Maddie's Fund offers grants to participate in National Shelter Animals Count

Maddie's Fund, a national family foundation based in Pleasanton, California, is offering grants to boost participation in the national Shelter Animals Count database during the period of March 25 through April 30.

Every animal shelter and rescue organization that registers within this timeframe will receive $1,000, and currently participating organizations will receive $500 for each new member they refer.

Amy Weifang, Maddie's Fund Board Chairman and Executive Leadership Team said, "Shelter Animals Count provides an unprecedented opportunity to collect and share national shelter data, to improve decision-making and most importantly, to increase lifesaving."

"Hundreds of shelters today are participating in this important work. We hope our grant will encourage more shelters to sign up. More participants equals better data and insights and more lives we can save together."

Shelter Animals Count is the only collaborative initiative to create and share a national database of sheltered animal statistics, providing facts and enabling insights that will save lives. Jodi Lytle Buckman, Board Chairman of Shelter Animals Count, states, "Thanks to Maddie, this incentive will help boost our participant membership."

"As more shelters join the National Database, we move closer to having a true understanding of the numbers of pets entering and leaving our nation's animal shelters, ultimately leading to opportunities for a positive impact on homeless pets."

Animal shelters and rescue organizations nationwide are encouraged to get more details on qualifications and to register at Shelter Animals Count. Community members around the country are encouraged to share this grant opportunity with their local shelter and rescue organizations.

Maddie's Fund is a family foundation founded in 1994 by Workday co-founder Dave Duffield and his wife, Cheryl, who have endowed the Foundation with more than $300 million. Since then, they have awarded more than $172 million in grants toward increased community lifesaving, shelter medicine education, and pet adoptions across the U.S.

The Duffields named Maddie's Fund after their Miniature Schnauzer Maddie, who always made them laugh and comforted them during stressful business times when Dave was launching a startup software company. Maddie was with Dave and Cheryl from 1987-1997 and continues to inspire them today.

Maddie's Fund is the fulfillment of a promise to an inspirational dog and the creation of a goal towards achieving a no-kill nation where all healthy and treatable shelter dogs and cats are guaranteed a loving home.