Animal welfare programs share $440K in grants from Rhode Island Foundation

THE RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION has awarded nearly $440,000 in grants to 27 animal welfare programs in Rhode Island, including the Ocean State Animal Coalition, which received $26,500 to fund subsidized spay and neuter programs. Pictured is the operating room at the Rhode Island Community Spay/Neuter Clinc. / COURTESY THE RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION
THE RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION has awarded nearly $440,000 in grants to 27 animal welfare programs in Rhode Island, including the Ocean State Animal Coalition, which received $26,500 to fund subsidized spay and neuter programs. Pictured is the operating room at the Rhode Island Community Spay/Neuter Clinc. / COURTESY THE RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION

PROVIDENCE – Twenty-seven animal welfare programs are sharing approximately $440,000 in grants from the Rhode Island Foundation.

The grants, announced Tuesday, will fund low-cost spay and neutering programs, rescue injured seals, and other initiatives.

Providence Animal Rescue League received the largest award, $46,036, to expand neighborhood outreach, plan community events and offer free or low-cost services including pet wellness care, spay and neuter surgeries, humane education and dog training.

Tails to Teach in East Greenwich received $39,000 to expand humane education programs to more schools and to recruit and train more classroom volunteers. The Robert Potter League for Animals of Newport received $36,000 to help lower-income owners care for their pets and to support Aquidneck Island’s “coyote best management practices and no feeding ordinances.”

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The Sea Research Foundation was awarded $10,000 for the Animal Rescue Program at Mystic Aquarium, which responds to strandings of sea turtles and seals and other marine animals. Since 1990, 82 percent of the animals it has cared for were rescued in Rhode Island.

In addition, the Ocean State Animal Coalition of Warwick was awarded $26,600 to offer subsidized spay and neuter services for dogs and cats to needy pet owners statewide.

Other award recipients are:

  • The Animal Rescue League of Southern Rhode Island in South Kingstown, $20,000 toward the cost of building a new shelter.
  • Barrington Partnership for Animal Welfare, $9,190 to support ongoing development and implementation of its Bristol County Community Cats initiative including community outreach and education, fees associated with caring for stray and feral cats, and equipment for the new cat adoption center.
  • Friends of Animals in Need in North Kingstown, $15,000 to underwrite the cost of providing veterinary care to animals of lower-income pet owners in order to prevent abandonment, surrender or euthanizing.
  • Friends of the Bristol Animal Shelter, $15,000 to add an outdoor play area for dogs at its new facility.
  • Friends of the Charlestown Animal Shelter, $20,000 to continue providing free spaying or neutering for pets of Charlestown, Richmond and Hopkinton residents.
  • Friends of the Scituate Animal Shelter, $3,000 to provide medical testing and treatment for injured or sick animals, mainly feral cats and neglected dogs.
  • Friends of the Westerly Animal Shelter, $2,580 to provide medical care, support spaying, neutering and vaccinations; and to buy a blood analyzer and large cages for quarantining cats.
  • Foster Parrots Ltd. in Hopkinton, $20,000 to support the New England Exotic Wildlife Sanctuary and Center For Humane Education, which cares for rescued exotic birds and other animals, and is a center for humane education.
  • Historic New England, $10,000 for Casey Farm’s Project CHICK. The North Kingstown farm teaches about heritage-breed chickens, humane treatment of animals and traditional farming methods.
  • The Humane Society of Jamestown, $9,000 to increase the number of schools participating in its “Gentle Hands, Gentle Voices” curriculum for third-graders.
  • The Newport Community School, $4,500 for its Pets & Vets program, a collaboration with the Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association that brings an animal-welfare curriculum to middle school youth.
  • Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown, $12,000 for its Animal CARE program.
  • PAAWS RI in Warwick, $35,000 to underwrite the cost of providing veterinary assistance to the animals of lower-income pet owners as well as routine medical attention, shelter and adoption services.
  • Paws Watch of North Kingstown, $25,000 for its trap, neuter, return and monitor program for feral cats. The organization expects to spay or neuter approximately 2,000 cats.
  • The Pet Refuge in North Kingstown, $8,600 to build an outdoor storage shed for supplies.
  • Placing Paws of Tiverton, $4,000 to provide pet adoption and spaying or neutering of stray animals, particularly feral cats.
  • The Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in East Providence, $12,698 for kennel improvements and equipment including a dishwasher, power sprayer and new doors.
  • The Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association’s Companion Animal Foundation of Providence, $15,000 to treat the sick and injured pets of lower-income pet owners.
  • Stand Up for Animals in Westerly, $10,000 to care for an estimated 550 dogs and cats, as well as spaying or neutering of pets prior to adoption.
  • The West Place Animal Sanctuary in Tiverton, $8,000 to provide enhanced nutrition and specialized medical care to injured or disabled animals.
  • The town of Westerly, $12,000 for services at the Westerly Animal Shelter including a microchip program, wellness clinics and adding a dental unit and hematology system.
  • Wildlife Rehabilitators Association of Rhode Island in North Kingstown, $11,793 to install a fire suppression system in its wildlife clinic.

“The generous support of our donors and the dedication of our grantees is expanding humane education, raising awareness and increasing the quality of animal care in Rhode Island,” Adrian Boney, the grants program officer who oversees the Program for Animal Welfare (PAW) at the Foundation, said in a statement.

Grants are for projects or programs that have a positive impact statewide or in individual communities with regard to animal care, education about the humane treatment of animals and animal welfare, according to the Rhode Island Foundation.

PAW is funded with assistance from the Virginia B. Butler Fund; Abbie A. Brougham Memorial Fund; John B. and Ruth L. Kilton Fund; Helen Walker Raleigh Animal Fund; Dawn, Gregg and Leland Weingeroff Animal Fund; Mary Lou Crandall Fund; Vinny Animal Welfare Fund; Vernon and Mary Pierce Fund; Ginger, Sheba and Susie Carr Fund; and Jeanne Marie Mehmed Fund.

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