# Best Friends Animal Society Best Friends Animal Society is an Endowment / Foundation based in Kanab, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation - **Headquarters:** Kanab, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** Kanab, UT, United States - **Founded:** 1984 - **Assets under management:** Undisclosed - **Website:** bestfriends.org - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/best-friends-animal-society ## Regulatory record - **Reports private funds:** No ## About Best Friends Animal Society was founded in 1984 by Julie Castle, Gregory Castle, Francis Battista, Cyrus Mejia, Anne Mejia and Judah Battista. The founders established the group to operate a large-scale sanctuary and national programs aimed at reducing shelter deaths. The organization holds positions in Elliott International Limited, GLAS Funds, Viking Global Opportunities LP, Altimeter Growth Partners VI LP, Cantillon Global Equity Funds and Hudson Bay International Fund. It maintains physical sites in Utah, New York, California and Arkansas. Operations include an animal transport fleet and partnerships such as Southwest Airlines for rescue flights. Geographic reach covers multiple U.S. regions through both owned centers and the Best Friends Network of more than 5,500 shelters and rescues. The group lists 575 Project and Best Friends Art Project among its activities. It maintains a Lifesaving Center in New York City opened within the last decade and additional centers in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. A partnership with Southern Utah University supports certificate programs in animal welfare. No operational events from the last 24 months appear in available records. The society functions as both operator of physical sanctuaries and allocator across external funds. This dual structure separates direct program execution from investment holdings in a manner distinct from pure grant-making foundations. ## Sectors - Philanthropy ## Offices - New York, NY, United States - Los Angeles, CA, United States - Salt Lake City, UT, United States - Bentonville, AR, United States ## People - Julie Castle — CEO and Co-Founder - Gregory Castle — CEO Emeritus and Co-Founder - Francis Battista — Co-Founder and Board Chair - Cyrus Mejia — Co-Founder and Board Member - Anne Mejia — Co-Founder and Board Member - Judah Battista — Co-Founder and Chief Sanctuary Officer ## Questions ### Who runs investment decisions at Best Friends Animal Society? Julie Castle serves as CEO. The board includes co-founders Francis Battista, Cyrus Mejia and Anne Mejia. No separate CIO is named in available records. ### Does Best Friends Animal Society participate in fund commitments or only direct deals? Available holdings include commitments to Elliott International Limited, Viking Global Opportunities LP and Altimeter Growth Partners VI LP. Direct real-asset ownership covers the Kanab sanctuary and multiple urban centers. ### Where does the underlying capital come from? The organization is a public charity funded through donations. No single family or corporate source is disclosed as the origin of its endowment. ### What investment stages does Best Friends Animal Society typically target? Holdings span public equity funds and venture vehicles. No stage restriction is stated in the records. ### How is Best Friends Animal Society related to its network partners? It operates the Best Friends Network of over 5,500 shelters and rescue groups. The network functions as a collaboration platform rather than an investment vehicle. ### What is Best Friends Animal Society's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs? No co-investment activity with external managers is documented in the records. ## Related profiles - [Best Buy Capital](https://altss.com/profile/best-buy-capital) - [BEST Funds](https://altss.com/profile/best-funds) --- Updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/best-friends-animal-society Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology