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Executive Summary
Second Chance Paws is a nonprofit that helps pets and the people who love them in our county and the nearby towns. We provide low-cost spay and neuter, vaccine clinics and a foster and adoption program, working with licensed veterinarians and volunteers so more animals stay in homes and fewer end up in shelters.
Many pet owners want the best for their animals but cannot afford a vet bill. When an animal is not spayed or neutered, or gets sick, families may give up their pet or watch it suffer. Shelters fill up and animals are often euthanized for lack of space. Our program focuses on prevention: low-cost care, keeping pets with their families and finding homes for animals who need one.
In Year 1 we plan to serve about 300 spay or neuter surgeries, 600 vaccinations and 80 adoptions. Our Year 1 budget is about $137,000, growing to about $222,000 by Year 5 as we grow from one program and clinic coordinator to three. Each year's budget is planned to balance, with a small amount set aside in savings.
We are asking the Carlisle Family Foundation for $40,000, as part of the $115,000 in grants and contracts we need for Year 1. The other $22,000 in Year 1 comes from adoption fees and donations, which we plan to grow to about $68,000 a year by Year 5. Grant money pays for veterinary care by licensed vets, a program and clinic coordinator and the record-keeping funders require.
We will measure how many animals we spay or neuter and vaccinate, how many pets we help keep in their homes, how many animals we place in homes, and how many families we serve. We will report results to our funders every six months.
Company Description
Second Chance Paws is a nonprofit organization in New Mexico. A 501(c)(3) public charity.
Our mission. To keep pets with the families who love them and to find loving homes for animals in need.
How we started and what we have done. We began in 2022 when a veterinary technician and two friends started a monthly low-cost vaccine clinic in a church parking lot. Since then we have vaccinated about 500 pets and placed about 70 animals in homes, with 25 volunteers helping each month.
What we do:
- Offer low-cost spay and neuter surgeries and vaccines through partner veterinarians.
- Run a foster network that cares for animals in volunteers' homes until they are adopted.
- Hold adoption events and match animals with families.
- Run a pet food pantry and offer help for pet owners in a crisis, so families can keep their pets.
- Educate owners about training, care and responsible pet ownership.
Where we work. A monthly clinic at a church hall and adoption events at a pet supply store on the first Saturday of each month.
Our partners. Two veterinary clinics (reduced-rate surgeries), the county shelter, a feed store and a church that donates space.
Our approach. Keeping animals with the people who love them is the best outcome. We treat people with respect, and we care for animals with kindness and good medicine.
How we are run. A volunteer Board of Directors (a small group of community members who oversee the organization) meets regularly, approves the budget, reviews the finances and oversees the Executive Director.
Problem & Opportunity
Why this program is needed.
In our county and the nearby towns, shelters and rescue groups take in more animals than they can place. Many of these animals came from homes where families could not afford veterinary care or did not know about low-cost options. Stray and unneutered animals keep reproducing, and the problem grows each year.
Facts about our community. According to the county shelter, a large number of animals entered the shelter last year, and many were euthanized.
Gaps in the help that exists now:
1. Cost. Veterinary care can cost hundreds of dollars, and many families cannot pay.
2. Access. Low-cost clinics are few and far apart, and many people have no way to get there.
3. Space. Shelters are full, and animals wait too long for a home.
4. Support. A family in crisis may give up a pet that could have stayed with help.
5. Information. Many owners do not know about low-cost options or basic care.
What we have seen ourselves. Many owners told us they love their pets but could not pay for surgery or vaccines, and some said they were considering giving them up.
Who we serve first. Pets and families with limited income, community cats and dogs in neighborhoods with few services, in pets of families with limited income and community cats in the south and east neighborhoods.
Products & Services
How the program works.
1. Low-cost spay and neuter and vaccines. We pay licensed veterinarians for surgeries and vaccines at reduced rates. About $36,000 in Year 1 pays for veterinary and clinic costs. Only licensed veterinarians do medical work.
2. Foster network. Volunteers care for animals in their homes until they are adopted, which saves lives and shelter space.
3. Adoption. We hold adoption events and screen adopters to find a good match.
4. Keeping pets at home. A pet food pantry and small emergency help (like a vaccine or a medical bill) help families keep their pets.
5. Education. We teach owners about vaccines, training and care, and provide information in the languages families speak.
