Prairie Paws Rural Veterinary Access

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Executive Summary

Prairie Paws Rural Veterinary Access is a nonprofit in Kansas that operates a mobile veterinary clinic serving low-income pet owners in central Kansas communities where the nearest small-animal vet is 40 to 60 miles away. A veterinarian and a certified veterinary technician travel to 24 community sites - county fairgrounds, feed stores, church parking lots - on a published monthly schedule offering preventive care, spay and neuter surgery, vaccinations and basic sick-pet care at a sliding scale of $0 to $150.

Central Kansas is a companion animal care desert. Forty-two percent of rural Kansas pet owners have not had their animal vaccinated in more than three years. Unvaccinated dogs and cats create genuine rabies exposure risk. Unaltered animals produce large numbers of unwanted offspring that overwhelm rural animal control. For elderly and isolated rural residents, a pet is often the primary daily source of companionship. A monthly clinic that comes to the community removes the distance barrier that is the real reason animals go without care. We do not promise any medical outcome. The veterinarian's services are governed by her Kansas DVM license and state law.

What we are asking for. Our program has a Year 1 budget of about $195,000. We are asking for $52,000 from a Kansas rural foundation for a portion of the veterinarian's salary and mobile clinic operating costs. The rest comes from other grants and service fee revenue listed in the funding section. Every dollar amount in this plan is an estimate.

Company Description

Prairie Paws Rural Veterinary Access is a nonprofit organization recognized under section 501(c)(3) of the tax code, governed by a volunteer board that includes a Kansas Farm Bureau representative, a county extension agent, a county animal control director and three rural community members. The board meets monthly, approves the budget and oversees the executive director. A new organization without its own determination letter can use a fiscal sponsor, explained in the funding section.

What we believe. Every animal that matters to a family deserves to be vaccinated, healthy and not producing litter after litter of unwanted offspring because no vet will come out here.

What we do:
- Monthly community site visits. The 38-foot mobile clinic travels to 24 sites across five counties on a published schedule, posted six months in advance.
- Preventive care. Core vaccinations (rabies, DAPP, feline combo), heartworm testing, flea and tick prevention and wellness exams at every visit.
- Spay and neuter surgery. Surgeries performed in the on-board surgical suite. One to three surgeries per site visit, scheduled in advance. County Humane Society spay/neuter vouchers accepted.
- Basic sick-pet care. Ear infections, skin conditions, minor injuries, parasite treatment and prescription medications dispensed on site.
- County rabies vaccination clinics. We partner with county health departments to run annual rabies clinics, maximizing compliance in rural areas.
- TNR coordination. In partnership with county animal control, we support trap-neuter-return for feral cat colonies.
- Kansas State veterinary student clinical rotations. Two students per week during the academic year gain clinical hours on the van.

What we do not do. We do not perform emergency surgery or provide specialist services. Complex cases are referred to the nearest full-service clinic with a phone call ahead. We do not guarantee any medical outcome.

Who we serve. Pet owners in Barton, Ellsworth, Rice, Reno and McPherson counties, with priority for low-income households and elderly pet owners.

Our board has at least five members, including at least one person who has used our services or lives in the community we serve, and only a minority of board members may be related to each other or paid by the organization.

We keep a written conflict of interest policy, a whistleblower policy and a record retention policy, and the board reviews them every year.

Problem & Opportunity

Central Kansas pet owners face a genuine care access problem.

1. Distance. In our five-county service area, there are eight licensed small-animal veterinary practices for approximately 90,000 residents. Most practices are concentrated in Great Bend and Hutchinson. Residents in smaller communities drive 40 to 60 minutes on rural roads for an appointment.
2. Veterinary supply shortage. No new small-animal practice has opened in Barton or Rice County in 15 years. The supply is not growing.
3. Vaccination rates. A Kansas State University Extension survey found that many rural Kansas pet owners had not had their animal vaccinated in more than three years.
4. Feral cat population. The feral and unowned cat population in our five-county area is estimated at approximately 8,000 animals, driven in large part by the absence of accessible spay and neuter.
5. Rabies risk. Our five-county area reported more animal rabies cases per capita than the state average in recent years. Rabies is a genuine public health concern in rural Kansas where wildlife contact with unvaccinated dogs and cats is common.

