Community Foundation of Sarasota County Awards More than $161,000 in Animal Welfare Grants

Grants support nonprofit organizations that serve animals and promote their humane care in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto Counties

SARASOTA, FL – The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has awarded 13 local nonprofit organizations through its annual Animal Welfare competitive grant cycle to promote the humane care of domestic animals across four counties and the care of all animals located in Sarasota County that are looking for a forever home.

With generous support from the Helen C. Schwieder Fund, Robert Parker Fund, and others, more than $161,000 will fund emergency veterinary treatment for urgent cases or extraordinary medical needs for domestic animals, as well as volunteer program development including the growth of foster programs and resources to support them. A committee of community volunteers, staff, and local animal welfare experts were part of the evaluation process.

“Animals complete our families and our homes in untold ways, and it is our privilege to strengthen the organizations that serve these lifelong companions of ours,” says Kirsten Russell, Vice President, Community Impact. “With animal wellbeing at the forefront of their programs, our nonprofit partners are creating heartfelt connections and bringing us that much closer to a more humane community.”

Programs Supported: Veterinary Treatment and Volunteer Program Development

• Animal Rescue Coalition
• Birds of Paradise Sanctuary
• Feline Friends of Southwest Florida
• Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch
• Lost Pet Services
• Mote Marine Laboratory
• Nate's Honor Animal Rescue
• Sarasota Manatee Association for Riding Therapy, Inc.
• St. Francis Animal Rescue of Venice, Inc
• Suncoast Humane Society
• The Wildlife Center of Venice
• Venice Cat Coalition
• Vintage Paws Sanctuary, Inc.

In the last three years, Animal Welfare Grants have invested $537,000 in 28 local nonprofit organizations working towards the betterment of animals in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties. The Animal Welfare competitive grant cycle is offered annually.

For more than 40 years, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has been key to unlocking possibilities for everyone who calls our area home. With the trust of the community, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $350 million in grants to support causes addressing not only animal welfare, but also education, health and human services, the arts, and the environment, among others. To learn more about Animal Welfare Grants or view available grant opportunities, visit www.cfsarasota.org/nonprofits/grants

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About the Community Foundation of Sarasota County: The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $520 million in more than 1,570 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $27.5 million dollars last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has been able to grant more than $350 million to area nonprofit organizations to our community thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org or call (941) 955-3000.