Michigan Companion Animal Welfare Fund

As we are in the heart of tax season, the Michigan Partnership for Animal Welfare (MPAW) is issuing a call to action to Michigan animal shelters and rescue groups to inform their communities about a groundbreaking new way to help animals in need, statewide.

This year, all Michigan taxpayers have the ability to donate to the Animal Welfare Fund, a newly-created, interest-bearing fund in the State Treasury that has been designed to help support local animal organizations throughout the state. Grants from the Fund will be given to humane societies, municipal animal shelters, and nonprofit animal placement groups in Michigan, providing support for innovative adoption, sterilization and cruelty investigation programs. The Fund is groundbreaking for animals and their supporters in Michigan, and creates a significant step in the right direction to reaching our shared, ultimate goal of ending companion animal homelessness.

Though the process for donating is easy and convenient, and the appeal is significant, a great deal of the public is simply unaware of the new fund and their ability to contribute. As such, we are asking you to take a stand on the issue, and inform your members, donors, adopters, and local community of how they can donate this tax season.

The State Department of Agriculture will be convening a committee to establish grant guidelines this spring. In future communications, we will be sure to let you know how your organization can apply for a grant. Of course, the more money the Fund collects, the more grant money will be available to fund innovative adoption and sterilization programs, as well as cruelty investigation efforts.

Below are two documents to assist you in your efforts of spreading the word to members of your community:

1. Press release to distribute to local media. The press release, which you can personalize by adding your organization’s name and contact information (see notations in red), contains the key information about the Fund, as well as directions for how taxpayers can contribute. The release can be distributed to local print, radio and television outlets in your area, with the hope that they will use it to inform their audience about this innovative, widely-appealing, and important new fund.
   
2. Flyer. The flyer is a generic outline, and we encourage you to personalize it with your logo and design ideals. Your flyer distribution could include:
   • Printed copies posted or handed out at animal shelters, adoption and other events, veterinary offices, and other local animal-related businesses (with permission), etc.
   • Online distribution through websites, e-mail listservs, online newsletters, etc.

Tip: We strongly urge you to utilize your volunteer base and capabilities in the distribution of this flyer and related materials.

It is our sincere hope that animal welfare organizations throughout Michigan will join together to promote the success of the Animal Welfare Fund. 2009 marks the first time the Fund will be utilized, and its success this year will ensure its future availability.