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Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

  • 1.  Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-09-2023 12:25 PM

    Updated 11/13/23 at 4:06pm - Recording now available!

    We hope to see you on Monday, 11/13/23 at 11am PT at the last Community Conversations call of November for a panel discussion on, "Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking." We've gathered a group of panelists from animal grantmaking organizations to share insights into their mission-driven work. Hear from folks at Maddie's Fund, Michelson Found Animals Foundation, PetSmart Charities and UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program and learn more about how they're approaching their philanthropy and changing the game for animal grantmaking.

    Panelists:

    Maddie's Fund will also be announcing the October grant winners for Community Conversations and Maddie's Pet Forum. Be sure to tune in to see if you've won!

    Register here for our Weekly Community Conversations Calls taking place on Mondays at 11am PT: maddies.fund/CommunityConversationsRegistration
      
    If you are unable to make it live on Monday, this thread will be updated with the recording and resources so you can watch and share whenever you'd like.  After you watch the recording on-demand or attend the call live, be sure to complete this November entry form to enter to win up to a $5,000 grant: https://www.maddiesfund.org/weekly-community-conversations-nov23-giveaway.htm


    #FundraisingandDevelopment

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    Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
    Maddie's Fund
    ------------------------------



  • 2.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-13-2023 12:04 PM

    Hi, I'm Karina from Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue. I really enjoyed today's presentation. Thank you to Nadia, Rory, and Irene for sharing information about the orgs you represent and your grant programs. How does one build the kind of relationships that would lead to an invitation to apply for a grant? The suggestion of building relationships is broad idea. With whom should these relationships be cultivated? It seems like a lot of this would have to be virtual. In the academic world, conferences where one could present their work was a main forum for nurturing such relationships. How does it work in the animal welfare context? Thanks!



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    Karina Reyes
    President, CEO
    Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue
    IL
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  • 3.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-13-2023 03:09 PM

    I'm Traci from West Columbia Gorge Humane Society and I've only been in this community of animal helpers for the last year. I too wonder about how to go about building relationships with grant makers. Thanks for any ideas or maybe this is a topic for another conversation. Today's information was a great help. Thank you for coordinating and participating. 



    ------------------------------
    Traci Tingley
    Grant Writer
    West Columbia Gorge Humane Society
    WA
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  • 4.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-13-2023 05:10 PM

    Hi Traci! I added a reply to Karina that I hope will be helpful! :)



    ------------------------------
    [Nadia] [Oseguera]
    [she/her]
    [CA Program Manager]
    [Koret Shelter Medicine Program]
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-14-2023 02:03 PM

    Hi, Traci!

    Thanks for your suggestion. We'll keep it in mind for a future Community Conversation topic. I also responded to Karina, and hope that you find it helpful.

    Irene



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    Irene Chansawang
    Senior Grants Specialist
    Maddie's Fund
    ------------------------------



  • 6.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-14-2023 04:58 PM

    Hi Traci, Irene and Nadia have provided great answers and a I'll echo: when foundations offer ways to engage with their awesome team,  take advantage of those opportunities.

    I'll also offer some general tips from my POV as a grant writer. Building relationships with grant makers is like building any other relationship. Be yourself,  ask as many questions as you answer, and recognize that authentic relationships take time to form. 

    When foundations have professional staff, there is usually contact information you can find for a program officer or grants specialist on the foundation's website or their 990 form. Reach out to the program officer, introduce yourself and your organization, and either ask for a call to learn more about the grantmaker--what do they fund, what is their decision making process, and what do they like for reporting and recognition--or ask these questions via email. Down the road (on the "third date") you can also invite them to come tour your facility, meet your leadership and staff, and play with some kittens. Invite prospective partners to a community event your organization is hosting, or to lunch to learn more about each other. They may say no, but you never know. 

    Also, always take care to read a funder's website thoroughly (if they have one) before reaching out so you aren't asking questions you could have found answers to.  The number one rule in grant writing is to follow instructions. Take the time to read, research, and digest so you are prepared and make good use of a foundation's staff's time.

