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American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1866 as the first animal welfare organization in North America. Matt Bershadker...
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded in 1866 as the first animal welfare organization in North America. Matt Bershadker joined in 2001 and became CEO in 2013. The organization operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit with an endowment that backs its mission of preventing cruelty. The endowment holds a 6.63 percent allocation to private equity and maintains positions in global buyout and mezzanine funds. Public holdings include a diversified portfolio of emerging market securities and equity index options valued near $467 million. Geographic reach covers the United States with facilities in New York, North Carolina, Florida, Oklahoma, and Illinois. The organization also runs a cryptocurrency donation program accepting BTC and ETH. The organization employs 750 people and maintains multiple operational sites including its New York headquarters and animal hospital. It partners with Subaru of America on transport vehicles and with The Giving Block for crypto processing. In July 2024 it participated as a speaker at the Annual Shelter Medicine Conference in Ithaca, NY. Governance rests with a board that includes former SEC Chair Mary Jo White and New York State financial regulator Adrienne A. Harris. Investment decisions flow through the endowment structure rather than external managers alone.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
1866
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
424 East 92nd Street, New York, NY 10018, United States
Principals
Matt Bershadker
President & CEO
Scott Thiel
Chairperson
Mary Jo White
Board Member
Adrienne A. Harris
Board Member
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at the ASPCA?
Matt Bershadker serves as President and CEO with oversight of the endowment. The board, chaired by Scott Thiel, includes Mary Jo White and Adrienne A. Harris.
Does the ASPCA participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The endowment holds commitments to private equity funds including global buyout and mezzanine vehicles. It also maintains direct ownership of operational facilities and a public securities portfolio.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The organization is a non-profit funded through donations, grants, and investment returns on its endowment. No single family or individual wealth source is disclosed.
What investment stages does the ASPCA target?
The endowment pursues buyout, distressed debt, early stage, expansion, mezzanine, and venture strategies according to its allocation records.
How is the ASPCA related to its grantmaking program?
The grantmaking program operates as an internal vehicle that has distributed over $200 million to more than 4,000 organizations since 2001.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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