The Foundation for Animal Care and Education (FACE) is proud to be a member of The North County Philanthropy Council. We enjoy attending the Volunteer Awards Celebration, learning from the great webinars and meeting other nonprofit organizations and foundations.

The mission of FACE is to enhance and preserve the quality of life for all companion animals by providing access to necessary medical care and education.

Established in 2006 by a group of veterinarians and concerned community members, FACE is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) public charity that provides financial grants for animal owners who are unable to afford the cost of their pet’s emergency or critical care. The goal of FACE is to end economic euthanasia, which happens when a beloved pet is euthanized simply due to the cost of medical care. What started as a beautiful vision to stop the surrender and euthanasia of beloved family pets has become a supportive center where families in crisis can get a helping hand to save their pets’ lives. FACE grantees are typically low-income families, senior citizens, veterans, military families, students, disabled individuals or hard-working families and individuals who struggle to survive paycheck to paycheck. FACE proudly works with more than 185 veterinary hospitals throughout San Diego County that generously discount their services for qualified FACE patients by at least 25% and help to fundraise whenever possible. With a tagline of “Saving Pets and Helping Families,” the work at FACE is just as important for the animals we save as it is for the families who are spared the heartbreak of losing their best friend.

Along with providing financial assistance for veterinary care, FACE also has a Community Outreach Program that focuses on connecting under-served pet owners with resources to veterinary care and pet supplies. Since 2016, FACE has partnered with 12 different organizations to serve pet owners in San Diego County, many of which are experiencing homelessness. Currently, FACE is collaborating with Feeding San Diego to reach even more families by providing pet food and supplies to their furry, loved ones at drive-thru distributions. We are always looking to partner with additional nonprofit organizations that serve a community that may also need help with food and care for their pet.

We commit to educating our community about animals through our Humane Education Program. We offer a variety of fun and interesting education programs that emphasize the human-animal bond and STEAM topics through a hands-on humane education curriculum. Due to the pandemic, we are reaching many more people through online platforms across San Diego County and beyond with our education program. Every month a different topic is discussed about pet care. We listen to feedback and topics are chosen based on what people are asking to learn about such as pet dermatology and dog body language.

What was your organization/company’s biggest accomplishment in the past six months – one year?

We are so excited to celebrate a major milestone, our 3,000th pet life saved at FACE. It has taken so much work and could not have been accomplished without our dedicated partners to get us this far. In our first year, we assisted 12 pets with one veterinary hospital. Now, we are assisting almost one pet per day and are working with more than 185 hospitals in San Diego County. We are grateful to have been able to save our 3,000th life and look forward to assisting as many more as we can in the years to come for our community.

This year, FACE celebrates 15 years of saving pets and helping families in our community. To honor this milestone, we will be hosting a 15th Anniversary event on September 11th at The LOT in La Jolla with dinner, drinks, silent auction, raffle prizes, outdoor games and a private film screening of Dogs Days – all to support FACE’s lifesaving programs! To views details or register for the celebration, please click here.

On October 18, join FACE for our 10th Invitational Dog-Friendly Golf Tournament at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club. This unique tournament allows players to enjoy a day of golf with their furry friends followed by dinner, drinks, an exclusive auction, an exciting awards ceremony, and more – all to support FACE’s lifesaving programs. This event is sure to be your dog’s favorite day of the year! To view details of the event and to register, click here.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, FACE has seen an increase in applications from families experiencing unemployment. Before 2020, the unemployment rate of our grantees was 4% and now it is above 30%. We continue to reach and help families in need with innovative and safe ways throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

FACE helps families of all backgrounds, and now more than ever we are committed to supporting communities that face disproportional financial barriers, which can limit their access to resources to care for their pets. In our work to help families and save pets, we serve and stand alongside those who have been marginalized. We continue to support humane, fair and compassionate treatment of our fellow humans just as we advocate for the animals.

We seek to listen to, learn from and amplify the voices of those who have not had a seat at the table to improve our organization and our sector. Our team is actively working on creating a more diverse board of directors and staff. In doing so, we are committed to sharing our processes and encouraging participation along the way from others.