Bailey and Friends

“There’s so much we can do to improve the quality of life for our four-legged friends.” – Tom Golisano, Founder of Bailey and Friends, 2019

Year in Review 2022

Mission

Bailey and Friends is dedicated to supporting animal welfare in Western NY, Region 1 and SW Florida, Region 9. With a focus on dogs and cats, Bailey and Friends is committed to working with shelters, rescue groups, veterinary clinics and other lifesaving programs to promote wellness, ensure safety and keep pets and families together.

At the heart of Bailey and Friends, we strive to make a positive difference in the care of dogs and cats because we recognize and cherish the bond that exists between animals and humans in personal, occupational, and therapeutic capacities.

Societal Shift in the Animal Welfare Field

Traditionally, animals have flooded into open admission shelters. So from the moment of intake they entered a system in reactive and therefore chronic crisis mode. Instead, we should view an overcrowded shelter as a symptom of the lack of proactive programs and draw our attention to the community level.” – The Best Practice Playbook for Animal Shelters

Bailey and Friends Field Response 2022

Bailey and Friends Grant Request and Award Averages:

Average Percentage of Program Cost Requested to Bailey and Friends – 49.25% (Last year was 51.95%)
Average Percentage of Grant Request Funded by Bailey and Friends – 52.60% (Last year was 59.46%)
Average Grant Amount Awarded: $7,150 (based on the website, the average grant range is $5,000-$10,000)

Giving Region 1 Counties: Niagara, Orleans, Monroe (7), Wayne, Erie (1), Genesee, Wyoming (1), Livingston, Ontario (1), Yates (1), Seneca, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Steuben, Schuyler, & Chemung (1).

6 out of 17 counties received a grant (see the number of grants awarded per county in parenthesis above).

Giving Region 9 Counties: Manatee, Hardee, Sarasota, Desoto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee (2), Hendry, & Collier (5).

2 out of 9 counties received a grant (see the number of grants awarded per county in parenthesis above).

*Counties in red have not connected or received a grant award from Bailey and Friends since its founding.

Chart Highlights:

Spay / Neuter – 3 organizations received funding for essential spay/neuter surgical equipment and supplies that increased their standards of care, capacity to provide services, and steps toward self-sustaining programming.
Emergency Relief, Medical / Veterinary Care – grant recipients in this category endured unexpected, emergency needs relating to a devastating fire in Monroe County and Hurricane Ian in SWFL.
Other – includes a shelter lighting project and the purchase of custom CDE (Cats, Dogs, & Everything) Animal Cages for a kitten, cat, and feral cat organization.

“You can’t change an animal’s past, but you can rewrite its future.” Bonnie Brewer, Humane Society of Yates County, Grant Award Recipient, 2021.

Listening and Learning in the Field

Site Visits Completed
Pet Pride of NY, Chemung County Humane Society and SPCA, Erie County SPCA, and Freedom Guide Dogs.

Humane Society Naples, Gulf Coast Humane Society, Animal Refuge Center, SNIP Collier Inc., and QT Kittens, Inc.

Social Media

48 posts, 262 people like, 281 followers
41 posts, 119 followers

“Shelters are not just supportive of pets and animals but have begun to be a place of care for both pets and people.”- Best Friends Animal Society, Monthly Action Calls, 2022.

Gaps and Opportunity in the Field

The proposed strategic grantmaking plan for 2022 addressed pet care during emergency situations such as financial difficulties, displacement, medical emergencies, and natural disasters. A total of 4 out of 19 (21%) grants were awarded through the creation of the following response grant applications:

Bailey and Friends – Unexpected Needs Response Grant
Emergency Response Grant

In addition, 6 out 19 (32%) grants were determined “capacity” grants. These grants provided the essential materials and program functions needed to increase an organization’s ability to overcome accessibility and affordability difficulties and their capacity to serve the animals in their rural communities.

The proposed strategic grantmaking plan for 2023 includes the following in addition to continuing to monitor the vet and vet tech shortage in our giving regions and connecting with each county to grow our grantseeker network.