Our Recommendation
We give our recommendation for supporting Pawsperity because they measure appropriate outcomes to understand if their work is successful.
Pawsperity meets the requirements for 3 of our 4 key criteria:
✔ Understand the Social Issue
✔ Ultimate Outcome Goals (Life Changes)
✔ Evidence of Success
☐ Counterfactual Impact
Their Vision
Break poverty cycles through grooming careers and support.
The Problem: Cycles of Poverty, Incarceration, and Unemployment
Across the United States, millions of individuals face seemingly insurmountable barriers to employment due to histories of poverty, addiction, incarceration, and domestic violence. Many are single parents or in recovery, with limited access to education, stable housing, or a supportive social network. Traditional workforce development programs often focus narrowly on technical training while ignoring the deeper, systemic challenges these individuals face.
Without meaningful employment, individuals remain trapped in poverty—unable to regain custody of their children, secure housing, or achieve long-term stability.
The Solution: A Holistic Dog Grooming Career Program
Pawsperity, a nonprofit based in Kansas City, offers a unique and powerful solution: a trauma-informed job training model that uses professional dog grooming as a pathway out of poverty. The program is designed to address the full range of challenges students face—combining vocational training with wraparound support services and life skills coaching.
Pawsperity’s model includes:
- 800+ hours of hands-on dog grooming instruction
- Wraparound case management, including childcare, housing assistance, food support, and transportation stipends
- Comprehensive learning including emotional regulation, financial literacy, and mindfulness training
- Ongoing job placement support and career coaching for long-term stability
This comprehensive, human-centered approach gives students not just a skill, but the confidence and capacity to build a new life.
A Sample of Their Outputs
- Since beginning operations in 2021, they have now served over 185,000 youth, ramping up their capacity to 100,000 per year in 2024. Our goal is to serve 1 million youth per year by 2027.
- 38,000 group therapy sessions completed
- 3,000 providers trained and employed
- They work with over 300 high schools in underserved communities across Africa to deliver our mental health solutions
A Sample of Their Outcomes
- 100% job placement within two months of graduation
- $47,000 average annual income for graduates, up from $8,500 pre-program
- 90% employment retention, with 75% remaining in the grooming industry
- Significant gains in self-esteem, self-regulation, and long-term goal planning
- Graduates have gone on to start businesses, regain custody of children, and lead addiction recovery groups
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