Good news! Animals released from laboratories are being given a chance at a better life. With the support of our members, AAVS provides direct funding to sanctuaries caring for animals once used in science or exploited in other ways. As rising costs continue to challenge these lifesaving organizations, AAVS grants help cover a wide range of essential needs—from daily care and specialized diets to enrichment, staffing, and medical support—so animals can heal and thrive in safe, permanent homes. We proudly stand with sanctuaries providing lifelong care. Below are the sanctuaries that received AAVS grants in 2025:

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Center for Great Apes

The Center was established in Florida in 1993 to offer a permanent home for orangutans and chimpanzees retired from the entertainment industry and research, as well as those no longer wanted as pets. This year’s grant provides funding for veterinary care, especially for aging apes, as well as support for those with special needs such as Mari, an orangutan who lost her arms as an infant but was still used in language and cognition studies at Georgia State University for nearly 20 years before coming to CGA in 2001.

Chimp Haven

Welcoming its first residents in 2005, Chimp Haven in Louisiana cares for 300 chimps, nearly all of whom have been retired from federally funded research and other testing facilities. A growing number of these chimpanzees are elderly and, like humans, will develop chronic health conditions and need palliative care. This year’s grant is for general operating expenses and to purchase a new dental scaler that will help prevent periodontal disease as the chimps age. Funding was also given to support a group of young chimpanzees who came to the sanctuary as babies, whom we affectionately call the TLC Chimps.

Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

In 2008, CSNW became home for seven chimpanzees who were relinquished by a Pennsylvania laboratory, where they were primarily used in hepatitis research and as breeders. Years later, the Washington state sanctuary welcomed several former research chimpanzees from the defunct Wildlife Waystation: three chimps in 2019 and six more in 2021. This year’s grant will be used for general operating costs and training and equipment for the sanctuary’s Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) program, an important tool when giving exams. PRT is used so the chimps can voluntarily participate in their medical care while avoiding use of anesthesia, which comes with serious health risks, as with humans.

Oklahoma Primate Sanctuary

Originally named Mindy’s Memory Primate Sanctuary in honor of its first rescued resident, this Oklahoma facility’s mission is to provide “exceptional, compassionate, lifetime care for non-human primates.” OPS has taken in some of the neediest cases from labs and neglected pet situations, and remarkably, these primates have recovered physically, emotionally, and socially. The sanctuary residents include more than 100 monkeys, roughly half of whom were formerly used in research. AAVS provides crucial funding for staffing, food, and medical attention to ensure that these monkeys are given the best of care.

Primarily Primates

Texas-based Primarily Primates houses, protects, and rehabilitates various primate species, including dozens of chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. Many of its residents were victims of the pet trade and biomedical research. AAVS provides operating support for chimpanzees who came in 1996 from the Buckshire Corporation, which supplied chimps to labs, and from the Wildlife Waystation in California, as well as macaques who were used for breeding and arrived in December. Funds will be used for these animals’ veterinary care, specialized diet and nutrition management, social companionship, and behavior management with enrichment activities that meet the chimpanzees’ needs.

Project Chimps

Since its founding in 2014, Project Chimps has taken in and cared for more than 100 chimpanzees previously used or held for biomedical research. The Georgia sanctuary negotiated their release from the New Iberia Research Center in Louisiana and provides them with lifetime care in indoor-outdoor ‘villas’ organized in large social groups. This year’s grant will be used to cover comprehensive medical exams that cost an average of $1,200 per chimpanzee. These procedures are essential for monitoring the health of the residents, many of whom are aging and have complex medical history from their time in research, as well as for establishing long-term care plans tailored to each chimp’s unique needs.

Equine Advocates

Since 1996, Equine Advocates has helped rescue thousands of horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules from slaughter, abuse, and neglect. Some of its residents are victims of the cruel pharmaceutical industry that manufactures hormone replacement drugs using pregnant mares’ urine, which is collected from confined horses. The veterinary care costs at this wonderful New York sanctuary are quite significant due to the size of the animals and the challenging situations they endured before they arrived. AAVS’s grants go largely toward those expenses.

