# American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is an Endowment / Foundation based in New York, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 424 East 92nd Street, New York, NY 10018, United States
- **Founded:** 1866
- **Assets under management:** 377 (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** aspca.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/aspca

## About

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.

## Sectors

- Diversified
- Healthcare

## People

- Matt Bershadker — President & CEO
- Scott Thiel — Chairperson
- Mary Jo White — Board Member
- Adrienne A. Harris — Board Member

## 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.

### 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.

## Related profiles

- [Henry Ford Health](https://altss.com/profile/henry-ford-health)
- [C&A Group Pension Fund](https://altss.com/profile/c-a-group-pension-fund-pkca)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/american-society-for-the-prevention-of-cruelty-to-animals

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology