Read FOAS’s response to OAS budget cuts
For 20 years, Friends of Oakland Animal Services (FOAS) has been a lifeline for the animals at Oakland Animal Services (OAS). What began as a small group of passionate OAS staff and volunteers has grown into a powerful, community-driven movement—funding life-saving programs and giving animals at OAS brighter futures.
Today, more animals have been saved at OAS than ever before—a powerful reminder of what’s possible when a community comes together.
Thanks to FOAS-funded programs, foster care, adoptions, emergency veterinary care, behavioral support, and more—the transformation has been extraordinary:
- 14 FOAS-funded staff work side by side with OAS staff every day to save lives and help people keep their pets.
- More animals are in foster homes than in the shelter.
- Adoptions have tripled.
- Over 90% of OAS animals are now saved, compared to less than 50% when we began.
In the past few years, animal intake has surged by 40% while Oakland’s budget crisis has led to cuts in OAS staffing by 30% and to basic supplies—like food and veterinary care—by 40%.
Despite these challenges at OAS, we’ve made incredible progress. But we can’t sustain this without your help. Let’s not go backward!
Generous supporters have come together to offer a $130,000 matching challenge to help FOAS meet this moment and continue expanding what we’ve built. Share this message with your friends and ask them to join you in supporting the cause.
You can reach people we can’t.
Every donation, every share, every story you tell helps grow this community. You’re protecting the progress we’ve made and helping shape what comes next.
Oakland’s animals need your help now more than ever. Stand up for them.
How You Can Help
Donate. Make a one-time or monthly donation today to support FOAS. You can also donate stocks, crypto, DAFs, and more!
Become a fundraiser. Whether it’s your birthday, an anniversary, or you just want to make a difference, you can be a champion for Oakland’s animals by starting a fundraiser for FOAS.
Put up a yard sign. Show your support by putting up a FOAS yard sign in your yard. Thanks to a generous donor, you can pick up a yard sign at no cost at the locations listed here.
Share this message with anyone you think might be interested. As an organization, we have a limited reach. We need to address this moment as a community. Please help us reach people we can’t.
Sign up for our newsletter. Stay in touch and hear about the latest FOAS updates by signing up for our newsletter.