The tables have turned at Maddie’s Fund®. “Our grant process used to be that we would tell you what to do with the money,” said Mary Ippoliti-Smith of the Executive Leadership Team. “Now people are telling us what they’re going to do with it. It’s pretty awesome.”
She’s talking about the $360,000 Maddie’s Fund just awarded to 67 organizations that applied for Innovation Grants in August of this year.
“We really enjoyed going through all of the applications and seeing the different ideas people are coming up with,” said Maddie’s Fund Grants Specialist Kelly Clardy. The response was huge with over 400 applicants. “It’s exciting to see how this kind of out-of-the-box thinking will help save more lives on a national level.”
The innovative ideas come from all over the U.S. Spay to Save in Washington is implementing a new program where dogs learn how to search for a specific odor to save kittens left behind during TNR trapping of feral cats. Once found, kittens will be placed in foster homes.
On the east coast, Delaware’s Forgotten Cats, Inc. plans to create a model for establishing partnerships with apartment complexes that can be applied in DE, PA, NJ and MD, working to change cat policies, sterilizing owned cats in their complexes and reducing the number of free roaming cats.
SPCA of Tompkins County in New York plans to decrease owner surrenders by implementing a program to provide kenneling for owners who are faced with extraordinary circumstances. The program will be to board the pets until the owner is able to once again care for the animals and thus remove the need for owners to surrender pets.
Oregon Humane Society knows collaboration and sharing knowledge will get us to no-kill that much faster. They’ve created a position for a Shelter Consultant who will travel to West Coast shelters and provide expertise from OHS learnings over the years.
In California, Town Cats of Morgan Hill is expanding their foster care program to have more capacity to take in more kittens during “kitten season” each year. They will provide starter kits and/or “full foster lifetime supply kits” during the 2017 kitten season.
And the list goes on! Please join us in congratulating the full list of winners below. You’ll find the name of the organization followed by the innovation category and name of idea.
| Organization Name | Grant Category | Name of Idea Request |
| Animal Rescue League of Boston | Keeping Pets in Their Homes | Workshops for Pet Owners |
| Animal Resource Team | Marketing and PR | Progressive PR/Marketing |
| AnimalKind | Community Outreach | Free Spay/Neuter |
| Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) | Keeping Pets in Their Homes | Community Pet Day Program |
| Bound Angels | Shelter Behavior | Teach Canine Behavior to Shelter Staff |
| Brandywine Valley SPCA | Alternative to Intake | Teach Cat Care |
| Cat Adoption Team | Capacity for Care | Kennel Upgrades |
| CatCafe Lounge | Capacity for Care | Cat Cafe |
| Charleston Animal Society | Capacity for Care | Two Projects: Dog Adoption Floor Renovation and Pet Owner Assistance |
| Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA | Community Outreach | Mobile Unit Funding |
| Clay County Animal Rescue and Shelter | Community Outreach | Mobile Spay/Neuter Event |
| Critters Without Litters | Targeted TNR | Targeted TNR |
| Deming Animal Guardians | Capacity for Care | New Building |
| Dylan’s Hearts | Keeping Pets in Their Homes | Low Cost Medical Treatment |
| Felines Under Rescue (F.U.R.) | Targeted TNR | Fix 100 Ferals |
| Forgotten Cats, Inc. | Industry Partnerships | Partnerships with Apartment Complexes |
| Fortunate Ferals | Targeted TNR | TNR Spay/Neuter Surgeries |
| Grassroots Animal Rescue | Capacity for Care | Improving Puppy Care Unit |
| Helping Pawz, Inc. | Community Outreach | Dog Assistance |
| Homeward Trails Animal Rescue | Engaging the Public | Kitties to the People Program |
| Humane Society of Edmonson County | Sustainability | Fund Development |
| Humane Society of Manatee County | Shelter Behavior | Create Relaxation Station |
| Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region | Keeping Pets in Their Homes | Program to Redirect Owner-Surrenders |
| Indianapolis Animal Care Services | Foster Care | Two Projects: Cats w/ Tatts Foster Program, Behaviorist Training |
| Jacksonville Humane Society | Training and Development | Training at Humane Alliance |
| KC Pet Project | Marketing and PR | Video Equipment Purchase |
| Kentucky Humane Society | Shelter Behavior | Sam Swope Pet Retreat |
| Kitty City Kansas Rescue, Inc. | Targeted TNR | Targeted TNR |
| Lake City Humane Society | Removing Barriers to Adoption | Adoption Ambassador Program |
| Long Beach Animal Care Services | Engaging Volunteers | Street Team for Mobile Adoption Vehicle |
| Lost Dogs Arizona | Keeping Pets in Their Homes | Train Shelters |
| Making a Difference Now | Engaging Volunteers | Annual Animal Conference |
| Maui Humane Society | Targeted TNR | Targeted TNR |
| McKamey Animal Center | Shelter Behavior | Training Shelter Dogs |
| N.O.A.H. | Technology and Data and Metrics | Transition to Electronic System |
| One Tail at a Time | Training and Development | Training Dogs with Behavior Issues |
| Oregon Humane Society | Industry Partnerships | Shelter Consultant Position |
| Oshkosh Area Humane Society | Engaging Volunteers | Stress Busters Volunteer Program |
| Panhandle Animal Shelter | Sustainability | Humane Network Evaluation |
| PARTNERS! Canines | Industry Partnerships | Transport Animals for Medical Care |
| PAWS | Engaging Volunteers | Comprehensive Volunteer Program |
| Paws South Florida Rescue, Inc. | Foster Care | Senior Cat Placement |
| Rescue Express | Removing Barriers to Adoption | Transportation Service |
| Rescue Ranch | Capacity for Care | Shelter Expansion |
| Rochester Animal Services | Community Outreach | Medical and Behavioral Assistance |
| Ruff Patches | Keeping Pets in Their Homes | Expand Pet Food Bank & Veterinary Fund |
| S.P.A.R.C. | Keeping Pets in Their Homes | Support and Education Program for Pet Owners |
| Sacramento SPCA | Removing Barriers to Adoption | Streamline Adoption Process |
| Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society | Community Outreach | Family Pet Program |
| Saving Grace | Targeted TNR | Targeted TNR |
| Shenandoah Valley Animal Services Center | Community Outreach | Free Vaccination Clinic |
| Spay Spa & Neuter Nook/Rude Ranch Animal Rescue | Targeted TNR | Change a City Code |
| Spay To Save | Targeted TNR | Train Search Dogs for Lost Kittens |
| Spay-Neuter Illinois Pets (SNIP) Alliance | Keeping Pets in Their Homes | Mobile Spay/Neuter Clinic |
| SPCA of Tompkins County | Industry Partnerships | Temporary Kenneling for Dogs |
| Springfield Humane Society | Foster Care | Two Projects: Short-Term Medical Assistance and Behavioral College Training |
| St. Mary’s Animal Welfare League | Shelter Behavior | Behavior Program for Dogs |
| Sumner Spay Neuter Alliance | Return to Field and SNR | Educate Animal Control on TNR/SNR |
| The Humane Society at Lollypop Farms | Keeping Pets in Their Homes | Pet Peeves Behavior Help Service |
| The Meow Mission | Removing Barriers to Adoption | Meow Mission Program |
| Thomasville-Thomas County Humane Society, Inc | Return to Field and SNR | New Return-to-Field Program |
| Toccoa Stephens County Humane Shelter | Community Outreach | Low Cost Spay/Neuter Program |
| Town Cats | Removing Barriers to Adoption | Three Projects: Adoption “Pop Ups”, Development Consultant, Kitten Kits |
| Trap Neuter Return Riverside | Return to Field and SNR | Working Cat Program |
| Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter | Capacity for Care | Medical and Behavior Assistance Program |
| Wag N Train | Community Outreach | Community Education and Assistance |
| Watauga Humane Society | Training and Development | Coalition Training |
Have an innovative idea you’d like to implement at your shelter or rescue organization? Join the Maddie Network to be one of the first humans notified of the next Innovation Grant application window, opening in early 2017!