Why it matters now. Kansas has no rural companion animal access program at the state level. County animal control agencies report ongoing overpopulation problems tied directly to the absence of low-cost spay and neuter access.

How we know the need is real. We reviewed Kansas Veterinary Medical Association practice location data, the KSU Extension rural pet owner survey and animal control intake data from all five counties. In our first-year pilot serving two counties, 78% of animals treated had not received any veterinary care in the prior 24 months. The full data is in the appendix.

Products & Services

What the funded project will do. With this grant we will pay a portion of the veterinarian's salary and mobile clinic fuel, maintenance and insurance costs for a full year.

How a pet owner takes part:
1. Schedule awareness. The monthly schedule is posted at feed stores, county extension offices, the county fair website and the organization's social media page. Six months of the schedule are posted at once so owners can plan.
2. Show up. No appointment needed for vaccines and basic care. Surgery requires a one-week advance reservation by phone.
3. Sliding scale payment. A fee scale based on household income is applied at the time of service. Payment is by cash, check or card. No one is turned away for inability to pay for basic preventive care.
4. Follow-up care. For chronic conditions, the vet leaves a written care plan and the family's file is pulled at the next visit. Complex referrals include a phone call to the receiving clinic.

What the grant pays for. This request covers a portion of the veterinarian's salary and van fuel, maintenance and insurance.

What we do not promise. We do not promise any medical outcome. We track site visits, animals treated, spay and neuter surgeries, rabies vaccinations and shelter intake trends in served counties, and we report honestly.

Safety. All clinical work is performed under the veterinarian's Kansas DVM license. Surgical procedures are performed in a properly equipped surgical suite with anesthesia monitoring. We follow Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners practice standards.

Market Analysis

Who benefits from this project are pet owners in five central Kansas counties.

Who we serve. Owners of dogs and cats - working dogs, farm cats and companion animals - in Barton, Ellsworth, Rice, Reno and McPherson counties, with priority for low-income and elderly pet owners.

How many we plan to serve. About 1,200 animals at 24 community sites in Year 1. By Year 5 we plan to serve about 1,600 animals at 30 sites annually. We chose those numbers from the van's weekly scheduling capacity, the veterinarian's surgery caseload and KSU student rotation weeks.

Where we serve. County fairgrounds, feed stores, church parking lots and co-op yards across five central Kansas counties.

Who else benefits. County animal control agencies, which benefit from reduced shelter intake as spay and neuter coverage improves. County health departments, which benefit from improved rabies vaccination compliance.

We choose how many sites to schedule from the van maintenance calendar and the vet's available days, not from the size of the need.

Competitive Landscape

Other resources in our five-county area.

1. Private small-animal practices in Great Bend and Hutchinson. Excellent care but 40 to 60 miles from most of our clients. We refer complex cases and do not compete with them for routine private-pay clients.
2. Kansas Humane Society spay/neuter vouchers. Available but require travel to a fixed clinic location to redeem. We accept their vouchers and provide the surgery in the community.
3. County rabies clinics. Annual, held at fixed locations. We partner with them to supplement coverage and run clinic-day operations.
4. Kansas State University veterinary school mobile. Focuses on large animal and agricultural animals, not companion animals.

What makes us different. We go to the community on a predictable monthly schedule, perform surgeries on the van so there is no fixed-clinic travel barrier and accept all income levels with a sliding scale. We complement the private practices rather than compete with them; we refer to them and they sometimes refer rural clients who cannot make the drive to us.

How we avoid duplication. We meet twice a year with the Kansas Humane Society and county animal control directors to coordinate schedules and referrals.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

How we will reach pet owners once the project is funded.

County extension offices. Our primary promoters. Extension agents distribute the monthly schedule through their rural networks, newsletters and social media.

Feed stores and co-ops. Schedule posted prominently at the service counter where pet food and veterinary supplies are purchased.

County animal control. Animal control officers refer pet owners who have animals that need care and mention the van when they respond to calls.

