Grant ID: 1754
Title of Proposal: Hillsborough Pit Bulls and Free Roaming Cats
Agency Type: Non-Profit
Total Funding Requested: $25,000.00
Check Payable To: Humane Society of Tampa Bay
Application Information
Demographics
Name of Applicant Agency: Humane Society of Tampa Bay Website Address: www.humanesocietytampa.org
Person Submitting Proposal: Sarah Dale Position: Donor Relations & Grants Coordinator
Person Submitting Proposal Email Address: [email protected]
Agency Head: Sherry Silk Agency Head Email: [email protected]
Organization Business Address: 3607 N Armenia Ave City: Tampa
State: FL Zip: 33607
Phone (xxx-xxx-xxxx): 813-774-4306 Fax: 813-876-0765
Cell:    
 
Agency Details

Date of 501(c)(3) Incorporation:
Dates of Last Fiscal Year: Begin: 01/01/16    End: 12/31/16
Organization Income in Last Fiscal Year: $8,425,467.00
Organization Expenses in Last Fiscal Year: $8,389,032.00
Number of Paid Employees: Full Time: 98  Part Time: 6
Number of Active Volunteers: 600
Total Volunteer Hours per Week: 1780.00
How did you learn of the 2009  Florida Animal Friend grant competition? We are fortunate to be a previous recipient of the grant.
Year(s) of previous Florida Animal Friend grants (if applicable):
Previous Florida Animal Friend Applications: Years Funded: 2016, 2014, 2012, 2010 Year(s) denied/incomplete:
Auto-Generated (Previous Applications):
Grant #Proposal YearProposal TitleStatus
492009Saving LivesDenied
1692010Community CatsFunded
2902012Community CatsFunded
14162014Tampa Free Roaming CatsFunded
16072007 Funded
16372016Tampa Free Roaming CatsFunded
17542018Hillsborough Pit Bulls and Free Roaming CatsFunded
Describe your Organization:
Services Provided Organization Structure:











List your current board of directors:

NameTitlePhoneOccupation
Ana LandisBoard Member312-375-7707N/A
Diane HomaBoard Secretary727-459-8260President of Fountainhead Funding
Elise ZahnBoard Member561-601-5100Emergency Medicine for Tampa General Hospital
Kimberly MelloBoard Member813-220-2241Attorney for Greenberg Traurig
L.M. SatcherBoard Member-At-Large813-833-6749Owner of Town & Country Automotive
Laura TatemBoard Treasurer757-618-7596Director of Internal Audit for Tampa International Airport
Linda ReitzEmeritus Board Member813-451-1889Financial Consultant
Mary Kate HarrisonBoard Member813-624-7771General Manager for Hillsborough County School District
Mary ScottBoard President813-541-4942Retired (Former GM of Marriott)
Meredith BalascoBoard Member813-992-5395Owner of Meredith Haws Jewelry
Michael NeffBoard Member813-758-7966VP & Financial Consultant for Wells Fargo Advisors
Mike GratzBoard Member813-810-1997CFO for HG Management
Morris MasseyBoard Member813-777-7394Attorney for Hill Ward & Henderson
Nancy NewmanBoard Member813-244-4189Retired (Former Director of Patient Services at Moffitt Cancer Center
Rachel RidleyBoard Member410-952-3801Managing Director for Avesta Communities
Ryan CookBoard Member813-442-2580Director of Inside Sales for Tampa Bay Lightning
Steven HickeyBoard Member813-299-0636Managing Partner for Eddie V’s Prime Seafood
Suzie ArchibardBoard Vice President813-382-6864N/A

Applicant Qualifications
For your organization, in the last complete fiscal year:
4897  cats and 4279  dogs were admitted.
3084   cats and  3615   dogs were adopted.
214   cats and  355    dogs were euthanized.
2200   cats and  2487    dogs were sterilized.
  
