The Maine Community Foundation awarded $282,500 in grants to 21 Maine organizations to support animal welfare, including five organizations with ties to Midcoast Maine.

An anonymous donor established the Animal Welfare fund in 2007. It is further supported by the Doree Taylor Charitable Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., and the George F. Lyman and Ernestine Lyman Trust.

2021 Animal Welfare Grants

• Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, to provide access to life-saving resources: $20,000
• Animal Welfare Society, to support increased capacity in the Stay@Home program and maintain state-wide spay/neuter efforts: $20,000
• Another Chance Animal Rescue, to support 100 cats spay/neutered, 25+ low-income families assisted with veterinary bills, and flea mitigation: $10,000
• Ark Animal Shelter, for the Ark Alley Cats Program to TNR community cats and/or house feral cats: $10,000
• Bangor Humane Society, to provide spay/neuter assistance to low-income pet owners: $20,000
• Franklin County Animal Shelter, for the shelter's spay/neuter voucher program: $10,000
• Friends of Feral Felines, to provide TNR (trap-neuter-return) and socialization services for feral and unwanted cats and kittens across southern and central Maine: $7,500
• Greater Androscoggin Humane Society, to support medical care for shelter and privately owned pets as well as community outreach vaccination clinics: $20,000
• Halfway Home Pet Rescue, Inc., to continue the free spay/neuter clinics: $10,000
• Harvest Hills Animal Shelter, Inc., to expand the spay/neuter voucher program and supplies for the in-house spay/ neuter clinic: $10,000
• Humane Society Waterville Area, for the Angel Foster program: $20,000
• Midcoast Humane, to support the Community Cats voucher program, which provides financial assistance to income-qualified rural cat owners and cat colony caretakers: $20,000
• P.A.W.S. Animal Adoption Center, for the shelter's in-house medical clinic, which provides low-cost vaccination and spay/neuter clinics to the community: $20,000
• The Pixel Fund, to support the Maine spay/neuter program for stray and abandoned animals: $10,000
• Pope Memorial Humane Society of Knox County, for the spay neuter voucher program in order to provide 350 spay/neuter vouchers for cats, dogs and rabbits: $20,000
• Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills Inc., to serve felines in overpopulation situations and fund grants to assist with cost of spay/neuter for low-income/elderly pet owners: $10,000
• Somerset Humane Society, for the low-cost voucher program to assist the public with spaying and neutering cats, $10,000
• SPCA of Hancock County, to establish spay/neuter clinics in the community and increase the Mickey Duffy Fund which provides financial assistance to low-income pet owners for unexpected veterinary expenses: $10,000
• Spirits Place, to support the spay/neuter and medical care program: $10,000
• Waldo County Humane Society, Inc., to increase community awareness of spay/neuter vouchers, rabies vaccination clinics, and financial assistance programs: $10,000
• Waldo County Pet Food Pantry, to aid in the spay/neuter program, rabies clinic and pet food purchases: $5,000

The next deadline for proposals to the Animal Welfare Fund is June 1, 2022. For application, guidelines and a complete list of 2021 grants, go to www.mainecf.org.

For more information, visit www.mainecf.org or contact Program Officer John Ochira at 1-877-700-6800 or jochira@mainecf.org.

Headquartered in Ellsworth, with additional personnel in Portland, Dover-Foxcroft, Mars Hill and Rockport, the Maine Community Foundation works with donors and other partners to provide strong investments, personalized service, local expertise, and strategic giving to improve the quality of life for all Maine people. To learn more about the foundation, visit www.mainecf.org.