“I’m Animal Friendly” License Plate Grants
***IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: MAC will not be awarding license plate grant funding in 2020, and will use the year to reevaluate all parts of the program. The Program team has been exploring ways to have the greatest impact and affect the animals and people most in need. Funds collected by the RMV will be held for use upon the program’s re-launch. The MAC Board hopes you will understand our rationale for this decision. MAC remains committed to funding spay and neuter surgeries around the state and we look forward to serving animals and the people who help them in 2021.***
Municipalities and non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations can apply to receive funds for spay and neuter programs.
The grant program operates on an annual cycle. We post the grant application documents on this page in late winter and the submission deadline is approximately two months later in early spring .
Grant applications are reviewed by a committee and grant award applicants are notified by the end of June.
Click here to see a list of the applicants who were awarded grant funding in 2019
Click here to see a list of the applicants who were awarded grant funding in 2018
The 2019 grant application is now closed. Documents are posted here for reference purposes only.
You can also help build awareness of the “I’m Animal Friendly” License Plate! The requests MAC receives for funding currently exceeds the amount raised through sales of the license plate. With the need for affordable spay/neuter services growing, the more you can help increase awareness about the “I’m Animal Friendly” license plate, the more animals we can help in Massachusetts!
To learn more about how you can help spread the word about the plate, massanimalcoalition.org/programs/license-plate/promote-the-plate
2019 Grant Application
There are four documents that pertained to 2019 grant applications, as follows:
- MAC 2018 – LP Grant Organizations In Good Standing
- MAC-2019-LP-Grant-Application-Instructions FINAL
- MAC 2019 LP Grant Organization Profile FINAL
- MAC 2019 LP Grant Application FINAL
The requirements listed in the first document, MAC 2018 – LP Organizations in Good Standing are still in force. This explains the “Organizations in Good Standing” eligibility requirements for 2019 License Plate grant applicants.
How are grant applications reviewed and evaluated?
A five member Grant Awards Committee reviews grant application packages and makes recommendations for funding. Members of the Grant Awards Committee are an animal control officer, a veterinarian, a MAC member, and two members of the shelter and rescue community from different areas of Massachusetts.
Grants are for a specified term, not to exceed one year. The criteria that is used to evaluate proposals include:
Goal/Scope: The proposal should state the specific problem the grant funds will be used to address. The proposal should contain specific goals and demonstrate how those goals will be met and how the targeted animal population will be impacted. Proposals that focus on feral cats should specify how attempts will be made to impact the entire colony/population/community.
Need: The proposal should convey a good understanding of a particular need in the targeted area and adequately describes how the proposed project addresses it.
Project Design: The project should define and quantify the pet overpopulation problem in your community, be well thought out and present a clear method/strategy to reduce pet overpopulation. Successful proposals will document the particular overpopulation sources in the community targeted, and clearly define a plan to address those issues in the most cost-effective and efficient manner.
Proposals should pay special attention to pediatric spaying and neutering and spaying and neutering all animals prior to adoption to prevent these often overlooked contributions to pet overpopulation.
Programs that use vouchers/certificates should explain how they determine who receives funding and how a co-pay or deposit is determined, and the specific steps taken to ensure and track compliance.
Collaboration: The proposal should consider any possible collaboration (with animal shelters, animal control officers, rescue organizations, veterinarians, and educational outreach providers) that can effectively help reach the proposal’s goals, provide additional services, or lower the cost of surgery per animal. A letter of support for the project must be provided from each partner or collaborating organization listed in the project application.
Assessment: Proposal should explain what measurable criteria will be used to determine if your organization reaches its objectives. How will you measure the success of your proposed program?
Continuation/Leverage: The proposal should address how the applicant will continue its project after the grant term. Explain any collaborative efforts or other revenue sources that will be sought to continue your work.
Promotion of the License Plate: The success of the “I’m Animal Friendly” License Plate Program and the amount of money available to fund grant projects depends directly on the number of plates sold and renewed. Participation of grantees in efforts to build awareness about the role of the “I’m Animal Friendly” License Plate Program in funding statewide spay/neuter efforts is crucial.
With this is mind tell us how you will create an awareness linked to your project so that your clients understand that you are able to provide the services in your project thanks to the funding from the sales of the license plate. Clients can be individual pet owners, colony caregivers, shelters, rescues, animal control programs and your community at large.
MAC 2019 Grant Award Recipients – Final Report Requirements
Recipients of a 2019 MAC “I’m Animal Friendly” License Plate grant award are required to submit final report information. The 2019 final report must be received from grant recipients by MAC no later than July 15, 2020. Reports (consisting of all 3 documents listed below) should be emailed to MAC at [email protected]
The 2019 form is broken down into three distinct documents. They are:
Questions should be directed to MAC at [email protected]