Save the Chimps

Save the Chimps was initially established in Florida in 1997 to provide sanctuary for 21 chimpanzees retired from the Air Force space program. Today it cares for more than 210 chimpanzees rescued from laboratories and other abusive situations, who live in large family groups on 12 unique 3-acre islands. Most of the chimps were used at the notorious Coulston Foundation, a biomedical research laboratory that had a long history violating the Animal Welfare Act. This year’s grant will support critical specialty services, including cardiac evaluations, dental procedures, and anesthesia for high-risk residents, as well as ongoing care for aging and newly rescued chimpanzees.

Peaceable Primate Sanctuary

Opened in Indiana in 2016, Peaceable Primate Sanctuary is the first facility in North America built to provide an enriching and stimulating permanent home for baboons retired from research and rescued from the pet trade. Due to the demand for space and an increasing number of monkeys being released from labs, it began welcoming macaques and marmosets. Caring for 150 primates makes food costs high, and this year’s grant will go toward alleviating that financial need.

Ryerss Farm for Aged Equines

Pennsylvania's rolling farmland is home to Ryerss, founded in 1888. This 'retirement community' of horses over the age of 20 has enjoyed AAVS support for many years. In addition to caring for horses in need of homes because their guardians have passed away, Ryerss has a long history of rising to the occasion to provide care for horses in crisis. This includes some who had been used in the production of snake anti-venom at a pharmaceutical company; foals from the Premarin industry; and horses who were victims of abuse and neglect and in need of emergency housing. Ongoing support from AAVS goes toward general operating expenses.

Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary

This primate sanctuary and rehabilitation center in north Florida has received grants from AAVS to provide continued support for the care of monkeys who were once used in laboratories. The sanctuary is unique in specializing in the care of New World monkeys, including marmosets, small primates who usually do poorly in captivity (which is another reason why they suffer in labs). This year’s grant will be used to help provide care for eight monkeys confiscated during a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation into illegal breeding and trafficking for the dark web. The monkeys suffered severe neglect, malnutrition, and emotional trauma and will need ongoing rehabilitation to ensure they thrive at their new sanctuary home.

Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary

Born Free USA’s Primate Sanctuary provides nonhuman primates with high quality care in a naturalistic setting, minimizing human interference. The 175-acre sanctuary in south Texas is home to more than 200 residents, many of whom were rescued from abusive or exploitative situations. In 2025, the sanctuary welcomed baboons Little Foot, her mom Dee Dee, and “Aunt” Izzy. Not much is known about their life before arriving, but Dee Dee and Izzy were used in experiments, and both had a leg amputated. Thankfully, Little Foot has all her limbs and all three primates now experience fresh air, sunshine, grass, trees, large open spaces, and the opportunity to thrive in each other’s company. AAVS’s grant to Born Free will provide ongoing care for these baboons, as well as the sanctuary’s many monkey residents.

Primates Incorporated

Founded in 2004 in Wisconsin by a former laboratory worker, Primates Incorporated helps meet the increasing demand for retirement space for monkeys released from labs. The sanctuary currently cares for a dozen Old World monkeys (mostly macaques) and urgently needs to expand to be able to accept more than two dozen more monkeys currently on a waiting list for care. Because it's a small sanctuary, this year's AAVS grant will help cover staff salaries, including a behaviorist, as well as veterinary care.

Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation

Located in Texas, Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation is home to about 550 animals, including 33 macaques, capuchins, owl monkeys, and small-eared galagos, who have been retired from research. In the past, AAVS funding was used to build various enrichment structures that encourage natural primate behaviors like climbing and foraging, as well as places to lounge with friends. This year’s grant will help meet the residents’ basic, essential needs such as food, medication, and veterinary supplies and equipment.

Primate Rescue Center

Located in Kentucky, the 30-acre PRC is home to more than 30 rescued primates, including eight chimpanzees from the notorious LEMSIP biomedical research lab. The Center provides outdoor enclosures and species-appropriate enrichment and works to coordinate placement of monkeys in need of permanent care. This year’s grant will be used to ensure that core resources for the primates’ daily care are met, including specialized diets, sanitation supplies, and habitat enhancements. Also, as several of the sanctuary residents are older, have chronic conditions, and need specialized care, support will be used to make sure these primates receive the best veterinary care available.

Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary

Located in the New York Hudson Valley, Safe Haven Farm Sanctuary is a lifelong home to farmed animals rescued from slaughter, abandonment, and abuse, providing whatever care is needed for the rest of their lives. In 2021, Safe Haven welcomed Sugar and Spice, female Yorkshire pigs who were used at a lab soon after birth until they were 3 months old to test personal care products, leaving burns on their backs. While their scars are still visible, Sugar and Spice know they are safe and receive an abundance of love, care, and respect from their caregivers. AAVS’s grant will be used to help cover the costs associated with the care of these lucky pigs

Rodent Sanctuary

The Rodent Sanctuary provides lifelong care and medical support for mice and rats released from laboratory research settings. Located in northern California, the sanctuary provides a safe home where animals can heal and experience comfort, choice, and social connection. Mice and rats remain fully in control of how they interact with caregivers, recognizing that some individuals carry long-term anxiety from their previous lab use. By offering compassionate, respectful care on their terms, the sanctuary ensures these animals are not only spared further harm but also given the opportunity to live full and valued lives. AAVS funding will support general care costs such as bedding and enrichment items, as well as veterinary support and neutering procedures to enable safe, stable social housing.

Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust

Founded in 1983 in Zambia, Chimfunshi is one of the world’s oldest chimpanzee sanctuaries, caring for more than 150 endangered chimps and other wildlife in need. It offers both rescue and rehabilitation within its expansive, semi-free-range enclosures. Funding from AAVS will be used to help relocate Zeb, a 46-year-old male chimpanzee who started his life in a U.S. research laboratory. In 1995, he was transferred to a South African zoo that was hit by a devastating wave of tuberculosis where Zeb was one of only three surviving chimps. He has spent years in isolation and unsuitable conditions. AAVS is thrilled to play a small role in helping Zeb get a better life where he will get the care and the support he needs to thrive.

Projet Gorille Fernan-Vaz

Projet Gorille is a sanctuary and conservation group working to protect western lowland gorillas in Gabon, and rehabilitates orphans in hopes they can be released back into the wild. The sanctuary believes that collaborations with local communities and international partners are key to achieving sustainable conservation actions that protect biodiversity important for people and gorillas. Its AAVS sanctuary grant will go toward providing veterinary care for Tani, a female gorilla once used in research who needs a biopsy and lab analysis of her swollen lymph node. This medical procedure is important to identify any underlying infection or pathology and to guide her treatment.

Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries

Formed in 2007 with the guidance and aid of several globally recognized leaders in the field of animal advocacy (including AAVS), GFAS serves to help sanctuaries help animals. It sets accreditation standards developed by experts and conducts onsite operations reviews to help sanctuaries provide the best care. Its accreditation is the mark of a true sanctuary. The organization is also called on when sanctuaries are in crisis or transition, utilizing its network and resources to guarantee that animals are safe, secure, and well cared for.

North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance

NAPSA was founded in 2010 by the directors of seven of the leading North American chimpanzee sanctuaries to share information, experience, policies, and procedures to increase the success of each member sanctuary. It also serves as a central point of contact and expertise for issues relating to captive primates. For example, when the Wildlife Waystation facility in California closed in 2019, NAPSA stepped up to successfully coordinate a three-year campaign to place all of the chimpanzees at this facility into appropriate forever homes.

Pan African Sanctuary Alliance

PASA is the largest association of wildlife centers in Africa and has accredited more than 20 sanctuaries. It works to advance the care and protection of African primates through accreditation, capacity building for members, specialized training for veterinarians and caregivers, and emergency support during unforeseen crises. PASA’s global network and members’ local expertise uniquely positions the Alliance to rescue and defend great apes and monkeys from human cruelty, the illegal wildlife trade, and habitat loss. This year’s AAVS grant will be used to support care for animals released from labs, including nutritious food, veterinary treatment, and emergency aid.