2022 Open Arms Challenge

Hi everyone!

Our Open Arms Challenge is now accepting applications, and we are excited to see them coming in!

Here are a few screenshots and tips to help you apply for the Open Arms Challenge once you have created your grants portal account:

1. Log into your grants portal account at Grantee Signin.  If you have trouble with your login, please email us at grants@maddiesfund.org or call us 925-310-5450.

2. Once you log in, you will land on the Grantee Dashboard.  In the upper right corner, select the "Explore Grant Opportunities" tab.

3. Once you click "Explore Grant Opportunities," you will be taken to a page that lists our open grant opportunities.  The only choice is the Open Arms Challenge.  Select that opportunity:

4. Read all of the important information about the Challenge and at the very bottom, on the right, you will see a blue button to "Create Application." Click that button to access the application.
If you have any questions about the grants portal or the Open Arms Challenge, we are happy to help!

Thanks so much!
Amber 

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Amber Eby
Maddie's Fund
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Hello,  our organization will once again not qualify to participate in this challenge, as we're a 501(c)(3) that works exclusively in the Balkan country of Montenegro.  We are a spay-neuter program that dedicates almost all the funds we raise to sterilization surgeries, but through volunteers we are able to do much more than just offer the surgeries.

In mid-January 2022 we will begin our own version of an "Open Arms" campaign, by starting outreach to the  isolated and very much maligned Roma communities within Montenegro.  It will be a long slow process, difficult on many levels: 

• many Montenegrins want nothing to do with the Roma, so we may need to rely on expats to do the outreach; 
• the level of poverty among the Roma is such that many households have no phones, and no outside contacts for scheduling appointments
• many Roma have no cars or pet carriers, so we will need to coordinate transport on a greater level than we've ever done
• we anticipate the need for far more basic help than we normally provide you ~ food, grooming tools, rabies vaccines and chips to comply with the law 
• There will undoubtedly be farm animals in need of care, which we will also need to help provide
• What do we do to help the children?

If there are any in this community who have worked with the Roma, or done outreach and  spay-neuter in areas of horrific poverty, I would be thrilled to have advice, resources, or just wise thoughts on this.

Thanks!!


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April King
Volunteer and Board Member
Kotor Kitties
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Hi April,
Thank you for your post and for all the work you are doing for this community!  Since Maddie's Fund grants are limited to the United States, I wanted to share these international organizations with you:

Animal Kind International (www.animal-kind.org)
The Animal Rescue Site (www.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com)
World Society for the Protection of Animals (http://www.wspa-usa.org
SPCA International (https://www.spcai.org/get-involved/shelter-support/shelter-grant-criteria/)
World Animal Foundation (http://www.worldanimalfoundation.net
Global Giving (https:/www.globalgiving.org/)
SPCA International (https://www.spcai.org/)
Dogs Trust International (http://www.dogstrustinternational.com/)
Humane Society International (https://www.hsi.org)
Candid.org (http://grantspace.org/Tools/Knowledge-Base/Resources-for-Non-U.S.-Grantseekers/Funding-for-non-US-organizations)

You are also welcome to join any of the huddles for the Open Arms Challenge, check out the Challenge Resource page and continue to participate in the forum.  There may be other forum groups specific to spay/neuter that you can join as well.

I'm sorry we can't assist you directly but hope that this information will be useful for you.  We're happy to answer any questions you may have and you can also email us at grants@maddiesfund.org.

Thank you again for all that you do!
Amber 

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Amber Eby
Maddie's Fund
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-23-2021 02:30 PM
From: April King
Subject: How to Register for Open Arms Challenge Using Your Grants Portal Account

Hello,  our organization will once again not qualify to participate in this challenge, as we're a 501(c)(3) that works exclusively in the Balkan country of Montenegro.  We are a spay-neuter program that dedicates almost all the funds we raise to sterilization surgeries, but through volunteers we are able to do much more than just offer the surgeries.

In mid-January 2022 we will begin our own version of an "Open Arms" campaign, by starting outreach to the  isolated and very much maligned Roma communities within Montenegro.  It will be a long slow process, difficult on many levels: 

• many Montenegrins want nothing to do with the Roma, so we may need to rely on expats to do the outreach; 
• the level of poverty among the Roma is such that many households have no phones, and no outside contacts for scheduling appointments
• many Roma have no cars or pet carriers, so we will need to coordinate transport on a greater level than we've ever done
• we anticipate the need for far more basic help than we normally provide you ~ food, grooming tools, rabies vaccines and chips to comply with the law 
• There will undoubtedly be farm animals in need of care, which we will also need to help provide
• What do we do to help the children?

If there are any in this community who have worked with the Roma, or done outreach and  spay-neuter in areas of horrific poverty, I would be thrilled to have advice, resources, or just wise thoughts on this.

Thanks!!


------------------------------
April King
Volunteer and Board Member
Kotor Kitties
------------------------------