The Open Arms Challenge is an opportunity for organizations to pilot a new practice or expand upon a current program that has already been started.
Donor Name: Maddie’s Fund
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes
Deadline: 03/06/2024
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The goal of this Challenge is to increase inclusivity and provide a welcoming environment for all staff (paid and unpaid) and community members; and keeping pets with people and animals in their communities when possible. What that looks like is different for every organization. It could be returning voicemails in a timely manner, providing literature in multiple languages or completely rewriting or doing away with the adoption application, to undertaking bias training or choosing new neighborhoods for adoption events. The Open Arms Challenge can be applied to any of your organization’s programs and services.
Prizes
In addition to the $510,000 in grant prizes, the below prizes will also be offered:
- The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement will award 5 participating organizations a $250 credit towards professional development or annual membership.
- The Community Cats Podcast will award access to a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Certification Workshop.
- Cuddly will award $2000 in cash and a $2,000 wish list haul.
- The Humane Society of the United States will award two registrations to the 2025 Animal Care Expo to be held in Las Vegas, NV from April 15 – 18. Registration includes a daylong learning lab as well as the regular conference. In addition, $1,500 in grant funding.
- Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge will award 5 Hard Copies of the Best Practice Playbook for Animal Shelters and Choice between: Scholarship worth $299 for the Open the Door to Veterinary Care online certificate program that focuses on providing solutions to cost as a barrier to care; or $250 and support for setting up a program through Uber to provide transportation for people to get their pets to the vet. They would get access to an Uber specialist and training to show them how to set up a program and $250 to get it started.
- The National Care and Control Association will award three scholarships to Animal Control Officer training, and three Agency Memberships.
Who can participate?
This Challenge will invite animal shelters, foster-based organizations and public charities focused on keeping pets and people together and animals in their communities to create or expand programs in any of the following areas:
- Processes are equitable and inclusive
- Customer success is ensured through customer service
- Marketing is inclusive of all areas of your community
- Organization embraces an open and welcoming culture
- Organization creates partnerships with other organizations.
To be considered to PARTICIPATE in this Challenge, your organization must be:
- A U.S.-based government agency or 501c3 public charity
- A shelter, foster-based organization or other animal welfare organization focused on keeping pets and people together or animals in their communities
- Focused on dogs and/or cats
- An active participant in Shelter Animals Count
- Current on all grant reporting for any prior Maddie’s Fund grants.
For more information, visit Maddie’s Fund.