    If a foundation doesn't accept unsolicited applications, then you'll want to tweak your questions to learn more about them and what it might take to be considered for their next round of invitations. Do NOT send in an application if they accept them only by invitation!

    I hope that helps!



    ------------------------------
    Stephanie Macgill
    Founder
    SixOneFive Oracles
    AR
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 12-04-2023 12:35 PM

    Hi Stephanie:

    I found this very helpful and the process is not that unlike what was my experience in my former life as an academic. Thank you for taking the time.



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    Karina Reyes
    President, CEO
    Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue
    IL
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  • 8.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-13-2023 05:08 PM

    Hi Karina! Although our program is limited to CA-based shelters, I'll answer in case it helps you (or any CA orgs). Our program releases requests for proposals (RFP) but we also keep our "door" open to any organizations who want to share programmatic ideas that we might be able to fund. Another tool we use to invite organizations in are our Welcome Grants and Portal Grants. These are ongoing (almost guaranteed) funding opportunities. Lastly, we host biweekly calls for CA organizations, which allow us to get to know each other. (Here is the registration page for the call.

    I think the effort to build relationships and trust needs to come from both parties, and I'd even argue that funders should take the lead in relationship-building (to the extent that they can). For instance, during our last RFP period, we searched and reached out to shelters and animal control agencies in counties we hadn't worked with yet - focusing on high and moderate to high vulnerability counties. The approach was similar to what we would encourage shelters to do with their communities - send a post card or a flyer to let them know about our program and what we offer.

    Lastly, we talked about power dynamics and one way to dismantle this dynamic is by proactively initiating relationships with organizations who might not otherwise know they can pursue funding opportunities. 



    ------------------------------
    [Nadia] [Oseguera]
    [she/her]
    [CA Program Manager]
    [Koret Shelter Medicine Program]
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 12-04-2023 12:40 PM

    Hi Nadia:

    I found this very informative! Thanks, Nadia! I am going to follow a lot of the great advice I got on this form.



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    Karina Reyes
    President, CEO
    Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue
    IL
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  • 10.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-14-2023 11:09 AM

    Hi, Karina,

    We don't typically make site visits, so as a national funder, one of the ways we learn about organizations is through participation in the Challenges. We've built upon these relationships by awarding grants and inviting grantees to engage in different opportunities (for example, create an online education course for Maddie's University, speak at a Maddie's Community Conversation, or as a feature in our newsletter).

    A majority of our funding is restricted for programs. So when thinking about with whom to cultivate relationships, I think the question might be where might there be strategic alignment? Are you seeking a shelter consultation, continuing education, or ways to make your organization more inclusive and welcoming? Of course, @Amber Eby and I are always happy to help answer any questions, but I want to reiterate that we do not typically fund general operations. Some of the larger grants we provide are for system-wide changes.

    I agree with Nadia's comments as well, regarding the capability of funders to seek out partnerships, especially in communities that have been historically marginalized and have less visibility. On another note, if anyone is able to attend upcoming conferences, please let us know! If any of our staff is present, we'd love to see you in person!

    Thanks for all you do for people and pets, and congratulations, again, on the Community Conversation grant!

    Irene 

    ------------------------------
    Irene Chansawang
    Senior Grants Specialist
    Maddie's Fund
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-14-2023 04:58 PM

    Hi Karina, I posted a reply to Traci, below that should help.  And I'll add more here as well.

    When you are looking to build a relationship with a national funder, yes, much of it would be virtual. A lot of good information sharing can occur over the phone or zoom and this is standard practice in the grant world. If a prospective funder is local or within a few hours drive, you'd want to aim for some face time eventually--invite them for a tour, to attend an event, to lunch, to a puppy playdate, etc. You can have fun with your best asset: the animals! But much of the initial outreach and discovery can occur virtually.

    Animal welfare conferences are also great places to meet animal grantmakers. A lot of the grantmakers, especially the national ones, are conference sponsors and have booths in the exhibit halls and/or send staff for the purpose of networking with grantees. You don't have to be a presenter to attend and network. HSUS Expo and Best Friends National Conference are just a few that come to mind, and there are other conferences that could be well worth your while. I'm sure folks in this forum can help you with that.

    Good luck in your efforts!

    Hope that helps!



    ------------------------------
    Stephanie Macgill
    Founder
    SixOneFive Oracles
    AR
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-13-2023 12:04 PM

    Thank you so much for an informative conversation! 

    Just a side note, when entering the weekly community contest it just brings me back to the main landing page with no confirmation the entry was received.  A confirmation would be helpful as I sometimes have the url up and get distracted to enter at that moment, I don't want to enter more than once by accident!



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    Jenna Ricci
    Volunteer
    Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue
    CO
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  • 13.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-13-2023 04:26 PM

    Thanks to the 177+ people who joined us on today's Community Conversations call! The recording is now available to watch on-demand and you can find a recap of the agenda, national updates and highlights from the chat below. Congratulations to the October Community Conversations Grant Giveaway winner @Karina Reyes from Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue in La Grange Park, IL who received a $5,000 grant for attending the calls! Also congrats to the Maddie's Pet Forum October grant winner @Steve Gorski from Animal Care League in Oak Park, IL. 

    You can enter to win a grant for the month of November by completing this giveaway form each time you join us live or watch a recording: https://www.maddiesfund.org/weekly-community-conversations-nov23-giveaway.htm

    As a reminder, we will be taking a two week break for the upcoming holiday. We will see you again on Monday, December 4th at 11am PT. 

    Recap

    • Welcome From Hosts
    • Maddie's Fund October Grant Winners
      • Weekly Community Conversations 1 winner of $5k is Karina Reyes, Citizen Canine Senior Dog Rescue in La Grange Park, IL
      • Maddie's Pet Forum $3k winner is Steve Gorski, Animal Care League in Oak Park, IL

    • National Updates
    • Today's Presentation: Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking
    • Highlights from the Chat
      • "Earlier this year, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington started hosting a foster social event once a month. Since they started, every event has resulted in getting at least 4 dogs into foster homes! Their Director of Behavior and Pathway Planning will be telling us about these events on December 7th at Camp Maddie. Learn more at https://chewonthis.maddiesfund.org/2023/10/join-us-in-december-for-camp-maddie/" - Kelly Duer
        • "This is such a great idea!" - Jennifer Salan
      • "Ayyyyy for trans folks in Animal Well-Being spaces! 🏳️‍⚧️" - Miguel Ruelas
      • "Looking forward to more nationwide funding opportunities for spay/ neuter! So needed." - Liz Jones
        • "Agreed. It seems like grantmakers have been drifting away from plain ol' spay & neuter funding in the last 5-8 years, and we as a country are simply not ready to move past that yet!" - Amanda Coburn
        •  "I agree with that, so this is a very helpful discussion." - Ernest Hagan
      • "Tough times to measure euthanasia rates. The dynamics have changed so much post COVID." - Michelle Russillo
      • "Rory:  Our shelter had 3 adoptions from Petsmart Myrtle beach this weekend 🐶🐱🐱" - Ami Feller
      • "Yay FIV and Felvie cats in stores!!" - Amanda Gra
      • "We LOVE our CAC adoptions 🐱" - Shonyae Johnson
      • "Good to hear about FIV acceptance in the stores!" - June Thomas
      • "Special place in my heart for "FeLVies" 🙂" - Jenna Riedi
      • "I'm confused, Irene. So does Maddie take unsolicited apps or not? Maybe I misunderstood." - Karina Reyes
        • "Hi Karina, Maddie's Fund does not generally accept unsolicited applications or grant requests outside of our application cycle.  The best way to stay up-to-date on our grant cycles is to join the Maddie's Mailing List: https://www.maddiesfund.org/maddies-mailing-list.htm" - Amber Eby
        • "No, Karina.  We don't accept unsolicited applications.  The Open Arms challenge is a request for applications.  Any other projects we are funding in the shelter medicine, access to care, etc. spaces have been a result of us working directly with a specific group." - Mary @ Maddie's Fund
        • "Strategic grantmaking is sometimes what it's referred to as, but echoing Amber and Mary. Thanks for asking for clarification, Karina!" - Irene Chansawang
      • "I am so inspired by the Maddie's Fund huddles; we are hoping to learn more about that and incorporate in our reporting." - Rory Adams
      • "It's also our responsibility as funders to know what the numbers are telling us, and where the need and opportunity is." - Rory Adams
      • "How can other surrender prevention programs apply at Michelson?" - Kristin Moro
        • "Hi Kristin, we, like Maddie's Fund do not accept unsolicited grant requests. Historically, our grant making progress has been by invitation only. We are working on developing an open grant cycle for our SN programs which may include facets of surrender prevention. The best way to stay in touch with us right now is to follow us on social media and our newsletter. Thanks so much for your question." - Jen Naitaki
      • "The work now has a heavy aspect of being social work not just animal welfare work." - Michelle Russillo
      • "Great panel! Thank you!" - Natasha Orslene



