Lil BUB’s Big Fund advocates for animals in need by building a community that promotes compassion and by strengthening opportunities for animals to live happy and healthy lives.
To help accomplish this, in 2022, Lil BUB’s BigFund will primarily focus on providing humane education programming, as well as making grants for foster programs, adoption programs, and medical assistance for special-needs companion animals who are more difficult to adopt or at higher risk of being relinquished to shelters.
What do we mean by special needs?
- Pets that need special care or extra help getting adopted due to conditions such as: physical deformity, birth defects, developmental disability, mobility impairment, blindness, deafness, wounds suffered from a disaster, accident, or abuse, any permanent diseases or chronic illnesses and old age.
- “Special needs” refers to an animal’s condition that hinders the average ability for an individual or family to care for the animal
- “Special needs” also refers to an animal’s condition that hinders the average ability for a shelter/rescue to care for the animal
- Special needs, specifically, includes:
Age, such as elderly animals or prenatal kittens who require more care; - Congenital/birth defects;
- Mobility issues;
- Physical conditions or behavioral issues resulting from abuse or neglect;
- Any medical conditions or chronic health issues that require ongoing care but have good prognosis, e.g. FIV, diabetes, kidney disease, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, hyperthyroidism, or other conditions that require long-term or lifelong prescription food
Who We Typically Fund:
- Animal Shelters and Rescues with preference will be shown to shelters that are 501(c)(3) nonprofit or governmental, which may include municipal and county shelters and rescues that are public charities
- Shelters and Rescues must participate in Shelter Animals Count data program
- Veterinary Clinics
- Preference will be shown to nonprofit veterinary clinics.If a veterinary clinic, animal hospital, or veterinarian is private or for-profit, it must demonstrate that it has arrangements with a local shelter and/or that funds would be used for charitable purpose, such as to subsidize lower-cost procedures or treatments.
We Also Consider Funding For:
- Human service shelters that accommodate houseless people with companion animals or survivors of domestic violence with companion animals
- Organizations that professionally and humanely train service animals to help people with disabilities.
- Food banks and pantries that include pet food and supplies
Additional Considerations:
Regardless of entity, the organization should have a good standing in their community, including a track record of collaborating and working well with other animal welfare organizations in their area and prioritizing the animals and families within their communities. References will be checked.
The organization must treat all volunteers and anyone who comes to the shelter, rescue, or veterinary clinic with respect and dignity. Lil BUB’s Big Fund does not tolerate organizations, people, or policies that promote prejudice, bigotry, racism, classicism, sexism, or anti-immigrant or anti-LGBTQI+ discrimination.
Preference will be shown to organizations whose staff and boards reflect the communities in which they work and whose policies actively address and mitigate implicit and explicit bias.
Preference will be shown to organizations with good data practices. Funded organizations may be asked to participate in surveys, research studies, or data sharing projects (that will be compliant with privacy practices).
Who/What Would We Typically Not Fund?
- Individual pet owners and families. (We support individual pet owners through Lil BUB’s EmergencyPet FUND on Waggle. Please visit Waggle.org for information on how individuals can raise funds for pet care and reach out with any questions.)
- Individual community cat caretakers.
- Individual TNR trappers.
- Routine wellness (vaccinations, deworming, health checks, spay/neuter)
- Elective medical procedures and dental cleanings.
- We absolutely do not support cruel procedures, such as declawing or debarking, even if it could potentially help keep an animal in a home.
- We do not support behavioral training that does not follow humane best practices, such as electric shock, invisible fence/collars, or anything else that causes harm.
- Emergency housing/sheltering/boarding for individuals, unless at a human service shelter as noted above.
- Facility improvements, vehicles, building/infrastructure rental/purchase, or capital equipment.
- Support for wild/exotic animals kept as pets.
Lil BUB’s Big Fund wishes it could help all animals, but due to limited resources, the Fund typically would not focus on:
- Emergency situations that require immediate medical attention, such as broken bones, injuries, or other life-threatening conditions, except where a grant is for a veterinary or shelter fund to help animals in crisis as situations arise in the future. (Lil BUB’s Big Fund isn’t set up for rapid response support, and would not want any animal suffering in pain while waiting for a response.);
- Cancer treatments;
- Support to address conditions or health issues that have a poor prognosis in terms of survivability or that would keep an animal in pain, suffering, severe discomfort or distress.