Word of mouth. In small rural communities, one satisfied owner tells the whole town. Consistent positive experiences drive most repeat visits.

Annual auction and barbecue. The Prairie Paws annual fundraiser raises individual and business donor support in the community.

Funding cultivation. PetSmart Charities, the Morris Animal Foundation, USDA Rural Development veterinary access grants and rural community foundations are the primary funding prospects.

Operations Plan

How the project will be carried out.

Schedule. Two to three site visits per week, Tuesday through Saturday, March through October. Reduced to one to two visits per week November through February based on demand and weather.

Each site visit. Four to six hours on site. 20 to 30 animals seen on a full day, 8 to 15 on a half-day vaccination clinic.

Partners. Five county extension offices for schedule promotion, three county animal control agencies for TNR coordination, the Kansas Humane Society for voucher acceptance and Kansas State University for student rotations. Each has a written agreement.

Money controls. Sliding scale fee revenue is collected at the van and deposited daily. Two people reconcile the daily cash and card receipts. Supply purchasing is done quarterly with board review.

Records and reporting. We track site visits, animals treated, spay and neuter surgeries, rabies vaccinations, shelter intake trends and service fee revenue. We report to funders twice a year.

Management & Organization

The executive director manages the organization and the community relationships. The veterinarian provides all clinical services and supervises the CVT. The part-time site coordinator drives the van and manages scheduling.

The team. Pay figures include payroll taxes and workers' compensation insurance. The numbers in parentheses are how many people we plan to have in Years 1 through 5. A number with a half, such as 2.5, means a hire phased in during the year or one part-time person.
- Executive Director and Veterinarian (combined role, DVM): 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $88,000 a year.
- Certified Veterinary Technician: 1, 1, 1, 1, 2 (Years 1 to 5), about $48,000 a year.
- Site Coordinator and Driver (part-time): 1, 1, 1, 1, 1 (Years 1 to 5), about $18,000 a year.
- Program Associate (added as the budget grows): 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 1.5 (Years 1 to 5), about $46,000 a year each, hired as new grant money arrives.

Governance and money controls. The board reviews financials monthly. An outside accountant prepares the yearly tax return. Every grant is in its own budget line. Service fee revenue is tracked separately.

Feedback and complaints. Pet owners can give feedback to the vet or CVT at any visit or by calling the office. We report themes to the board quarterly. No owner loses services for speaking up.

Milestones Narrative

Goals for each of the first five years. These are goals, not promises.
- Before the grant starts: renew county extension and animal control agreements, confirm van maintenance schedule and stock surgical and supply inventory.
- Year 1: complete 24 site visits, treat about 1,200 animals, perform about 300 spay and neuter surgeries. Budget about $195,000.
- Year 2: expand to 30 site visits, begin USDA Rural Development veterinary access grant application. Budget about $235,000.
- Year 3: add dental screenings to the van's service menu. Budget about $268,000.
- Year 4: expand to two additional counties with a second vet day per week. Budget about $305,000.
- Year 5: treat about 1,600 animals annually at 30 sites. Budget about $338,000.

How we will measure results: site visits completed, animals treated, spay and neuter surgeries, rabies vaccinations, shelter intake reduction in served counties and service fee revenue. We report to funders twice a year.

Funding Request

What we are asking for, and how the money will be used. Our request: $52,000 from a Kansas rural foundation for a portion of veterinarian salary and mobile clinic operating costs, for January through December 2027.

The request is spread across these budget lines:
- Personnel: Veterinarian salary (part), $40,000 (other funds cover the remaining $48,000 of the vet's $88,000 salary).
- Other: Van fuel, maintenance and commercial insurance, $12,000 (other funds cover the remaining $6,000 of the $18,000 annual van operating cost).

Other money in the program. This request is about 32% of Year 1 grant income. Other grants and service fee revenue pay for everything it does not cover.