Briefly describe your animal programs:
 
If your program performs adoptions, are all animals sterilized before adoption? 
Yes
If not all, what percentage of animals are not currently sterilized before adoption? 
If not all, how are animals selected for sterilization before adoption? 
If not all, describe your sterilization policies and procedures for assuring sterilization after adoption:
 
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. 
We have two full-time veterinarians working Monday-Friday who complete spay/neuters for our community's animals. This does not include our shelter animals, as we have another full time veterinarian who performs shelter spay/neuter surgeries. Dr. Karla Bard is our Director of Medical Operations and has worked at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay for 10 years. She is a graduate of the University of Florida Veterinary School. In addition, we have 8 other veterinarians on staff at our full service animal hospital that can be used for surgeries when needed. Our goal is to perform more than 13,500 surgeries for our community. In 2014, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay's Animal Hospital was the first non-profit hospital in Florida to receive accreditation by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). In 2016, we received this certification again.
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? 
At our animal hospital, we sterilize owned cats, dogs, and feral and/or community free-roaming cats at an affordable price. Owned animal surgeries are performed every Tuesday-Friday and Monday is devoted to feral and free-roaming community cats. We also accept Hillsborough County Vouchers for those on government assistance who need their animals sterilized. In 2017, we performed 12,730 sterilization for the public. The two biggest problems we have encountered are that there are numerous people who cannot afford spay/neuter surgeries for their owned pets but do not necessarily qualify for the county voucher. We see a high number of bully breeds and bully breed mixes in our shelter and would like to combat this by providing affordable spay/neuter to the public. Additionally, there is a lack of funding for free-roaming and community cats. Many people who care for them do not have the funds to get the cats sterilized. We would like to offer free services for this to help reduce the high population of unwanted cats in our community. Both of these efforts will reduce unnecessary euthanasia in the county municipal shelter and will help lower the intake at our county shelter and our shelter.

Target Population
Geographical target area (name of city, county, zip codes, geographical Information service (GIS), etc.):
Hillsborough County 
Total human population in target area: 1,376,238 
Percent of residents living below poverty in target area: 15% 
Estimated number of pet cats in target area (human population divided by 3.3): 417042 
Estimated number of pet dogs in target area (human population divided by 4.0): 344060 
Estimated number of feral cats in target area (human population divided by 6.0): 229373 
Number of cats admitted to animal control shelters in the target area last year (if known) 8,965 
Number of dogs admitted to animal control shelters in the target area last year (if known) 9,058 
Number of cats euthanized in animal control shelters in the target area last year (if known) 1,524 
Number of dogs euthanized in animal control shelters in the target area last year (if known) 665 
Please explain if you believe your target area animal population is significantly different than above.
We believe that the target area animal population is similar to that population listed above.
Please explain what you believe are the most substantial sources of dog and cat overpopulation in the target area:
 Free-roaming and community outdoor cats that are permitted to go outdoors and have not been sterilized significantly add to the cat overpopulation by having multiple litters each year. Additionally, bully breeds, especially pit bulls, that are not sterilized are quickly adding to the overpopulation in our county. Our shelters have a high number of these breeds in their care and the majority of them were not sterilized when they entered the shelters.
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?
Currently, Hillsborough County offers a spay/neuter voucher program for those receiving government assistance. These services are only available for owned pets and do not cover free-roaming/community cats. Many people either do not qualify for the voucher program and cannot afford to have their pets spayed/neutered or they have community cats that they need assistance with.
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:

  
 
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.
We will concentrate on Hillsborough County which is approximately 1,266 square miles. (1,020 square miles of land and 246 square miles of water).
 
What is the criteria used for determining the target area(s) and/or eligibility for this program?
Residents of Hillsborough County who will allow their cats to go outside, or those that take care of free roaming, community cats, will be eligible for this grant.
 
Describe whether the targeted area is rural, suburban, or urban. Is it commercial, residential, agricultural, or a designated special land use?
Hillsborough County consists of suburban, urban, commercial, and residential areas.
 
Estimated number of cats in the target colony area : 229373  
Estimated number that are currently sterilized: 55092
Projected reduction after utilizing the grant:  417
 
For TNR program, describe the ability to maintain lifelong care for remaining cats, commitment level of volunteers/organizations, etc.
Cats will have either an owner or a caretaker that will feed and care for them. We are fortunate to have a dedicated force of volunteer community cat caretakers in Hillsborough County.
 
Do current city/county ordinances address TNR or free-roaming cats?
Yes

Please explain what is allowed:
Community (and free roaming) cats who have been sterilized, vaccinated, and ear-tipped are allowed to be fed or cared for by the public.
(NOTE: FAF will not fund any program this is inconsistent with local ordinances.)
 
For TNR program, list any groups or government agencies who support this TNR effort:
Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center (formerly Hillsborough County Animal Services), Cat Crusaders, ResQ Cats, St. Francis, Animal Based Charities, Meow Now, Pasco County Animal Services and many other cat rescue groups.
 
