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Grant ID:
1781
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Spay/Neuter North Central Florida's At-Risk Pets |
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Non-Profit |
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$25,000.00 |
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Alachua County Humane Society |
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Application Information |
Demographics
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Alachua County Humane Society
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www.alachuahumane.org
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Margot DeConna
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Director of Development
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[email protected]
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Heather Thomas
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[email protected]
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4205 NW 6th Street
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Gainesville
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Florida
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32609
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352-415-2460
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352-415-2461
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954-240-9819
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Agency Details
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01/01/1980
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Begin:
01/01/17
End:
12/31/17
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$2,095,675.50
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$1,669,051.26
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Full Time:
30
Part Time:
9
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832
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387.50
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We are a previous grant recipient.
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| Years Funded: 2011, 2013, 2016 Year(s) denied/incomplete:
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| Grant # | Proposal Year | Proposal Title | Status |
| 140 | 2010 | FAN Tag Grant | Denied |
| 274 | 2011 | Alachua County Humane Society Free Spay/Neuter Program | Funded |
| 359 | 2013 | Say Yes to Community Cats | Funded |
| 1494 | 2015 | Spay/Neuter Saves Lives | Denied |
| 1675 | 2016 | Spay/Neuter North Central Florida's At-Risk Dogs | Funded |
| 1781 | 2018 | Spay/Neuter North Central Florida's At-Risk Pets | Funded |
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Describe your Organization:
Applicant Qualifications
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For your organization, in the last complete fiscal year:
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1121
cats and
879
dogs were admitted.
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841
cats and 750
dogs were adopted. |
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27
cats and 8
dogs were euthanized. |
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2975
cats and 1993
dogs were sterilized. |
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Briefly describe your animal programs:
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If your program performs adoptions, are all animals sterilized before adoption?
Yes
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If not all, what percentage of animals are not currently sterilized before adoption?
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If not all, how are animals selected for sterilization before adoption?
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If not all, describe your sterilization policies and procedures for assuring sterilization
after adoption:
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Give additional background information on your organization's programs as they relate
to this application and the qualifications of the personnel who will be in charge
of this program. Show that you have the ability to carry out this program.
Alachua County Humane Society is focused on ending euthanasia in Alachua County and in our surrounding counties. The organization shelters animals transferred from Alachua County Animal Services (the county's open admission shelter)and shelters in surrounding counties with a focus on treatable animals slated for euthanasia (such as heartworm positive dogs and underage kittens). ACHS understands that adoptions alone will not end euthanasia and therefore manages Operation Petsnip, our community's only low-cost, high-volume spay/neuter clinic. We also work closely with Operation Catnip to spay and neuter community/feral cats. As the lead agency for Maddie’s Pet Rescue Partnership of Alachua County for the past ten years, ACHS recognizes the importance of and is accustomed to accurate accounting of program statistics. ACHS's Operation Petsnip spay/neuter clinic will perform all of the surgeries for this program. Operation Petsnip has performed close to 35,000 sterilizations in our community (nearly 5,000 last year) and has the capacity to perform substantially more. The Alachua County Humane Society employs a highly-trained veterinary surgeon and the entire Operation Petsnip clinic team are ASPCA/Humane Alliance trained to provide high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter services.
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If you currently have a program for sterilization of cats and/or dogs, describe
your current level of funding and productivity and why additional resources are
needed?
The Alachua County Humane Society's sterilization program is targeted at the animals in our foster care/adoption program that are rescued from Alachua County Animal Services or other surrounding county shelters. Approximately 95% of these animals are unsterilized when they come into our program. Our current funding allows for all adoptable pets to be sterilized at our clinic. Operation Petsnip is the only low-cost spay/neuter provider within 75 miles and provides thousands of low-cost sterilization surgeries to owned pets each year. Unfortunately, the need for sterilization surgeries is greatest among those who cannot afford to pay or those who are spay/neuter resistant in our community. In order provide critical spay/neuter surgeries that will help lower euthanasia rates in our community, we must provide outreach and resources to low-income and spay/neuter-resistant members of our community who cannot afford available low-cost services or who may not be persuaded to sterilize their pet unless the service is provided free of charge.
