Animal Welfare Professionals

A group of us from south eastern Kentucky are trying to start a nonprofit no kill animal shelter, and are looking for a building, and don't have the funds to build or buy property.  Any startup suggestions?  We need a building!  All of the grants require at least two years of financials, or do not fund new businesses, or will not fund buildings, etc.

A group of us from south eastern Kentucky are trying to start a nonprofit no kill animal shelter, and are looking for a building, and don't have the funds to build or buy property.  Any startup suggestions?  We need a building!  All of the grants require at least two years of financials, or do not fund new businesses, or will not fund buildings, etc.

Good Morning
When we started Paws in Middle Georgia, we got all of our 501c, Dept of Ag, and business permits first. Then we started out as a foster based rescue. We were fortunate enough about 6mo in, to find a building that was previously a dog wash and we rent that.  We are just now filing our 3rd year of taxes so we can start looking into loans & grants to purchase our own location.

A group of us from south eastern Kentucky are trying to start a nonprofit no kill animal shelter, and are looking for a building, and don't have the funds to build or buy property.  Any startup suggestions?  We need a building!  All of the grants require at least two years of financials, or do not fund new businesses, or will not fund buildings, etc.

This is Kimberly at Stray Kitty Rescue. How has renting been? Are you seeing ends meet? What is your strategy if you so not mind sharing? We renovated several parts of our home to accommodate the cats and kittens because renting and loans are overwhelming. 

Good Morning
When we started Paws in Middle Georgia, we got all of our 501c, Dept of Ag, and business permits first. Then we started out as a foster based rescue. We were fortunate enough about 6mo in, to find a building that was previously a dog wash and we rent that.  We are just now filing our 3rd year of taxes so we can start looking into loans & grants to purchase our own location.

A group of us from south eastern Kentucky are trying to start a nonprofit no kill animal shelter, and are looking for a building, and don't have the funds to build or buy property.  Any startup suggestions?  We need a building!  All of the grants require at least two years of financials, or do not fund new businesses, or will not fund buildings, etc.

Good Morning Ms Kim
Renting has been OK. Obviously we all wish we could have a gorgeous building but we make do.  Its really your landlord that will make or break it. 
The house is L shaped and we have cats in the rooms on one side and the dogs in the other with a vetting room in the middle. The cat side is easy. The only things we will have to replace when we leave is mini blinds LOL. We took in 2 stray cats that local lady was feeding and they weren't fans of being trapped in a room. 
Dog side is rougher as one can imagine. Chewed trim, broken doors, holes in walls, etc. We fix what needs to be fixed for safety but will wait til we leave to do a full repair of all the damages.
We have a building fund that we try to put money into each month, however the last board had some issues (lost lots of vols, took in the wrong mix of animals, etc) and they hit a point of having to use money from the bldg fund to cover expenses. 
We are hoping to be able to get something outside of the city so we can have enough lands to make big dog runs and a play yard for them to help get energy out better. We've found a few other places that are willing to rent to us, but we have to take into consideration the cost to set up the new place and make the repairs to the old place - which for now has kept us where we are.
Look at your city/county zoning to see which ones allow for animal shelters or animal boarding. Then just watch for rentals in that zoning. Cats on one hand are less likely to cause damages, but some people worry about spraying and the odors that will leave behind. 
Come up with a business plan of exactly how you plan to house the animals within the building. Catios, free roam, etc. Have a couple different ones. One for like a shell building (no walls or anything inside), one for maybe a converted house (what we have), etc. Spell out the important details. Like - do you have various shifts of people that will come in daily to clean - odors are a concern for many landlords. Noise levels for neighbors?  How you plan to take care of damages caused by your animals. 
If you have been operating as a foster based such as what you are doing now - you can give them a report of how many animals you adopt out, what your profits are each month to cover expenses such as rent, utilities, and insurance.  
I don't know if I rambled or answered your question but let me know lol!

This is Kimberly at Stray Kitty Rescue. How has renting been? Are you seeing ends meet? What is your strategy if you so not mind sharing? We renovated several parts of our home to accommodate the cats and kittens because renting and loans are overwhelming. 

Good Morning
When we started Paws in Middle Georgia, we got all of our 501c, Dept of Ag, and business permits first. Then we started out as a foster based rescue. We were fortunate enough about 6mo in, to find a building that was previously a dog wash and we rent that.  We are just now filing our 3rd year of taxes so we can start looking into loans & grants to purchase our own location.

A group of us from south eastern Kentucky are trying to start a nonprofit no kill animal shelter, and are looking for a building, and don't have the funds to build or buy property.  Any startup suggestions?  We need a building!  All of the grants require at least two years of financials, or do not fund new businesses, or will not fund buildings, etc.