- Be an active 501(c)(3) community-based animal welfare organization (organizations with a national focus cannot be nominated);
- Meet all the licensing and registration compliances required by law;
- Have an annual operating budget that does not exceed $750,000;
- Operate with at least a 60/40 ratio of volunteer-to-staff manpower;
- Protect its sheltered animals from sale to research facilities; and
- Require companion animals in its care to be spayed or neutered as part of the adoption contract.
The types of animal organizations that can be nominated include:
- Animal care and control agencies with a nonprofit affiliation;
- Breed-specific rescue groups;
- Feral cat and dog networks;
- Foster care networks;
- Free and low-cost spay and neuter programs;
- Humane societies;
- Sanctuaries;
- Special need organizations for elderly animals, animals with extraordinary medical problems and animals with physical handicaps;
- Species-specific rescue groups;
- SPCA’s
- Training programs for service animals;
- Wildlife rehabilitation groups.
*SPCA International reserves the right to make an exception to the criteria in cases of extreme emergency and other significant circumstances.