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Target Population |
Geographical target area (name of city, county, zip codes, geographical Information service (GIS), etc.):
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Alachua and surrounding counties |
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Total human population in target area:
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263,496 |
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Percent of residents living below poverty in target area:
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22.3 |
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Estimated number of pet cats in target area (human population divided by 3.3):
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79848 |
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Estimated number of pet dogs in target area (human population divided by 4.0):
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65874 |
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Estimated number of feral cats in target area (human population divided by 6.0):
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43916 |
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Number of cats admitted to animal control shelters in the target area last year
(if known) |
1971 |
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Number of dogs admitted to animal control shelters in the target area last year
(if known) |
2676 |
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Number of cats euthanized in animal control shelters in the target area last year
(if known) |
85 |
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Number of dogs euthanized in animal control shelters in the target area last year
(if known) |
183 |
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Please explain if you believe your target area animal population is significantly
different than above.
As a Maddie's Adoption Project community, Alachua County's rescue partners have invested significant resources in data tracking, analysis, reporting and accountability. We believe that the figures shown above are an extremely accurate reflection of our target area animal population. |
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Please explain what you believe are the most substantial sources of dog and cat
overpopulation in the target area:
Our research indicates that the most substantial sources of dog and cat overpopulation in Alachua & surrounding counties are free-roaming cats, pit bulls and pit mixes. |
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What kinds of spay/neuter services are currently available in the target area
and in what ways are these resources currently insufficient to meet community needs?
Private practice veterinarians in Alachua County charge market rates for sterilization surgery (ranging from $120 up to several hundred dollars per pet) and are available to serve middle to high income, motivated pet owners. Alachua County Humane Society's Operation PetSnip program offers prices ranging from $50-60 for cats and $80-90 for dog sterilization. While each of these resources is an important piece in our county's plan to eliminate pet overpopulation, there is a significant service gap for very low income pet owners and for those who are resistant to the idea of pet sterilization. For the neediest of our county's residents, even $50 or $80 is an unmanageable cost, while free surgery may be the
only practical incentive for pet owners who are resistant to spay/neuter education. |
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Florida Animal Friend is highly supportive of proposals that are focused on
animal populations that are identified as substantial sources of dog or cat overpopulation
rather than being diluted over too broad of a geographic area or diverse animal
populations. Describe the specific target animal population of the spay/neuter project
proposed for this grant:
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TNR Managed Colony Feral Cat Program/Community Cats (Free-Roaming and/or Owned) Program
Define the precise boundaries of the colony or targeted area, including estimate of square miles.
N/A
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What is the criteria used for determining the target area(s) and/or eligibility for this program?
N/A
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Describe whether the targeted area is rural, suburban, or urban. Is it commercial, residential, agricultural, or a designated special land use?
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Estimated number of cats in the target colony area
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0
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Estimated number that are currently sterilized: 0
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Projected reduction after utilizing the grant: 0
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For TNR program, describe the ability to maintain lifelong care for remaining cats, commitment level of volunteers/organizations, etc.
N/A
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Do current city/county ordinances address TNR or free-roaming cats?
Yes
Please explain what is allowed:
N/A
(NOTE: FAF will not fund any program this is inconsistent with local ordinances.) |
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For TNR program, list any groups or government agencies who support this TNR effort:
N/A
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Describe any effort to lessen the negative impact on local wildlife.
N/A
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Describe efforts that will be made to mitigate current or potential nuisance issues.
N/A
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Will the cats be ear-tipped?
Yes
Will the cats be microchipped?
No
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Provide any additional information that will help the grant selection
committee understand how this program will operate to achieve its goals.
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Objectives |
What do you hope to accomplish with these funds (objectives should be specific
and quantifiable)?
Our objective for the requested funds is to provide free sterilization surgery for 360 dogs/cats belonging to very low-income residents or to spay/neuter resistant pet owners by August 2019. |
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How does this program increase the number of sterilization surgeries above the
existing baseline?
Our objective for the requested funds will increase spay/neuter surgeries by a minimum of 360 surgeries above 2017-2018 levels for Alachua and surrounding counties. It will directly address pet owners who would not otherwise have their pets sterilized due to severe economic need or educational/cultural attitudes. |
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Methods |
What criteria will you use to determine eligibility for your program?
Low Income: We will target residents of Alachua and surrounding counties whose household income is at or below 150% of the 2017 federal poverty level. For example, a family of four earning $36,450 or less would be eligible for free spay/neuter assistance under these guidelines. For documentation of eligibility we will accept current Medicaid, Food Stamp or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)cards or a 2016/2017 federal income tax return. Documentation of participation in other low-income programs such as Head Start or Community Action Programming will also qualify.
