Case Study: AKC Canine Health Foundation achieves greater efficiency and accelerates canine health research with Blackbaud

AKC Canine Health Foundation - Customer Case Study

The American Kennel Club Canine Health Foundation (AKCCHF) is an independent AKC affiliate that funds scientific research across more than 25 areas to improve dogs’ health. Confronted with the complexity of long-term research investments, diverse donor interests, and the need to track outcomes and operate more efficiently, the Foundation sought better grant management, donor segmentation, and reporting to maximize impact.

AKCCHF implemented Blackbaud Grantmaking, Raiser’s Edge NXT, Luminate Online, and Financial Edge NXT—paired with staff training—to automate workflows, remove duplicate records, target communications, and link donor preferences to specific research areas. The result: greater operational efficiency and time savings, stronger donor engagement and targeted campaigns, measurable research outcomes (675 publications with over 23,000 citations), and real-world advances such as a new emergency treatment for canine epilepsy and focused tick-borne disease initiatives.

AKC Canine Health Foundation

Diane Brown

Chief Executive Officer