners have access to veterinary clinics, pet supply stores, and vital pet support services. East of the river, resources for animals are completely non-existent. Pet owners in this area face barriers that affect their entire family’s well-being, as pets and people suffer from a lack of affordable, accessible care. Many of these residents rely on public transportation, which often does not allow animals, creating yet another hurdle in getting these animals the help they need.
Through this grant we will establish critical resources East of the River. Our work is built on the belief that every family who wants an animal in their family should be able to have one, and that we will provide resources to help keep those animals safe, healthy, and cared for in their homes.
Two Major Programs to Change Lives
To address these disparities, HRA will offer the following programs and services with the support of these grant funds:
1. Expanding Our Field Veterinary Program (FVP)
In 2023, we launched the nation’s first Field Veterinary Program to provide in-home care for pets facing medical emergencies or facing medical based owner surrender, which was met with an overwhelming response. Since launching, the FVP has reduced shelter intakes by 22%. The funding from this grant will allow us to hire two FVP teams to support them with appropriate staffing and supplies. With two teams up and running, we plan to treat 3,000 pets each year and deepen relationships and trust between HRA and our communities.
2. Opening a Pet Resources Center at 2301 MLK Jr. Avenue, SE
With the help of Maddie’s Fund, HRA will open the District’s first pet resource center east of the Anacostia River. This facility was widely known and used for many years as Whitman Walker’s Max Robinson Center, and for generations, Washingtonians in the surrounding neighborhood used this facility for their own primary care. Now that Whitman Walker is operating at the St. Elizabeth’s campus we have leased this facility, which is currently being outfitted. The center will offer primary and wellness care for pets, vaccine clinics, pet food and supplies, and ultimately pet behavior consultation and a workforce development program for young people in the surrounding neighborhoods to develop skills for animal-centric careers. In a neighborhood that has been long overlooked, this clinic will be a place of pride, providing both a refuge for pets and an essential support network for pet families.
Together, these programs are more than just services—they are a commitment to building a community where everyone has the support they need to live with and care for their pets, 71 Oglethorpe Street NW | Washington, DC 20011 regardless of financial or geographic barriers.
We are grateful to Maddie’s and our community of supporters who have made this milestone possible. We plan to open the facility in the spring of 2025 to create a better DC for pets and the people who love them.