NBCUniversal Local’s 11th Annual ‘Clear the Shelters’ Kicks Off

NBCUniversal Local’s 11^th annual Clear The Shelters nationwide pet adoption campaign begins today, Friday, Aug. 1, and runs through Aug. 31. This year’s animal welfare initiative features an extended fundraising effort taking place now through Sept. 15.

As part of the 2025 campaign, NBC- and Telemundo-owned and affiliated stations across the nation are partnering with more than 1,600 animal shelters and rescues in their communities to promote pet adoption and raise critical funds to support their animal welfare operations.

Since its 2015 inception, Clear The Shelters has led to nearly 1.2 million pet adoptions and raised more than $5 million for participating shelters. The 2024 campaign set a single-year record by helping nearly 170,000 pets find new homes, and raised more than $500,000 for shelters.

The 2025 Clear The Shelters campaign features the following:

National Sponsor

Hill's Pet Nutrition, a global leader in science-based pet nutrition and leading supporter of animal welfare, is the national sponsor for the eighth campaign. As part of their partnership, Hill’s Pet Nutrition is supporting fundraising – including the contribution of $25,000 in matching grants to the Clear The Shelters fund – and providing in-kind food donations and adoption kits to help new pet parents at select participating shelters, which will include starter bags of Hill’s Science Diet, coupons, and other supplies.

Online Fundraising

Fundraising for the 2025 Clear The Shelters is led by Greater Good Charities, a global nonprofit and longtime campaign partner. Donations to the general fund can be made now through Sept. 15, and donations directly to individual shelters can be made now through Aug. 31 at ClearTheSheltersFund.org.

Virtual Adoptions

Virtual pet adoptions returned for the seventh consecutive campaign through longtime Clear The Shelters partner WeRescue. The WeRescue website and app enable users to browse adoptable pets in their area by breed, gender, size, and more, apply to adopt, and ask questions directly to shelters.

Merchandise

The restaurant and apparel company The Black Dog created a special collection of Clear The Shelters-branded merchandise to help raise donations for the Clear The Shelters fund. The Black Dog will also host adoption events and allow customers to donate by rounding up their total for purchases.

Spokesperson & Host

Actor, director, host, producer and writer Joe Manganiello, along with his adopted dog, a Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix named Bubbles, is serving as a campaign spokesperson and host of the annual the Clear The Shelters TV special debuting on NBC stations nationwide on Aug. 8.

Special Event

On Wednesday, Aug. 6, Clear The Shelters will be highlighted at the 6th annual Battle for Brooklyn celebrity softball game at Maimonides Park in Coney Island featuring Dolores Catania and fellow cast members from the Bravo series The Real Housewives of New Jersey. The event will raise funds for Maimonides Breast Center and the Clear The Shelters fund.

Additional details on 2025 Clear The Shelters highlights, activations and initiatives, including more information on the NBC and Telemundo TV specials, will be announced during the campaign. Fundraising and adoption totals will be announced after the conclusion of the campaign.

For more information on Clear The Shelters, including participating animal shelters and rescues, along with details on local events and television programming, visit ClearTheShelters.com and the Spanish-language site DesocuparlosAlbergues.com, and follow Clear The Shelters on social media:

• X: @ClearTheShelter
• Instagram: cleartheshelters
• TikTok: @cleartheshelters
• Hashtags: #ClearTheShelters & #DesocuparLosAlbergues

About Clear The Shelters

NBCUniversal Local’s Clear The Shelters™ is an annual nationwide pet adoption and donation campaign held each August. As part of the initiative, NBC- and Telemundo-owned and affiliated stations partner with animal shelters and rescues in communities across the U.S. to promote pet adoption and raise funds for participating shelters. Since its 2015 inception, Clear The Shelters has led to nearly 1.2 million pet adoptions and raised more than $5 million. Longtime campaign supporters include Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a national sponsor for eight consecutive years, Greater Good Charities and WeRescue. Clear The Shelters was inspired by a 2014 North Texas pet adoption event hosted by NBC 5 / KXAS and Telemundo 39 / KXTX. For more information, visit ClearTheShelters.com.