The 2026 Clear The Shelters campaign, organized by NBCUniversal Local and presented by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, helped more than 135,000 pets find new homes and raised nearly $500,000 for participating animal shelters, according to official campaign figures. The nationwide pet adoption and donation initiative ran its adoption window from August 1 to August 31, 2026, while fundraising took place between July 15 and September 15, 2026.
Campaign Reach and Shelter Participation
The 12th annual drive spanned 153 markets across 47 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam, according to NBCUniversal Local. More than 100 NBC and Telemundo stations partnered with over 1,200 local animal shelters to coordinate the adoption events. “Clear The Shelters demonstrates what’s possible when our communities come together to help pets in need,” said Meredith McGinn, NBCUniversal Local’s EVP of Diginets & Original Production and Clear The Shelters leader, in an official statement.
Since its launch in 2015, the initiative has led to nearly 1.5 million pet adoptions and raised more than $6 million in total donations. Carrick Massey, Senior Vice President of U.S. Marketing at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, noted that shelters continue to face unprecedented capacity pressures, making the campaign vital for supporting animal welfare organizations.
Partnerships, Fundraising, and Special Features
Hill’s Pet Nutrition returned for its ninth consecutive year as a partner and its first year as the presenting sponsor. The company supported campaign activities and provided adoption kits containing starter bags of Hill’s Science Diet, coupons, and supplies at select participating shelters. Greater Good Charities managed online donations through ClearTheSheltersFund.org, while WeRescue served as the exclusive technology partner for the eighth consecutive year, offering apps and website tools for users to browse adoptable pets by breed, size, and gender.
The apparel and restaurant company The Black Dog also participated for the second year by letting customers round up purchases for the fund, selling branded merchandise with 50 percent of proceeds going to the campaign, and hosting retail adoption events. To kick off the broadcast events, NBC and Telemundo stations debuted television specials on August 7, 2026. The national NBC broadcast featured high-profile celebrities led by Matt Damon, star of Universal Pictures’ The Odyssey.
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