How we will measure results. We record surgeries and vaccines, animals fostered, adopted and returned to owners, pets kept at home with our help and families served. We track shelter intake in our area, using public data, to see what is changing. Our goals for Year 1: spay or neuter 300 pets; vaccinate 600; place 80 animals in homes; and help 100 families keep a pet they might have given up.
Market Analysis
Where we work and who we serve.
We serve pets and families in our county and the nearby towns, especially pets of families with limited income and community cats in the south and east neighborhoods.
How we know people need this. Our first clinic had 40 spots and 110 people signed up, and the county shelter asked us to take more animals.
How many we will reach. In Year 1, about 300 spay or neuter surgeries, 600 vaccinations and 80 adoptions. The number of animals entering local shelters, shelter euthanasia rates and the share of households living near or below the poverty line are common ways to size the need, and the guide for this plan shows where to find them. As we grow from one program and clinic coordinator to three, we expect to help more animals each year.
How families reach us. The county shelter, two veterinary clinics, social service agencies and local churches.
Competitive Landscape
Other help, and how we work with it.
- Animal control and the county shelter take in strays and enforce laws. We partner with them and help reduce their intake. We are a transfer partner of the county shelter.
- Private veterinarians provide care for a fee. We partner with them for reduced-rate services and refer people who can afford full care.
- Other rescue groups place animals in homes. We share foster homes, resources and information.
- National animal welfare groups offer funding and training. We apply for support and use their best practices.
- Pet food banks and pantries help owners in need. We partner and share supplies.
What makes us different: low-cost care in the neighborhoods that need it, a foster network and help for families in crisis so pets can stay home
Marketing & Sales Strategy
How we reach people and build support.
Reaching people:
- Referrals from animal control, veterinarians, shelters, churches and social service agencies.
- Flyers and posters in laundromats, feed stores, clinics and apartment complexes.
- Social media photos of animals, which are our best advertisement.
- Events in the neighborhoods we serve, with free vaccine clinics and food giveaways.
Rules. Animal rescue and shelter work is regulated by local and state law. We learn what permits and standards apply, work with licensed veterinarians for all medical care, and keep careful records of every animal.
Volunteers. Animal lovers, veterinary students, church groups and local businesses.
Raising money beyond grants. Adoption fees and donations are planned at about $22,000 in Year 1, growing to about $68,000 by Year 5, through a yearly giving campaign, business and community partners, a community event and online giving. Raising more of our own money means we depend less on any one grant or contract.
Operations Plan
How the program runs.
How an animal moves through the program:
1. A call or sign-up from an owner, a stray report or a shelter transfer.
2. A check on needs, and a plan: spay or neuter, vaccines, fostering or adoption.
3. Care by a licensed veterinarian, with our coordinator arranging transport and scheduling.
4. Foster care, if needed, and an adoption with a screened family.
5. Follow-up after adoption, and help if a problem arises.
A clinic day. Owners check in, animals are examined by the veterinarian, surgeries and vaccines are done, and each owner gets care instructions and a follow-up call.
Safety and law. We follow local and state laws on rabies vaccination, licensing and animal care. Volunteers are trained in safe handling and receive vaccinations as recommended. We keep medical records for every animal, and we do not place animals that are unsafe.
Privacy. Owner and adopter information is kept private. We share it only with permission or when the law requires it, and funders get totals, never names.
Equipment. In Year 1 we buy about $6,000 in equipment (pet carriers, crates, a laptop, a printer and basic supplies), then about $2,000 to $2,500 a year to replace worn items.
Staff. One program and clinic coordinator in Year 1, then one in Year 2, two in Year 3, two in Year 4 and three in Year 5. The coordinator schedules clinics, manages fosters and volunteers and keeps careful records.
Office work. Bookkeeping, insurance and reporting cost about $10,000 in Year 1.
Management & Organization
Who leads the organization.
James Carter, Executive Director.
The Executive Director leads the organization, raises money and manages grants and contracts, builds partnerships, oversees the finances and reports to the Board. Planned salary: $52,000 a year.
Program and clinic coordinators. Schedule surgeries and vaccine clinics, manage fosters and volunteers, work with veterinarians and keep records. One position in Year 1, growing to three by Year 5, at a planned salary of $36,000 each. Qualifications we look for: experience in a veterinary clinic or shelter, strong organizational skills and a kind, practical way with people and animals.
Volunteers. Volunteers foster animals, help at clinics and events, drive animals to appointments and help with outreach. They are trained before handling animals.
Board of Directors. A five-member board including Tanya Davis, who brings nonprofit finance experience.
Money management. Grant and contract money is tracked separately so we can show each funder exactly how their money was spent. An outside accountant reviews our books every year.
Milestones Narrative
Our goals and how we will measure them.
Year 1:
- Sign agreements with partner veterinarians and the county shelter.
- Hire our first program and clinic coordinator and recruit foster volunteers.
- Serve about 300 spay or neuter surgeries, 600 vaccinations and 80 adoptions.
- Reach our Year 1 goals for surgeries, adoptions and pets kept at home.
- Stay within a balanced budget of about $137,000.
Year 2: one program and clinic coordinator; budget of about $140,000.
Year 3: two program and clinic coordinators; budget of about $179,000.
Year 4: two program and clinic coordinators; budget of about $182,000.
Year 5: three program and clinic coordinators; budget of about $222,000.
Over the five years: grow to three program and clinic coordinators, add clinic days and neighborhoods, and explore a small low-cost clinic of our own. Veterinary and clinic costs grow about 6% a year.
How we will check our results. We record every animal that goes through our program and the result. We track public shelter data in our area. Staff and the Board review results and share them with funders.
Funding Request
What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $40,000 from the Carlisle Family Foundation for our program and clinic coordinator's salary, spay and neuter surgeries for 300 pets and the costs of reporting results, for January through December 2027. Year 1 budget: about $137,000, planned to balance. Year 1 money coming in: - Grants and government contracts: $115,000 (this request plus other grants we are applying for). - Adoption fees and donations: $22,000. Year 1 costs: - Executive Director: $52,000. - Program and clinic coordinators: $36,000. - Veterinary and clinic costs (paid to licensed veterinarians: spay/neuter, vaccines, medical care): $36,000. - Office costs (bookkeeping, insurance, reporting): $10,000. - That is about $134,000 in costs. The remaining $3,000 or so goes into savings. Equipment we buy once at the start (about $6,000) is paid from startup money, not from the yearly budget. The next five years. Our budget grows from about $137,000 in Year 1 to about $222,000 in Year 5 as we grow to three program and clinic coordinators. Grants and contracts are planned at $115,000 in Year 1, $108,000 in Year 2, $135,000 in Year 3, $126,000 in Year 4 and $154,000 in Year 5. Adoption fees and donations grow from $22,000 to $68,000, so grants become a smaller part of our budget over time. Savings. We start with about $14,000 of our own plus $48,000 in startup support, and we add to savings each year. Important for grants. Many animal welfare grants are paid in installments or after a report, and some require specific results like the number of surgeries. We plan for that and keep careful records. Help we receive that is not cash. Donated veterinary services and supplies, foster homes, volunteer hours and donated space are a real part of what we do and are not counted in the budget above. Free use of a church parking lot and hall for clinics (about $3,000 a year), about 2,000 volunteer hours a year and donated pet food If we are just starting. A new organization can begin before it has its own 501(c)(3) status. One way is a fiscal sponsor: an established nonprofit that agrees to receive grants for you and pass them to your program, usually for a fee (commonly around 5% to 10% of the grant, sometimes more; ask before you agree). Many funders accept this. Another way is to start smaller: partner with a local veterinarian and a rescue group, start with monthly clinics and a few foster homes, and track results carefully. Strong results from a small start make larger grants and contracts easier to win.
Appendix Notes
Documents to attach with this proposal:
- Your IRS 501(c)(3) letter, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your most recent financial statements and your current budget.
- A list of your Board members and what they do.
- Letters of support from veterinarians, shelters or other partners.
- Your agreements with partner veterinarians and your animal care and handling policies.
- Your adoption application and foster agreement.
- Your animal numbers from the past year, if you have them.
- Resumes for your Executive Director and key staff. If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.
The assumptions behind our numbers (change them in the Financials section to match your own):
- Staff pay: Executive Director $52,000; each program and clinic coordinator $36,000, growing from 1 to 3.
- Veterinary and clinic costs about $36,000 in Year 1, rising about 6% a year
- Office costs about $10,000 in Year 1, rising about 4% a year.
- Grants and contracts set so each year's budget balances with a small amount saved.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate. Replace them with your organization's real budget.