Lawrence Humane Society completes fundraising for $7.5M animal shelter

A rendering of the exterior of the Lawrence Humane Society's new facility.
The Lawrence Humane Society has completed fundraising for its new animal shelter.
The Humane Society began its efforts to raise $7.5 million to build its new shelter in 2016. The city of Lawrence provided the project a $2.5 million grant, and the shelter raised the remaining $5 million in private donations.
The Humane Society announced in a news release Monday that it had raised all the money and that hundreds of local donors contributed. The announcement was made at the conclusion of a matching campaign. The release said that the shelter’s $250,000 Matching Gift Challenge launched at the beginning of October and was supported by the Petco Foundation and several local supporters.
Construction of the new shelter began this summer at the Humane Society’s current site at 1805 E. 19th St., and the new building is expected to open in late spring 2019. Once the new building is complete, the current building will be demolished.