Animal rescue shelters provide life-saving services to lost pets and stray animals, and give people the ability to adopt abandoned pets. Opening an animal shelter involves a lot of work, as well as considerable costs to get the shelter up and running. Fortunately, there are numerous grants available to keep alive the mission of rescuing stray animals. These grants help make it possible to open a shelter that can provide optimal care for its animal inhabitants.
For gathering start-up or "seed" funds involved in opening an animal shelter---such as securing a building and establishing utilities---the DJ & T grant is a tremendous resource. Founded by Bob Barker, the famous television game show host, this grant helps animal rescue shelters---especially those that rescue dogs---with capital to open a shelter and get started.
The DJ & T Foundation gives special focus on animal rescue shelters that provide spaying and neutering services to prevent animal overpopulation. Grants are determined by close examination of the application and given depending on need; therefore, financial amounts awarded vary.
Established in 1969, the Meacham Foundation Memorial grant of $4000 is intended to support the enrichment of an animal shelter's environment. This money can be used to help pay for more space to house more animals and provide more care facilities when opening a shelter.
The Meacham Foundation Memorial Grant is available to registered agency members of the American Humane Association and only for shelters that will be nonprofit.
A serious consideration when opening an animal rescue shelter is the considerable medical cost in caring for sheltered animals. A grant of $2000 for animal rescue shelters, the Second Chance Fund is available through the American Humane Association. This grant is specifically intended to cover medical expenses for animals that have been injured through neglect, abuse or abandonment. The Second Chance Fund is awarded once a year and is limited to American Humane Association member animal rescue shelter organizations.