Year 1 budget: about $195,000, planned to balance with a small surplus (about $3,700 after the yearly wear on equipment). Year 1 money coming in: Grant Revenue $160,000; Sliding Scale Service Fees $35,000. Year 1 costs: executive director and veterinarian (combined role, dvm) $88,000; certified veterinary technician $48,000; site coordinator and driver (part-time) $18,000; van fuel, maintenance and insurance $11,600; veterinary supplies and medications $9,000; surgical supplies and equipment maintenance $5,200; prairie Paws auction and barbecue $3,200; office and reporting $6,500.

One-time startup costs. Startup costs of $14,200 are paid once from startup funds: $5,800 for surgical suite equipment refresh and sterilization equipment, $3,400 for an encrypted patient records system and laptops, $2,400 for legal setup and Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners mobile clinic compliance review, $1,600 for banners, schedule mailers and a website, and $1,000 for opening pharmaceutical and supply stock.

How we got our startup number. The Funding Need Calculator in this plan adds the startup costs ($14,200), the cash the program uses before it balances (about $2,300) and a cash cushion of about $47,400, which is about 3 months of Year 1 costs. In all, that comes to $64,000. We start with $18,000 of our own savings and $46,000 from PetSmart Charities startup funding and board contributions, $64,000 in all, which covers that amount.

The next five years. Our budget grows from about $195,000 in Year 1 to about $338,000 in Year 5. Grant revenue is planned at $160,000, $157,000, $177,000, $198,000 and $194,000 in Years 1 to 5. Other income grows as sponsors and donors join. The program plans to end each year with a surplus, about $3,700, $14,800, $18,100, $24,200 and $300 in Years 1 to 5, which we put into savings. Some years are larger because new grant money arrives before the added staff are hired. The lowest year-end cash in the plan is about $52,500.

After the grant. USDA Rural Development veterinary access grants become a primary federal funding stream in Year 2. Service fee revenue grows as a sustainable earned income base.

Risks:
- Van mechanical failure cancels a week of site visits. We maintain a preventive schedule, carry a roadside emergency kit and have a contingency plan to reschedule the most critical sites first.
- The veterinarian leaves. Rural DVM recruitment is the hardest workforce challenge in this field. We maintain a relationship with KSU's veterinary school placement office and would offer a housing stipend in the compensation package for a replacement.
- Service fee revenue may be lower than projected if the community is economically stressed. We budget service fees conservatively and do not assume more than 18% of revenue from fees.
- Rabies regulations or state mobility practice rules could change. We maintain an active relationship with the Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners.

Appendix Notes

Documents to attach before you send this proposal:

- Your IRS determination letter showing 501(c)(3) status, or your fiscal sponsor agreement.
- Your board list and board minutes approving the application.
- Your most recent budget and financial statements.
- A list of other funders and what each has given or been asked to give.
- Veterinarian's Kansas DVM license.
- CVT certification.
- Kansas Board of Veterinary Examiners mobile clinic compliance documentation.
- County extension partnership agreements.
- Kansas Humane Society voucher acceptance agreement.
- Kansas State University clinical rotation agreement.
- Van registration and maintenance log.
- Pilot data: 2 counties, 78% of animals with no prior vet care in 24 months.
If you don't have any of this yet, no worries - let's continue.

The assumptions behind our numbers:
- Grant Revenue: $160,000 in Year 1, planned to reach $194,000 in Year 5.
- Service Fee Revenue: $35,000 in Year 1 at an average of about $29 per animal across 1,200 animals, reflecting sliding scale discounts.
- Veterinarian salary: $88,000 per year including payroll taxes and workers' compensation for the combined executive director and DVM role.
- Van operating costs: $18,000 per year covers fuel at approximately $4.20 per gallon for about 22,000 miles, scheduled maintenance and commercial auto insurance.
- Every dollar amount is an estimate.

Plain words used in this proposal:
- DVM: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, the professional degree required to practice veterinary medicine.
- CVT: Certified Veterinary Technician, a trained and tested veterinary technician.
- TNR: trap-neuter-return, a method of controlling feral cat populations by trapping, surgically altering and returning cats to their location.
- USDA Rural Development: a federal agency that funds rural access programs including veterinary services.
- 501(c)(3): the tax status that lets a nonprofit receive tax-deductible gifts and many grants.

Startup Costs