Thousands of dogs and cats benefit from emergency animal shelter grants.
Everyone needs a little help sometimes, and that includes businesses and organizations. This is especially true of nonprofit organizations, whose very existence relies on government grants and donations from sponsors and the public. Nonprofit animal shelters are almost always in need of donations of necessities such as food and bedding materials for their furry tenants, and emergency situations can blow an already tight budget. Fortunately, there are grants available to help these nonprofit shelters.
SPCA International Emergency Grants
These grants are intended specifically for nonprofit shelters that have experienced unexpected circumstances, such as natural disasters, thefts, or fire. A shelter experiencing a surge in its number of animals because of hoarding or abuse cases or a community-wide emergency also may qualify for one of these grants. The shelter must meet several qualifications, including being recognized by the IRS as a fully licensed and registered 501(c)(3) facility, requiring animals in its care to be spayed or neutered upon adoption and having a budget that does not exceed $750,000 annually. It must also be a community-based organization, rather than a national group, and must be nominated for the grant by a person or organization other than the shelter itself.
United Animal Nation Crisis Relief Grants
This program offers several types of grants for those involved in animal welfare, including financial gifts for Good Samaritans and individual owners whose pets are experiencing a health crisis. LifeLine Crisis Relief Grants for Organizations are aimed at small "grassroots" groups trying to help a specific group of animals. For instance, grants have been awarded to groups providing care for dogs seized in puppy mills in Florida and Pennsylvania. Another grant was given to assist in relocating 150 feral cats from a trailer park slated for demolition in California. In order to qualify for this type of grant, a minimum of 10 horses or other farm animals or 30 small animals must be involved. Applying groups must be recognized as 501(c)(3) organizations and must have an annual budget of $150,000 or less.
Red Star Emergency Services
American Humane's Red Star Emergency Services focuses on helping people and their pets during times of disaster, whether it's aiding a community's flood evacuation efforts or providing food and veterinary care to companion animals once the disaster has passed. Thanks to a team of volunteers, emergency services are available 24 hours a day, every day, to both individual owners and shelters. In December 2009, high winds at the Humane Society of Central Arizona in Payson ripped off kennel roofs, caused a partial blackout, and demolished a storage building. A Red Star Emergency Grant covered the shelter's insurance deductible so that repairs could begin. Just a month before that, a fire at a shelter in Killeen, Texas, killed more than 100 animals, but an emergency grant was able to provide the survivors with veterinary care. Grants are given on an as-needed basis, and funds come exclusively from donations.
PetSmart Charities
The pet supply chain offers emergency relief supplies, as well as funding, in large disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes, disasters involving the rescue of numerous animals, and cases of animal abuse. Shelters may apply for an emergency grant by calling the manager of emergency grants at 1-800-423-PETS, ext. 2840.
Tags: Star Emergency, Crisis Relief, Crisis Relief Grants, emergency grant, fire shelter, individual owners, nonprofit shelters