Spay/Neuter Resistant Populations: We will also conduct special outreach for pet owners that are determined to be culturally resistant to pet sterilization. Staff will work with Alachua County Animal Control Officers to identify neighborhoods or individuals with high rates of impounds or known pet overpopulation issues. Selection factors will be documented in written notes for each recipient under the Resistant Populations criteria. |
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How will you advertise the program? Explain how the advertising will reach the target
audience.
Alachua County Humane Society receives daily requests for free spay/neuter services from pet owners bringing in animals to relinquish and from routine phone/walk-in traffic. We anticipate that these requests will increase once we announce the availability of free surgeries through this project. We will also advertise our program through community flyers, tabling, and outreach to organizations serving our target population. Furthermore, ACHS has a substantial social media following and all services will be advertised through our monthly e-newsletter and social media outlets. Finally, ACHS will employ its traditional outreach efforts including: classified advertising in local print and online media, PSAs and press releases, and public speaking opportunities at community and service club meetings. Alachua County Humane Society possesses the strongest name recognition among animal welfare agencies in our community. More calls for help with animal issues come to our phone lines than any other non-governmental agency. ACHS is uniquely positioned to deliver solutions for animal welfare issues such as spay/neuter. |
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How will you address barriers to full use of the program such as transportation,
illiteracy, and cultural hurdles?
Transportation: for program participants without transportation we can provide pick-up and return of pets and loan of secure pet carriers, upon request.
Illiteracy: Because our outreach model relies heavily on personal contact and referrals from community partners, we do not anticipate that illiteracy will be a significant barrier to full use of the program.
Cultural hurdles: We will work to ensure that our staff and outreach volunteers reflect the cultural diversity of our community. All written program materials will be available in both
English and Spanish, and a translation volunteer will be available for Spanish speaking pet owners. |
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Does this project involve the transportation of animals by someone other than
the client? If so, describe the vehicles, methods for confinement, personnel training,
liability releases used to assure the safety of the animals and handlers.
This project only involves transportation of animals on an as-needed basis. For those requesting transportation assistance, one of our trained animal care staff will use an ACHS animal transport truck to transport dogs in separated, air conditioned kennels. Our personnel are trained in animal handling and covered by our organization's liability and workers compensation insurance policies. Pet owners requesting transportation will sign a release form prior to pick-up of their
pet.
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Veterinary Services |
What arrangements have you made with veterinarians to perform the surgeries?
The Alachua County Humane Society operates our community's local ASPCA/Humane Alliance model community spay/neuter clinic,Operation PetSnip. Operation PetSnip's team of highly skilled veterinarians and technicians will perform all surgeries for this project.
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Veterinary Practices
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Fee Range
What is the fee range to be paid for spay and neuter and what is the distribution
to be paid by the client vs. the grant program? Keep in mind that Florida Animal
Friend grant funds may only be used for costs directly associated with sterilization
surgery (including anesthesia and pain control) and not for other items such as
vaccines, testing, licensing, and capital purchases.
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Please check each item below to indicate additional services offered at the time
of surgery, whether the client is required to pay for them, and if so what the fee
is. For example, if an examination is required for surgery but is not charged to
the client it would be marked: Required
Yes, Fee to client
No
None of the anticipated grant funds can be used for any of the above services, except for pain medication.
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If necessary, please explain the procedures and fees described above:
Rabies vaccinations are required, if due. The cost to the client is $18.00. Medication for tapeworms, hook/round worms and fleas are also available to the client for a nominal fee. E-collars are available for $15.00.
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Is this a voucher program?
No
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If so, how will you assure compliance with the program?
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For your voucher program, how have you determined the capacity of the veterinarians listed above to handle the projected capacity?
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Will you have the ability to report the number of vouchers issued and the percentage that result in S/N surgeries?
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To assure the success of your program, are there any local groups (such as rescue groups, animal control agencies, TNR groups, local businesses, local media, social service agencies,etc.) other than your organization and your cooperating veterinarians who are committed to assist?
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Please list them and detail their level of involvement with the proposed effort.
| Alachua County Board of County Commissioners | The Board of County Commissioners are dedicated to reducing and ending animal euthanasia in Alachua
County. Alachua County Commissioner, Robert Hutchinson, actively serves on several animal welfare
Boards and Foundations, embracing pet sterilization as the necessary and positive action to reduce pet
overpopulation.
