North Texas Gives to Animals campaign returns with matching funds

North Texas pet lovers got a way to stretch every dollar when the North Texas Gives to Animals campaign returned for National Pet Month. Communities Foundation of Texas launched the 2026 effort on May 14, and it ran through May 31 with a $100,000 matching fund that doubled gifts up to $100 per person per nonprofit.

The campaign reached more than 300 animal-focused nonprofits across North Texas through the NorthTexasGivingDay.org platform, giving donors a single place to support shelters, adoption programs, pet wellness, veterinary care, wildlife rescue, spay and neuter services, surrender diversion and animal-assisted therapy. That breadth mattered in Collin County, where animal rescues, wildlife groups and therapy-animal organizations often operate quietly while serving growing neighborhoods and rising demand.

The structure was designed to move money directly to nonprofits instead of slowing it with extra charges. Communities Foundation of Texas said sponsors covered transaction and technology fees, so 100 percent of gifts made through the platform went to the organizations themselves. That made the campaign more than a seasonal awareness push. For groups working with thin budgets and heavy need, it functioned as a real-time funding source while the match pool lasted.

The campaign also had a track record that showed donors were already using it. In 2025, North Texas Gives to Animals raised more than $580,000, and the two-year total reached nearly $950,000. Those numbers pointed to an effort that had moved well beyond a one-time promotion and into a dependable part of the regional giving calendar.

For Collin County residents trying to make a local difference during National Pet Month, the campaign offered a direct way to do it. The platform listed the participating animal nonprofits and the kinds of work they did, letting donors choose the causes closest to their priorities while the matching funds were still available.