The Human-Animal Alliance

The Human-Animal Alliance Directly funding programs that recognize animals as essential partners in healing, connection, and purpose.

September is Su***de Prevention Month.For the Human-Animal Alliance, this month speaks directly to why we believe so dee...
09/02/2026

September is Su***de Prevention Month.

For the Human-Animal Alliance, this month speaks directly to why we believe so deeply in the work we support.

Many of the organizations H-AA has funded serve people navigating trauma, grief, depression, PTSD, isolation and other experiences that can leave someone feeling disconnected from themselves and the world around them.

And sometimes, before a person is ready to trust another person, they can trust an animal.

An animal doesn’t need you to explain what happened.
They don’t ask you to pretend you’re okay.
They don’t judge your past or expect you to have the right words.

They simply meet you where you are.

That connection can create an opening, a reason to engage, to feel safe, to rebuild trust, to experience comfort and, sometimes, to rediscover a sense of purpose.

This is why the Human-Animal Alliance invests in organizations using the human-animal bond as part of meaningful, professionally guided healing.

We fund programs bringing veterans together with service dogs. We support equine-assisted programs helping children and adults process grief and trauma. We invest in organizations creating safe spaces where animals can help people reconnect when human connection feels difficult.

These programs are not simply about spending time with animals.

They are about creating pathways back to people.

Back to trust.
Back to connection.
Back to hope.

During Su***de Prevention Month, we honor those we have lost, those who continue to struggle, the people who love them, and the organizations working every day to make sure fewer people have to face their darkest moments alone.

Because sometimes hope arrives on four legs.

Sometimes, healing doesn’t need words.At Pawsitive Beginnings Inc, the connection between a child and a rescued fox can ...
08/31/2026

Sometimes, healing doesn’t need words.

At Pawsitive Beginnings Inc, the connection between a child and a rescued fox can create a moment of curiosity, trust, calm and connection.

This is the heart of the Human-Animal Alliance: supporting organizations that recognize the extraordinary role animals can play in human healing. Whether it’s a fox, dog, horse, cat, service animal or therapy animal, these connections remind us that healing can take many forms—and sometimes, it begins with simply feeling safe beside an animal.
The Human-Animal Alliance (H-AA) is a nonprofit organization that deeply believes in the power and value of human-animal connection. Founded in 2022 by advocate and philanthropist Jackie Ducci, H-AA awards grants to charitable initiatives nationwide that recognize animals as essential partners in healing, connection, and purpose. Overhead expenses are privately funded, ensuring that one hundred percent of every donation directly supports impactful work.

At the Human-Animal Alliance, we fund organizations using the human-animal bond to help people heal because this work is...
08/27/2026

At the Human-Animal Alliance, we fund organizations using the human-animal bond to help people heal because this work is about more than a heartwarming connection.

There is science behind it.

Research has found that positive interactions with animals can affect both physical and emotional well-being. Studies have shown that interacting with animals can increase oxytocin, a hormone associated with bonding and connection, while reducing cortisol, a hormone involved in the body’s stress response.

The CDC notes that having pets has been associated with decreased blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as reduced feelings of loneliness. The American Heart Association has also reported evidence suggesting pet ownership may be associated with decreased cardiovascular risk and can help moderate the body’s response to stress.

The Human-Animal Bond Lab at the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine continues to study how positive interactions with animals may provide therapeutic benefits, including among vulnerable populations.

This science helps explain what the organizations we fund see in practice: animals can create opportunities for connection, trust, emotional regulation and confidence.

That is why we invest in responsible, purposeful animal-assisted programs serving people in need.

The human-animal bond isn’t simply something we believe in. It is something researchers continue to study—and our grantees put into practice every day.
The Human-Animal Alliance (H-AA) is a nonprofit organization that deeply believes in the power and value of human-animal connection. Founded in 2022 by advocate and philanthropist Jackie Ducci, H-AA awards grants to charitable initiatives nationwide that recognize animals as essential partners in healing, connection, and purpose. Overhead expenses are privately funded, ensuring that one hundred percent of every donation directly supports impactful work.

08/24/2026

In both 2024 and 2025, The Human-Animal Alliance was proud to award grant funding to Pawsitive Beginnings, a Florida Keys nonprofit providing permanent sanctuary to foxes rescued from the fur and exotic pet trades.

At first glance, rescued foxes may not be what comes to mind when you think of animal-assisted healing. They aren’t therapy animals. They aren’t trained to perform a service. They are simply allowed to be foxes.

And that’s exactly what makes this program so unique.

Pawsitive Beginnings has created an animal-assisted outreach program that allows people navigating trauma, recovery, crisis, and other difficult circumstances to connect with the foxes and, often, see pieces of their own stories reflected back at them.

These animals have experienced difficult beginnings of their own. Today, they live with safety, choice, respect, and the opportunity to simply exist on their own terms. Their stories can open conversations about trust, resilience, boundaries, healing, and what it means to be given a second chance.