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| Alachua County Animal Services | Alachua County Animal Services (ACAS) staff and director have an ongoing partnership with the Alachua
County Humane Society to promote ACHS's programs and humane education efforts in the community.
ACAS will also help ACHS's outreach efforts by providing data on the zip codes and neighborhoods where
they frequently encounter stray or unaltered animals. |
| Gainesville Pet Rescue | Gainesville Pet Rescue and the Alachua County Humane Society field hundreds of shelter diversion calls
each week. We work together to help target animals who may otherwise end up at the county shelter without
the help of free spay/neuter surgeries.
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| Helping Hands Pet Rescue | Helping Hands Pet Rescue and the Alachua County Humane Society work together to help take in animals who may otherwise end up at risk of being euthanized at the county shelter. |
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Other Information |
Provide any additional information that will help the grant selection committee
understand how the program will operate to achieve its goals.
The Alachua County Humane Society will reach out to low income and spay/neuter resistant pet owners to offer free sterilizations for dogs and cats through Operation PetSnip. ACHS and our community partners believe that targeting very low income and spay/neuter resistant pet owners is the key to increasing pet sterilization above baseline numbers, as these are the pet
owners least likely to ever sterilize their cats and dogs. By providing a special fund for free spay/neuter surgery and facilitating participation through outreach and other support, this project will directly address the most entrenched barriers in our community: poverty and cultural resistance. At an average cost of only $70 per surgery, this project is an excellent investment of Florida Animal Friend funding with huge potential to keep the most at-risk pets out of our county shelters. |
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Budget |
Total number of sterilization surgeries projected:
Cats:
180
Dogs: 180
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Total budget requested (Budget should not exceed $25,000):
$25,000.00
Average cost/surgery projected:
$70.00
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Describe any expenses that are not included in the grant and how they will be paid for (for example, vaccines, microchipping, ear notching, etc.):
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Describe any other funding sources for this program, i.e. other grants, targeted fundraising efforts, budget allocation, etc.
Grant funds will be used specifically for the costs of spay/neuter surgery for dogs and cats belonging to low-income or spay/neuter resistant pet owners. The cost of outreach, including printing and staff time will be absorbed by our ongoing Public Education and Outreach programs. We will also solicit cash as well as in-kind donations from the community, businesses and corporate partners. Targeted fundraising efforts will be engaged by the Director of Development on staff including the use of volunteers and interns.
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What percent of the total cost of the program would this projected grant cover?
100
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Timeline |
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All projects must be completed within 12 months of receipt of funding. |
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Projected start date:
08/01/18/
Projected end date:
07/31/19 |
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Unexpended funds
Any unexpended funds must be refunded to Florida Animal Friend within 30 days of the end of the project.
Requests for extensions
Requests for time extensions are discouraged and not often granted. If it is imperative to request an extension, such request must be made in writing at least 30 days prior to the end of the project. It is FAF’s policy to seldom grant more than a 30-60 day extension.
Failure to submit reports and requests within the required time period will impact your agency’s future grant applications. |
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Future Funding to Sustain Public Spay/Neuter |
*Explain how the organization plans to fund this program in the future. Having sustainable plans
including other grants, local donations and other services generating revenue enhances the chances of receiving this grant.
We are excited about the potential impact of this project on Alachua County Animal Services' intake and euthanasia statistics and we believe our local community will share this excitement as they see euthanasia rates continue to decline due to the lifesaving results of
spay/neuter. We plan to leverage this community enthusiasm to create a permanent fund where donors can make directed gifts. We will continue to use the statistical outcomes of the project period to demonstrate impact and effectiveness and make the case for continued support from our major donors and grant makers.
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Promotion of Florida Animal Friend Spay/Neuter License Plate |
*Applicants selected for funding are expected to publicize their grant in support of their spay/neuter program and promote the sale of the Animal Friend license plate via press releases, newsletters, website links, social media, etc. Please describe your plan to promote the Florida Animal Friend Spay/Neuter License Plate. Grantees are required to submit documentation of promotional endeavors with their final report.
The Alachua County Humane Society is grateful for the investment Florida Animal Friend, Inc. is making on behalf of our state's pets. We will acknowledge the Florida Animal Friend grant program through a dedicated press release, on social media, and on
our website. Furthermore, we will promote the Florida Animal Friend Spay/Neuter License Plate through a permanent display in our adoption center, through links on our website and Facebook page, and in a printed advertisement in Woofstock program each Fall. |
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