2026 is proving a tough year for fundraising in the animal welfare sector as shelters and rescues look to raise more income to cover rising costs set against reduced budgets and finite resources.
Innovation is the key to creating sustainable income streams for the sector, including the newly launched Animal Lottery Foundation with the sole aim to become Britain’s biggest lottery supporting animal welfare charities.
A new foundation dedicated to transforming how animal welfare charities raise money has been formally established. The Animal Lottery Foundation is a community interest company (CIC) acting as an intermediary society on behalf of shelters and rescue centres across the UK, allowing them to benefit from lottery-based fundraising without having to independently register with the Gambling Commission.
The Foundation has been founded by Chris Bray, former Chief Executive of the Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter, who brings sector expertise and personal of this model’s impact. The Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter lottery grew from nothing to an annual income of more than £250,000 per annum, and the belief is there are much greater opportunities for the animal welfare sector more widely.
This launch comes at a critical moment when animal welfare organisations across the UK are contending with rapidly rising costs, driven partly by demand for services, increasing employment costs and payroll pressures. Pet abandonments in England and Wales rose by almost 25% in 2025 compared with 2024, reaching the highest level in at least five years, according to RSPCA figures reported by the Guardian and BBC in November 2025. Many of these shelters are now busier than ever yet traditional fundraising routes like sponsored challenges and open days are becoming harder and more expensive to pursue.
The Animal Lottery Foundation distributes grant funding directly to good causes across the sector, providing charities with access to a proven fundraising mechanism which requires no significant upfront investment or specialist expertise from the organisations themselves. For shelters that can’t otherwise afford this kind of income generation, the Foundation offers an accessible alternative.
“It is a very tough time for animal welfare charities at present raising funds with the cost-of-living crisis. The Animal Lottery Foundation is an exciting development which uses the expertise that has built up in digital lotteries where there is big support for animal welfare. These funds can then be distributed as grants to charities to continue delivering on their mission”. Chris Bray, Founder & Director, Animal Lottery Foundation.