Describe any effort to lessen the negative impact on local wildlife.
Sterilizing and managing outside cats has been shown to lessen the negative impact on wildlife as these cats prefer to be fed by caretakers rather than bothering to hunt.
 
Describe efforts that will be made to mitigate current or potential nuisance issues.
Our Community Outreach Manager who oversees our Trap/Neuter/Vaccinate/Return (TNVR) program is available to educate and mitgate problem areas as they come up. She currently teaches classes to the public that include teaching the public how to trap feral cats and how to foster feral kittens.
 
Will the cats be ear-tipped? Yes
Will the cats be microchipped? No
 
Provide any additional information that will help the grant selection committee understand how this program will operate to achieve its goals.
Cats will be ear-tipped for free roaming and community cats. Any owned cats that go outside will be ear-tipped at the owner's request. This program will help to manage the overpopulation of cats in Hillsborough County. We currently have an active TNVR program and since 2007 we have sterilized over 55,000 feral, community, and/or free-roaming cats. This program will allow us to focus on free roaming cats and those that are owned but are allowed to go outside.
 
Objectives
What do you hope to accomplish with these funds (objectives should be specific and quantifiable)?
With this grant, we hope to provide free spay/neuter surgeries to approximately 417 outdoor cats in Hillsborough County at no cost to the public. Our normal cost for sterilization surgeries is $40 for a male cat and $50 for a female cat. However, for this grant, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB) would agree to perform approximately 417 surgeries on either male or female cats for $30 each. We would also cover the cost of pain medication, a rabies vaccines, and a FVRCP vaccine. Additionally, we would ear-tip all free-roaming and community cats. We would only ear-tip owned outdoor cats and the discretion of the owner. We also hope to spay/neuter approximately 167 owned pit bulls/pit bull mixes at a cost of only $10 to the owner in Hillsborough County. Our normal cost for sterilization surgeries for large dogs is $115 for male and $125 for females. HSTB would perform the surgeries at a cost of $75 for this grant and would include pain medication, a rabies vaccines, a parvo/distemper vaccine and an e-collar for each surgery. Our goal is to reduce the number of intakes of cats and pit bulls in our county municipal shelter, Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center.
How does this program increase the number of sterilization surgeries above the existing baseline?
This program would allow us to increase the number of cats sterilized by approximately 70 cats per month (based on 10 months) and increase the number of pit bulls sterilized by approximately 28 dogs (based on 10 months) per month. Pit bull owners who cannot afford spay/neuter surgeries but do not qualify for the county voucher will have an opportunity to get their pets spayed/neutered. This will help to reduce the pet overpopulation, particularly in shelters in Hillsborough County.
Methods
What criteria will you use to determine eligibility for your program? 
We will sterilize cats in Hillsborough County whose owners allow them to go outside, or for caretakers of free-roaming cats. All cats will also be vaccinated and those cats who are free-roaming will be ear-tipped. Residents in Hillsborough County will be able to get their pit bulls or pit bull mixes for $10. These residents do not need to qualify for the county voucher.
How will you advertise the program? Explain how the advertising will reach the target audience.
We will advertise the programs on our website (over 100,000 views per month), our Facebook page (over 103,000 Likes), on our weekly TV segment with Fox 13, on our weekly Radio segment with 93.3 WFLZ, to our email list (over 54,000 recipients), and in our quarterly newsletter, Making Tracks (over 11,000 recipients). Additionally, we will have flyers available in our Animal Hospital, Shelter, Intake Building, and also at our county shelter, Hillsborough County Pet Research Center.
How will you address barriers to full use of the program such as transportation, illiteracy, and cultural hurdles? 
The public will be required to provide transportation to our Animal Hospital, centrally located in Hillsborough County. We can translate the flyer into Spanish. If public transportation is not available to the resident, our Community Outreach Manager may be able to assist with transport.
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.
Most animals would be transported by the clients. Our TNVR vehicle may be used to help transport some of the community cats. Our Community Outreach Manager and the vehicle are covered under our insurance policy. All animals would be confined in carriers or traps (for cats) during transportation.
Veterinary Services
 

What arrangements have you made with veterinarians to perform the surgeries? 
We have 11 veterinarians on staff. One is dedicated to our shelter animals, 2 are dedicated to perform public spay/neuter surgeries and the other 8 are for wellness and/or special surgeries. They can assist with spay/neuter surgeries as needed.
Are they:  
 

