2 survey respondents
Location: 2345 Walker Ave Nw, Grand Rapids, 49544 MI
EIN: 38-3853264
50%
50%
13 hours
Median
100%
0%
25%
75%
2017 Deadlines:
Types of Grants Awarded:
Geographic Focus:
For Fiscal Year
Total Assets:
Total Grants:
Change in Assets FY :
Amount of Grants to Minnesota Nonprofits:
Largest Grant:
Smallest Grant:
Average Grant:
Reviewer 6171 - Grant Applicant - applied in 2016
They will talk with you on the phone and email, so ask your questions first. This will not be your general operating fund grant but if you have a program that needs supplies, it would probably be great. They are specific to pets.
Doesn't "get" nonprofits and issues
Colorado
Applied and not funded
2016
Good
Bad
Their “no overhead” rule does not acknowledge the importance of people and process in the program. Our organization gets all assets donated and the only cost is rent, transportation, and people. Bissell said we could only apply for funding to buy the items that were being donated, which is a waste of money and lacks vision.
They were responsive and talked with me on the phone about my concerns.
More than 15
Grant Applicant - applied in 2017
BPF has their hearts in the right place and they are doing their homework to understand the field they are funding. It's not every day that a corporation creates a foundation to benefit animals - thank you to the founder for making animals a priority. It is deeply appreciated.
Check their website frequently for grant period updates. The dates change! And if you receive funding, you have to wait a year before re-applying. If you join as a Partner for Pets, they will give you a product (vacuum) for your fundraiser auction annually (if you send back a report). Pretty cool!
Positive leader in the field, Gives more than money, Friendly, Responsive
Ohio
Current or former grantee
Funded for amount requested
2017
Good
The Grant and Programs manager responds in a timely manner and is very helpful.
Average
It seems like many small grants are being spread around the country, rather than large impactful grants. Larger groups making bigger impact (i.e. saving more lives) don't have the opportunity to seek larger awards or multi-year grants.
However, it does appear that BPF knows what questions to ask (i.e. shelter data) in order to determine which groups are effective. The foundation is still relatively young, there are signs indicating that they are heading in the right direction to create big impact and save shelter animals.
The set subsidy for spay/neuter surgeries is MUCH too low. Please let the nonprofits determine what they need to spend per surgery (within reason). Reaching the most at-risk animals (feral cats, pets of low income pet owners) is expensive - more expensive than just reaching the average pet, especially in urban areas where staffing is competitive and higher wages must be paid in order to maintain high quality (which appears to be a priority for BPF). Reaching those at-risk animals is critical in saving shelter pets. Also - you might consider requiring grantees to participate in Shelter Animals Count. That way you can access all the shelter data from the SAC website, and that will save precious time for grant writers. Finally...requiring two logos posted on grantee websites seems excessive in relation to average grant sizes.
If you offer spay/neuter services, make sure you are following the ASV standards for high volume spay/neuter.
I appreciate that BPF did a lot of research about high quality spay/neuter programs and asks specific questions about medical standards on the application. They are clearly doing a lot of homework.
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