Finding Foundations that Fund Animal Welfare Work

Some creativity on your part can greatly expand your options

Obtaining foundation grants to support your work is much like successfully matching animals and adopters:

• Everyone looks for the best possible fit between the animal's needs and the adopter's wishes, expectations, and resources.
• Sometimes, what at first seems like an unlikely fit turns out to be an excellent match all the way around.

Read on for strategies that help you define what you need so that you can match it up with the grant-maker willing to fund that need.

1. List and package your funding needs.

• Which of your operations could you present as a discreet program? Cat adoptions, spay/neuter, sanitation in your shelter, and foster care may be operations that you can single out for grant funding.
• How will the grant help you do that program better? For example, funding for a foster care coordinator and training for foster families helps you save more kitten and puppy lives by keeping them out of the shelter until they are old enough for adoption.

Listing everything you do and thinking about how you might package your activities into programs will help you walk through more funding doors. You will, however, have to use the money only for the purpose you presented. And you'll need to show how you intend to continue the work after the grant runs out.

2. Check out the Foundation Center.

The Foundation Center is the resource for grant seekers in all fields. They offer:

• up-to-date information, some available for free and some with fees, about grant-making foundations, including grant stats organized by categories such as population served, geographical region, and dollar amount
• a knowledge center where you can learn how foundations operate and how they approach grant-making
• online training courses
• classes and free access to their extensive searchable database of funders at regional centers in Atlanta, Cleveland, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, as well as 400 cooperating collections all across the country.

3. Research specific foundations.

Researching foundations can seem a bit daunting at first, but, like most things, becomes easier the more you do it. Fortunately, most foundations have websites where you can learn about the foundation's funding objectives and application requirements.

We've assembled an annotated list of links to some of the foundations that fund animal welfare projects.

4. Check out your own back yard.

The national foundations can be wonderful sources of support, but don't forget to look for funders closer to home with whom you can develop ongoing relationships:

• Check to see if you have a community foundation that may be willing to fund your programs.
• Look at annual reports from local non-profits for names of local family foundations.
• Visit your local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professions, which may also have a list of foundations in your area.

Many family foundations accept proposals only by invitation, but your Major Gifts committee may be able to help you get the nod.

5. Be creative.

Don't limit yourself to foundations that focus on animals. Just because a grant maker doesn't list animal welfare as a focus doesn't necessarily mean you can't get support. For example:

• A foundation interested in aging populations might fund your Pets for the Elderly adoption program.
• A grant maker focused on low-income populations might fund your low-cost spay/neuter program.
• A foundation interested in curbing violence might be eager to support your work if you make them aware of the demonstrated link between animal cruelty and human violence (.pdf).

To get these funders' attention, you'll have to be clear and persuasive about the impact your program will have on a cause they have listed as a funding focus. With community foundations, the key is showing how your work makes your community a better place. For ideas about animal-welfare programs that affect the wider community, see Using Your Programs to Find New Donors.

When you've identified grants you want to apply for, check out Winning the Grants You Apply For.