Pet Programs Receive $150,000 in Grants

Twenty pet-related organizations recently received $150,000 in total funding from the Banfield Charitable Trust to launch and/or sustain their programs. Many of the selected organizations focus on pet care education, while others further community outreach programs by partnering people and pets.

Through donor contributions the Trust strives to increase their grant funding each year, giving more resources to keep pets and families together.

The Nebraska Humane Society was among those who received a grant. Their grant will help support the Guardian Angel Foster Care program, where homeless dogs and cats spend time in the homes of 167 volunteer foster families as they recover from illnesses, heal from injuries, and prepare for adoption into permanent homes.

“The Nebraska Humane Society is thrilled to be the recipient of a BCT grant — it is a wonderful partnership that will allow us to help serve pets in need,” said Carole Steier, development associate of the group.

Another recipient was the Assistance Dogs of Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, which matches highly trained assistance dogs with people who have physical and psychological conditions in order to improve their quality of life.

“Our goal with the Banfield Charitable Trust grant is to strengthen the human-pet bond by increasing our training for our foster dogs and their handlers, by one hour per week for 30 weeks,” said Judy Gaetje, service dog supervisor. “This extra training will establish a more complete and ongoing bond when the individual and pet are placed together.”

Other grant recipients include the following:

• Deming Animal Guardians of Deming, N.M.;
• Monmouth County SPCA of Eatontown, N.J.;
• Service Dogs of Virginia of Charlottesville, Va.;
• Sarge’s Animals Rescue Foundation of Waynesville, N.C.;
• Oregon Humane Society of Portland, Ore.;
• Pets for Life Inc. of Kansas City, Mo.;
• Gateway to Canine Partnerships of Salt Lake City;
• Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society, Berkeley, Calif.;
• Carolina Canines for Service Inc. of Wilmington, N.C.;
• Humane Society of St. Joseph County of Mishawaka, Ind.;
• Assistance Dogs of the West of Santa Fe, N.M.;
• Second Chance 4 Pets of Los Gatos, Calif.;
• Argus Institute of Fort Collins, Colo.;
• Imagine It! The Children’s Museum of Atlanta;
• KSDS Inc. of Washington, Kan.;
• Working Wonders Children’s Museum of Bend, Ore.;
• Thirteen/WNET of New York;
• Portland Children’s Museum of Portland, Ore.

Since the inception of the grants program in 2004, the Banfield Charitable Trust has awarded more than $1 million in funding.

Two grant cycles are offered each year in January and June. The deadline for the next funding cycle is June 30. For details, visit Banfield’s website.