Veterinary Practices

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.
Amount Paid by Client Amount Paid by Project Total Amount
Range for Male Cats
Range for Female Cats
Range for Male Dogs
Range for Female Dogs
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
Required, Optional, or Not Offered Fee to Client?
Examination   
Rabies Vaccination if Due   
Other Vaccination if Due   
Pain Medication   
Parasite Medication   
HW Testing   
Feline Leuk/FIV
County License   
Ear tipping   
Microchip
Other   

None of the anticipated grant funds can be used for any of the above services, except for pain medication.
If necessary, please explain the procedures and fees described above: 
Rabies vaccine, distemper/parvo or FVRCP vaccines, ear-tipping (if necessary, e-collars (if necessary), and pain medications will be covered by the Humane Society of Tampa Bay  
Is this a voucher program? No
 
If so, how will you assure compliance with the program?

 
For your voucher program, how have you determined the capacity of the veterinarians listed above to handle the projected capacity?
 
 
Will you have the ability to report the number of vouchers issued and the percentage that result in S/N surgeries?

 
Community Collaboration
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?
 
 
Please list them and detail their level of involvement with the proposed effort.
NameLevel of Involvement
93.3 WFLZWe have a weekly segment with this popular local radio station in which we will advertise the grant availability to the public.
Cat CrusadersWe work closely with this local rescue group. They will be able to help refer residents to us for use of the grant, particularly those with community and/or free roaming cats.
FOX 13 We have a weekly pet segment with Fox 13 in which we will advertise the grant availability to the public.
Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center (HCPRC)HCPRC will help to distribute fliers to those in the community that would benefit from this grant. Additionally, we work closely with HCPRC and perform TNVR services for them each week. They will be able to reach out to those residents who will greatly benefit from this grant.
ResQCatsWe work closely with this local rescue group. They will be able to help refer residents to us for use of the grant, particularly those with community and/or free roaming cats.
St. Francis We work closely with this local rescue group. They will be able to help refer residents to us for use of the grant, particularly those with community and/or free roaming cats.

 
Other Information
Provide any additional information that will help the grant selection committee understand how the program will operate to achieve its goals.
 Cats as well as pit bulls/bully breeds are a huge part of the overpopulation and ever-facing problem in our local shelters. We are confident that this grant will be able to help reduce the number of these animals in shelter, and help to eliminate unnecessary euthanasia at the county shelter.
Budget
Total number of sterilization surgeries projected:
Cats: 417    Dogs:  167 
Total budget requested (Budget should not exceed $25,000): $25,000.00 
Average cost/surgery projected: $43.00 
Describe any expenses that are not included in the grant and how they will be paid for (for example, vaccines, microchipping, ear notching, etc.):
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB) will cover the cost of vaccinations, including rabies, FVRCP (for cats) and distemper/parvo (for dogs). Additionally HSTB will cover the cost of ear notching for cats and e-collars for dogs. Lastly, we will ensure all patients receive appropriate pain medications and we will cover any associated costs.
 
Describe any other funding sources for this program, i.e. other grants, targeted fundraising efforts, budget allocation, etc.
We have been fortunate to receive funding from PetSmart Charities for TNVR in the City of Tampa and target spay/neuter for bully breeds in Hillsborough County. We continue to make strides against the overpopulation of cats and bully breeds in our local shelters.
 
What percent of the total cost of the program would this projected grant cover?
47
Timeline
All projects must be completed within 12 months of receipt of funding.
Projected start date: 09/01/18/     Projected end date: 07/31/19
 
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.
 
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.
The Humane Society of Tampa Bay will continue to offer affordable spay/neuter surgeries at our Animal Health Center. Additionally, we will continue to aggressively seek grant funding for these two programs so that the public can have these services performed for little or no cost.
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.
We will gladly promote the Florida Animal Friend Spay/Neuter License Plate in a variety of ways. Our first method would be to promote the license plate on social media via Facebook (over 103,000 likes), Instagram (over 10,000 followers) and Twitter (over 5,000 followers). We would also promote the license plate in an eblast (over 53,000 recipients) and in our quarterly newsletter "Making Tracks" (over 14,000 recipients). Additionally, we would put the flyers in our Shelter, Animal Intake, Administration, and Animal Health Center Buildings. When promoting the grant on our weekly segments with Fox 13 and 93.3 WFLZ, we can also promote the license plate.