Help On The Way For Our Furry Friends In Need

More than two dozen nonprofit organizations serving nearly 100,000 animals across our region were selected to receive new multi-year grants from the San Antonio Area Foundation.

Reflecting the Area Foundation’s vision to close opportunity gaps for those who need it most, many of the Animal Services grantees serve low-income neighborhoods in San Antonio and rural areas across the eight-county metro region.

In all, 27 nonprofits were awarded $631,000 in three-year grants (2024-2027). It’s unrestricted funding, meaning grantees decide for themselves the best way to spend dollars fulfilling their mission and work.

“Our furry friends don’t have any choice when being put in bad situations, so we want to do all we can from them being put to sleep as well as getting adopted,” explained Steve Markey, Chairman of the Area Foundation Animal Services Community Advisory Board (CAC).

The Area Foundation’s Community Engagement and Impact team makes funding recommendations, but it’s actually CACs – made up entirely of community volunteers – which have the final say on grant selection. All combined, the 2024-2027 Animal Services grantees are expected to provide:

• 33,371 adoptions/live releases.
• 40,225 spay/neuter procedures.
• 4,141 vaccinations.
• 675 wild animals with permanent refuge.

This new grant cycle saw an increase of 40 percent in grant applications in comparison to the last round of grants in 2021. Nearly one in five are first-time recipients. More than one-third serve the 17 most underserved zip codes in San Antonio and nearly half provide service outside of Bexar County.

“Your support means the world to us and will have a profound impact on the lives of the homeless cats and dogs in our care,” said Tom Blacklock, President of the Bulverde Humane Society. “With this funding, we will be able to significantly improve their living environments, ensuring they have a safe, comfortable, and nurturing space as they await their forever homes.”

Markey encouraged anyone looking to give back to the community to explore partnering with the Area Foundation, our region’s most trusted and impactful philanthropic leader.

“Those with means to give but unsure where to start, the San Antonio Area Foundation is the way to go,” Markey said.

Here are the 2024-2027 San Antonio Area Foundation Animal Services grant recipients: