Wellington philanthropist Jackie Ducci is marking a major milestone in 2026: $500,000 in grants supporting programs that strengthen the bond between people and animals.
One of the grants contributing to that milestone is staying right here in Palm Beach County. For Ducci, the local investment is especially meaningful. She has built the Human-Animal Alliance into a national philanthropic effort while staying deeply connected to Wellington’s equestrian and dog communities.
For National Dog Day, the alliance awarded $15,000 to Paws for a Better Life, a local therapy dog program. The funding will sponsor three therapy dogs serving residents across the county, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, through visits focused on comfort, companionship and connection.
“Reaching this milestone is incredibly meaningful, but being able to support work happening right here in Palm Beach County makes it truly special,” Ducci said. “Animals have played such a critical role in my own life, and I want more people to have the opportunity to experience the power and value of what they can bring to us all.”
The milestone comes during a year of significant growth for Ducci’s broader work around the human-animal bond.
What began with the March premiere of the Unspoken Bond documentary in Wellington has grown into a broader national effort by Ducci to illuminate the life-changing impact that animals have on people’s lives. Through award-winning filmmaking, advocacy work, philanthropy and now a new podcast, Ducci is building a multifaceted platform to advance greater understanding of the human-animal connection.
Created and executive produced by Ducci, Unspoken Bond explores the profound, life-changing power of the human-animal bond through three intimate stories of loss, healing and redemption. Since its premiere, the documentary has screened in Fort Lauderdale, Key West, Key Largo and Las Vegas, with more screenings scheduled around the country coming this fall.
The film has also earned national recognition from the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and secured screenings at film festivals across the country. In August, Ducci and Unspoken Bond received HABRI’s 2026 Human Animal Bond Innovation Award in the Media category, recognizing the documentary’s work to advance awareness and understanding of the human-animal bond.
“I knew these stories were powerful, but I could not have predicted the response we have seen,” Ducci said. “Every screening is a reminder that people everywhere are carrying their own personal stories about their relationships with animals, often without a place to share them. Seeing audiences so engaged in the film is incredibly moving, and we’re so grateful to everyone who has come out to experience it thus far.”
The film’s reach will continue to grow this fall, with festival screenings in Rhode Island, Indiana, Florida and Massachusetts, along with closing-night screenings at CritterFest in San Francisco and Boston.
This fall, Ducci will add another platform to that work with the launch of the Unspoken Bond Podcast with Jackie Ducci.
Launching Oct. 1, the podcast will expand the conversation to more deeply explore how relationships with animals influence emotional, physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being. Episodes will feature researchers, advocates, nonprofit leaders, subject-matter experts and people with first-hand accounts of the impact animals have had on their lives.
“The film is where the stories live,” Ducci said. “The podcast allows us to go deeper, exploring the impact of the human-animal bond through the lenses of experts who have unique expertise to share.”
Together, the award-winning documentary, philanthropy and new podcast initiative are creating more ways for people to better understand the human-animal connection — from seeing its impact on screen to supporting programs putting it into practice and continuing the conversation through new voices and perspectives.
