Animal Assistance Foundation

The Animal Assistance Foundation advances the welfare of companion animals in Colorado, as a resource and agent for positive impact, through community investment, collaboration, and leadership.

Community Responsibility

The Animal Assistance Foundation (AAF) is a private grant-making foundation that supports Colorado nonprofits that work with companion animals and are committed to building Socially Conscious animal communities.  

AAF was established in 1975 and made possible through a generous donation from the granddaughter of brewer Adolph Coors, Louise Harrison, who was passionate about animal welfare.  Today, AAF is led by a volunteer board of community members invested in our mission. 

AAF believes that animals enrich our lives and communities are happier and more humane when people and animals live in harmony. Animal welfare is a community concern, too vast for any single organization, and requires strong collaboration from multiple diverse organizations to enact lasting change.

AAF is a socially conscious animal welfare organization. We believe every animal welfare organization has an ethical responsibility to balance multiple complex factors to arrive at the most responsible and humane outcome for every animal.

We believe that euthanasia of companion animals is a humane alternative to an existence of life without access to the Five Freedoms, or when public safety is at risk. 

The welfare of an animal includes its physical and mental state, and we consider that good animal welfare implies both fitness and a sense of well-being. Any animal kept by man, must at least, be protected from unnecessary suffering. 

No animal should be denied shelter based on philosophical differences. We support organizations that accept any animal that comes to their doors, that place appropriate pets in new homes, that provide rehabilitation to animals that need extra care and those that are willing to make the difficult decision to euthanize animals who are so medically and behaviorally compromised that placement in the community is inappropriate or unsafe.

Words and phrases do not help animals; innovative programs, collaborative efforts, new initiatives and strong partnerships that bring the community together do. The use of divisive language is detrimental to the welfare of animals in a community and leads to a decreased level of animal welfare and reduced access to resources.

Collaboration is the key to progress, and we believe in the power of listening and learning from each other. We know that our collective strength is greater than our individual strength.  

AAF is a member of the Animal Welfare Association of Colorado and the Metro Denver Animal Welfare Alliance, coalitions leading the way locally and nationally in supporting and defining best practices in Socially Conscious sheltering.