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    Charlotte Otero
    Community Strategist at Maddie's Fund
    she/her
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  • 14.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-14-2023 08:13 AM

    Are there any other "get started in grants" resources available or more "streamlined" grants available that are easier to apply for? 

    For our shelter, our biggest challenge is not having dedicated staff or bandwidth to learn all the ins and outs of grant writing and putting together the necessary materials to submit for a grant.  

    I suspect many smaller rescues have the same issue and these are the organizations that could benefit greatly.  Many do not have the ability to put together elaborate proposals or programs and simply need money for day to day operations.   



    ------------------------------
    Jenna Ricci
    Volunteer
    Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue
    CO
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-15-2023 10:14 AM

    Hi Jenna,

    I understand what you're saying. I often recommend folks look to their local foundations (including corporate) to see if there are more responsive grantmaking approaches within their community. 

    We'll also try to feature more speakers on the topic of fundraising. 



    ------------------------------
    Irene Chansawang
    Senior Grants Specialist
    Maddie's Fund
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-20-2023 09:31 AM

    Thank you so much for the reply, Irene!  



    ------------------------------
    Jenna Ricci
    Volunteer
    Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue
    CO
    ------------------------------



  • 17.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-14-2023 09:29 AM

    This was a very informative conversation but are there any suggestions on how "for profit" organizations can apply for these grants?  We LOVE helping the strays in our community but at some point we won't be able to shoulder that burden.  There have been some great ideas shared with me but in the grant making scheme of things, is there anything I can do to make our organization and what we're doing an option for those entities that ONLY give to non profits?



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    Dianna Pedersen
    Office Manager
    Abilene Animal Hospital
    KS
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  • 18.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-15-2023 10:25 AM

    Hi, Dianna,

    Thanks for joining us for the call. That's a great question! Since private family foundations have restrictions on grantmaking to organizations with specific IRS classifications, you may want to try partnering with public charities to see if the work and any funding can be shared. Also, I'm not familiar with other foundation structures, such as corporate, which might have flexibility in the types of organizations they can support. There might be small business grants available, but that is all outside the scope of the work of Maddie's Fund. 

    Irene 



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    Irene Chansawang
    Senior Grants Specialist
    Maddie's Fund
    ------------------------------



  • 19.  RE: Community Conversations - 11/13/23 - Changing the Game in Animal Grantmaking

    Posted 11-15-2023 07:31 PM

    Hi Dianna! 

    I echo what Irene shared below. I wonder if you could set up some sort of medical fund for helping community cats that community members and local businesses could contribute to or round up their transaction towards. If you find yourself doing a lot of this pro bono work, definitely consider what it might take to create a nonprofit arm of your org. It's not always the right answer, but could be at some point. 



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    Jennifer Naitaki
    VP, Programs and Strategic Initiatives
    Michelson Found Animals
    CA
    ------------------------------