Supporting Pawsitive Beginnings challenged us to look beyond the traditional definition of animal-assisted healing—and we were honored to do so.

The human-animal bond doesn’t always involve a therapy dog at the end of a leash or a horse in a structured session.

Sometimes it begins quietly, with a rescued fox and a person recognizing that a difficult beginning doesn’t have to determine how the rest of the story is written.

We’re proud to have supported Pawsitive Beginnings for two consecutive years and to help make this unconventional, but deeply meaningful, approach to the human-animal bond possible.

08/20/2026

Sometimes the most powerful way to understand the impact of a grant is to hear directly from a child whose life it touched.

This is what opportunity sounds like.

The Human-Animal Alliance was proud to award $10,500 to Work to Ride in Philadelphia, helping provide full horseback riding camp scholarships for 20 children from underserved communities.

At Chamounix Equestrian Center, these young people received far more than a week at camp. They learned how to care for horses, experienced riding, built confidence, practiced teamwork and responsibility, and developed a deeper understanding of animal behavior—all while simply having the chance to be kids and have FUN.

For many children growing up in inner-city neighborhoods, opportunities to spend meaningful time with animals and in nature can be incredibly limited. Financial barriers and transportation can make experiences like this feel worlds away.

This grant helped bring that world within reach.

Is your organization rooted in the belief that animals have the power to heal?At The Human-Animal Alliance, that belief ...
08/17/2026

Is your organization rooted in the belief that animals have the power to heal?

At The Human-Animal Alliance, that belief is at the heart of everything we do.

Across the country, extraordinary organizations are harnessing the human-animal bond to create meaningful change—helping people heal, giving animals purpose, strengthening communities, and creating connections that can transform lives.

If that sounds like the work your organization is doing, we invite you to apply for funding from The Human-Animal Alliance.

Before applying, please carefully review our mission and grant requirements to ensure your work clearly aligns with our goals and current funding priorities. Mission alignment, potential for meaningful impact, and the ability for grant dollars to directly benefit humans and/or animals are critical parts of our decision-making process.

We believe deeply in what can happen when humans and animals are given the opportunity to help one another. If your organization shares that belief—and is putting the power of the human-animal bond into action—we would love to learn more about your work.

08/13/2026

Grief can be especially difficult for children who are trying to process the loss of someone they love while the adults around them are grieving, too. Equine-assisted therapy provides a unique and powerful way for children and families to navigate those emotions, build connection, and begin to heal.

For the third year in a row, the Human-Animal Alliance was proud to support Tomorrow’s Rainbow and its work with bereaved children and families.

Our $16,000 grant helped provide access to equine-assisted therapy both at Tomorrow’s Rainbow and through its mobile outreach program. Funding also supported River & Rocky, a bonded pair of therapy ponies who travel directly into underserved communities, bringing comfort and connection to children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to visit the ranch.

This is the human-animal bond in action: meeting people where they are and helping them find a path forward through some of life’s most difficult moments.

08/10/2026

The human-animal bond has the power to create purpose on both ends of the leash.

The Human-Animal Alliance is proud to support paws4people foundation and the expansion of its paws4prisons program into the Carolinas.

Through this innovative program, incarcerated individuals help train future assistance dogs while developing skills that can have a lasting impact on their own lives—including responsibility, patience, discipline, empathy, and a renewed sense of purpose.

At the same time, their dedication helps prepare highly trained assistance dogs to be thoughtfully matched with individuals navigating physical disabilities, mental health challenges, and other medical conditions.

Our $50,000 grant helped expand a program where one connection creates a ripple effect: incarcerated trainers gain valuable skills and opportunities for personal growth, dogs receive purposeful training and care, and individuals in need gain greater independence, confidence, safety, and comfort.

This is the human-animal bond creating meaningful change in more than one life at a time.

08/06/2026

Every child deserves the opportunity to learn in an environment where they feel safe, supported, and encouraged to grow.

Thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Human-Animal Alliance, Animal Sanctuary & Cat Cafe | NC in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, provided 775 hours of animal-assisted academic enrichment to children who otherwise may not have had access to this unique opportunity.

By learning alongside rescued animals, students strengthened far more than their academic skills. The program fostered reading confidence, communication, empathy, emotional regulation, collaboration, and critical thinking—proving once again that the human-animal bond has the power to transform lives both inside and outside the classroom.

We’re honored to support innovative programs that help children thrive through the healing connection with animals.

07/30/2026

Being quiet doesn't mean you have nothing to say.

Growing up, Jackie Ducci was told she needed to be more outgoing to succeed. But it was the unconditional love of animals that helped her find confidence, embrace who she was, and realize she didn't need to change to belong.

Sometimes, the ones who understand us best... never say a word.

🎧 Watch or listen to the full episode here:
https://doobert.com/jackie-ducci-why-the-human-animal-bond-deserves-a-bigger-voice/

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