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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria has been awarded $600,000 over three years from PetSmart Charities — the largest grant in the organization's 80-year history — to expand access to veterinary care and animal services in historically excluded communities in neighborhoods near the Mark Center off North Beauregard Street.
The grant, announced Wednesday, is the second phase of PetSmart Charities' Incubator grant program and builds on a $100,000 first-phase award the AWLA received in July 2025. That initial grant funded a year of community listening and relationship-building in neighborhoods near the Mark Center off North Beauregard Street, with the University of Denver's Institute for Human-Animal Connection supporting the research effort.
The results, drawn from 112 surveys and 11 focus group participants, revealed the five greatest needs in the community: pet food and supplies, vaccines, behavioral training, grooming, and pet-inclusive housing. Residents also identified the top barriers keeping them from accessing care: cost of services, upfront payment requirements, no local clinic, unaffordable pet-friendly housing, and difficult and expensive licensing.
The data also showed that 40% of pet owners in the focus area had experienced unaffordable pet rental deposits or fees when trying to find housing, and that 27% said they could spend nothing on annual preventative pet care. Another 33% said they could afford between $25 and $50 per year. Nearly two-thirds said in-person training sessions would be most helpful, and 69% said text message is the best way to reach them about services and events.
With the second phase now funded, the AWLA will move from listening to action. Planned services include wellness events offering rabies and distemper vaccines, microchips, flea and tick prevention, nail trims and other care. The AWLA is also developing a grooming training partnership with Pawsh Dog Wash, expanding pet food and supply distribution at locations throughout the community, and offering educational seminars on pet nutrition. William Ramsay Recreation Center, identified by community members as the ideal event location, will serve as a central hub.
"We're building this program to support entire pet families through accessible, community-focused resources," said Joanna Fortin, AWLA's director of community programs. "Our goal is to help keep pets healthy, supported, and together with the families who care for them."
The effort also deepens existing partnerships with ALIVE!, Communities in Schools — which hosts monthly food distributions at Hammond Middle School — and the West End Food Pantry, while adding new connections with the William Ramsay Recreation Center.
"This grant reflects our evolution as we move beyond our walls and deeper into the community," said Stella Hanly, AWLA CEO. "We are so grateful to PetSmart Charities for recognizing the work we do and allowing us to expand it."
The announcement comes just days after the AWLA made headlines for a different reason — a power outage on July 3 that forced the organization to evacuate nearly 50 animals from its Eisenhower Avenue shelter during triple-digit heat, relying on the same network of community volunteers and fosters now central to its West End outreach.
Community members seeking more information about the AWLA's pet support services can email community@AlexandriaAnimals.org or call 703-746-6001.
