Founded in 1866, the ASPCA was the first humane society in North America. It is a national organization that runs anti-cruelty and disaster work, the Animal Poison Control Center, and grants to local shelters, and it also operates an adoption center in New York City. Here is what the ASPCA does, what it does not do, and how adoption and giving work.
The ASPCA is a national organization. It was the first humane society in North America, and most of what it does is national: investigating and responding to animal cruelty, helping animals in disasters, running the Animal Poison Control Center, and giving grants and support to hundreds of local shelters. It also runs one local adoption center, in New York City.
It does not operate a network of shelters across the country. Local groups with similar names, such as the Pennsylvania SPCA or the SPCA of Texas, are separate, independently run organizations. In New York City the open-intake municipal shelter system is Animal Care Centers of NYC, a different agency that the ASPCA partners with on programs like its kitten nursery.
The ASPCA Adoption Center on East 92nd Street in Manhattan suggests a $150 adoption fee for all animals. Adopters in the five boroughs also pay a mandatory $8.50 city dog license fee for dogs, and a pet carrier can be rented for $40. The center does not publish an itemized list of what the fee covers, so confirm the medical details when you adopt.
The center is open seven days a week, noon to 5 p.m., and handles same-day adoptions. Walk-ins are welcome for cats and dogs over 30 pounds, while smaller dogs require an online application and an appointment. Adopters must be 18 or older with a government-issued photo ID.
The Animal Poison Control Center is the program most pet owners reach for. Its veterinary toxicology experts answer a 24-hour hotline at (888) 426-4435 every day of the year, and a consultation fee may apply. In 2024 the center handled more than 451,000 calls.
On cruelty, the ASPCA assists investigations, removes animals from cruelty and neglect, and responds when disasters strike. In New York City it handed first-response cruelty enforcement to the NYPD in 2014 and now provides veterinary, forensic, and legal support for those cases. It also runs a Behavioral Rehabilitation Center in Weaverville, North Carolina, for severely fearful dogs, and a high-volume kitten nursery in New York.
Much of the organization's national impact comes through partnerships, with grants, training, and relocation help going to hundreds of local agencies each year.
Donations, volunteering, and fostering all run through the national site, with hands-on volunteer and foster roles concentrated in New York City. The ASPCA holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator with an overall score of 99 percent, and reported total revenue of about $446 million for the 2024 fiscal year. Its EIN for tax-deductible gifts is 13-1623829.
One practical note for donors. Because the ASPCA is a national organization, people who want their money to go to animals in their own town can also give directly to a nearby local shelter. Both are valid choices, depending on what you want your gift to do.
A 24/7 toxicology hotline at (888) 426-4435; a consultation fee may apply.
Field investigations, removal, and care for animals in cruelty and neglect cases.
Rescue, relocation, and sheltering for animals when disasters strike.
A North Carolina facility for severely fearful and undersocialized dogs.
A local adoption program for dogs and cats in Manhattan.
Funding, training, and relocation support for hundreds of local agencies.
Sources: ASPCA (aspca.org) adoption, poison control, anti-cruelty, and about pages; ASPCA press releases and IRS filings via ProPublica (EIN 13-1623829); Charity Navigator; Wikipedia. The NYC adoption center does not publish an itemized list of fee inclusions. Retrieved June 2026. We are not affiliated with ASPCA and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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