Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC)

All five boroughs

Open-admissions shelter & adoption center

  • Mission: End animal homelessness; provide refuge, adoption, medical care, foster placements & community resources
  • Non-profit status: Registered 501(c)(3) (EIN 13-3788986)
  • How to help: Offers foster placements; open‑admission shelter; donations support operations

Little Wanderers NYC

All five boroughs (focus on underserved areas)

All‑volunteer cat rescue

  • Mission: Save cats from NYC’s five boroughs; “leave no cat behind”; rescue cats from underserved areas; manage feral colonies; provide vet care & adopt out roughly 75–100 animals per month
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) organization (founded 2017)
  • How to help: Relies entirely on foster families (no physical shelter); fosters provide care and supplies (group covers vetting); donations support TNR & rescue

Bronx Tails Cat Rescue

Bronx & Harlem

Volunteer‑run, foster‑based cat rescue

  • Mission: Improve lives of stray & feral cats; perform Trap‑Neuter‑Return; provide medical care for sick/injured feral cats; rescue friendly strays for adoption
  • Non-profit status: Non‑profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization
  • How to help: Foster‑based rescue (not a shelter); donations support vet care & TNR; fosters house cats until adoption

Flatbush Cats

Brooklyn

Cat rescue & spay/neuter program

  • Mission: Prevent overcrowded shelters & reduce outdoor cat population through high‑volume spay/neuter & rescue
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 82‑4466710)
  • How to help: Foster program gives rescue cats a place to thrive; fosters feed, socialize & care for cats and coordinate vet visits; donations support spay/neuter and rescue operations

Rescue City

Brooklyn

Foster‑based dog rescue

  • Mission: Professional dog rescue; save lives through education, support & service
  • Non-profit status: Registered 501(c)(3) (NYS RR128)
  • How to help: Foster network provides safe temporary homes; donations fund transport, veterinary care & foster support

Sean Casey Animal Rescue (SCAR)

Brooklyn

Rescue shelter & foster program

  • Mission: Aid unfortunate animals, including difficult medical cases; save thousands of animals
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Fed ID #35‑2244558)
  • How to help: Foster program provides temporary care until adoption; donations are tax‑deductible

Best Friends Animal Society – NYC

Citywide

National rescue & advocacy organization

  • Mission: Lead the no‑kill movement; operate a sanctuary for homeless animals; provide adoption & spay/neuter programs; encourage fostering & adoption across NYC
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID 23‑7147797)
  • How to help: Encourages New Yorkers to adopt & foster; donations support no‑kill initiatives

Mayor’s Alliance for NYC's Animals

Citywide

Support organization / coalition

  • Mission: Provide information & resources for pet owners; support NYC‑area shelters & rescue groups; help New Yorkers give pets the best lives
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) charity
  • How to help: Accepts donations to support programs; acts as a resource hub rather than a shelter

NYC Second Chance Rescue

Citywide

Rescue & sanctuary (foster & shelter)

  • Mission: Rescue, rehabilitate & rehome critically injured and neglected animals; focus on large‑breed dogs & cats needing critical care; reduce euthanasia
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit (est. 2009)
  • How to help: Provides medical care & sanctuary; foster program trains dogs & cats; relies on donations

PAWS NY (Pets Are Wonderful Support)

Citywide

Human‑animal bond support charity

  • Mission: Help NYC’s most vulnerable residents remain with their pets by delivering critical programs & services through partners & volunteers; honor the emotional, physical & social benefits of the human‑animal bond
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) organization (EIN 80‑0233785); 100 % of public gifts preserve the human‑animal bond
  • How to help: Provides housecall & support services; volunteers help clients care for pets; donations fund programs

City Critters

Manhattan

Volunteer‑run cat rescue

  • Mission: Improve the lives of companion animals by rescuing & placing stray and abandoned cats, promoting spay/neuter programs & collaborating with the community
  • Non-profit status: Small 501(c)(3) nonprofit; all‑volunteer; registered under NYS rescue ID RR088
  • How to help: No physical shelter; relies on foster homes to house & care for cats; nearly all donations go directly to veterinary care & supplies

Humane Society of New York

Manhattan

Animal hospital & adoption center

  • Mission: Provide emotional and physical care for hundreds of animals; reduce unwanted pets & animal suffering; programs include veterinary care, adoption center & spay/neuter
  • Non-profit status: Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Tax ID 13‑1624041)
  • How to help: Accepts tax‑deductible donations to support care and adoption services

Social Tees Animal Rescue

Manhattan

Foster‑based no‑kill rescue

  • Mission: Find forever homes for abandoned dogs & cats; promote responsible pet ownership; community‑oriented
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) no‑kill rescue
  • How to help: All animals live in foster homes; thorough vet care; relies almost entirely on public donations; 100% of donations directly save animals

Bideawee

Manhattan & Long Island

Animal rescue, adoption & veterinary organization

  • Mission: Create & strengthen the human‑animal bond through lifesaving, compassionate care for pets and people
  • Non-profit status: Registered 501(c)(3) (EIN 13‑1655210); NYS registered shelter/rescue (#RR159)
  • How to help: Todd B. Richter Foster Program recruits families to provide temporary care; Bideawee covers supplies, food & medication

Animal Haven

Manhattan (SoHo)

Adoption center / shelter

  • Mission: Find homes for abandoned dogs & cats; provide behavior intervention and support; serve NYC tri‑state area since 1967
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 11‑6101487) with 4‑star Charity Navigator rating
  • How to help: Offers foster opportunities for active volunteers; runs programs like training & rehabilitation; donations support programs

ASPCA – NYC Adoption Center

Manhattan (Upper East Side)

National animal welfare organization & adoption center

  • Mission: Operate an adoption center and work to prevent cruelty to animals (well‑known mission)
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) not‑for‑profit organization
  • How to help: Provides adoption services; accepts donations to support animal welfare; fosters available through programs

Wild Bird Fund

Manhattan (Upper West Side)

Wildlife rehabilitation center

  • Mission: Provide medical care & rehabilitation to native & migratory wildlife so they can be released; educate New Yorkers about wildlife diversity and how to help it thrive
  • Non-profit status: State & federally licensed 501(c)(3) nonprofit
  • How to help: Rehabilitates ~9,500 animals annually; donations fund veterinary care & operations

Animal Lighthouse Rescue (ALR)

NYC (dogs from Puerto Rico)

Foster‑based dog rescue

  • Mission: Rescue stray dogs (“satos”) in Puerto Rico; transport them to NYC; ensure they are healthy & find them forever homes
  • Non-profit status: 501(c)(3) tax‑exempt organization
  • How to help: Relies on foster homes; life‑saving work depends on volunteers opening their homes; donations fund medical care & transport

Muddy Paws Rescue

NYC (foster‑based)

Foster‑based dog rescue

  • Mission: Save lives & create happy tails through foster care, advocacy & community outreach; build community to end unnecessary euthanasia of dogs
  • Non-profit status: Registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit
  • How to help: Relies on foster homes & donations to save dogs; fosters care for dogs until adoption

North Shore Animal League America

Port Washington (serves NYC)

No‑kill animal rescue

  • Mission: Rescue, nurture, adopt & educate; vision that all companion animals find responsible, loving homes free from abuse, hunger, fear & loneliness
  • Non-profit status: Certified 501(c)(3) not‑for‑profit, charitable corporation
  • How to help: Foster care program provides temporary homes; organization covers supplies, food & medication for fosters; donations support rescue operations

Support next steps

Point clients toward nearby rescues or charities that match their goals—whether they want to adopt, foster, donate, or ask for community aid.

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