2017 Report to Friends of the Binky Foundation

To help control the flow and quality of grant applications, for the past two years we have required submission of letters of inquiry (LOIs) for permission to submit complete applications. While this process may have reduced the number of applications that did not meet our criteria, it has not stopped the cascade of letters of inquiry!

We received over 300 LOIs during our month-long window – almost double the number received in 2016. Of the 300 plus organizations submitting LOIs, 132 were invited to submit full applications, from which we awarded 52 First Steps grants to recipients in 29 states and the District of Columbia – a first – totaling almost $90,000.

But we did not stop there. Because we received so many worthy requests, we also invited another 56 of those organizations to submit full applications for consideration in the first quarter of 2018. Our focus remains on “First Steps” grants with particular attention to new organizations with sustainable plans for future viability.

If you have not done so recently, check out our updated website at www.binkyfoundation.org. You will see that our site has been modernized to present larger, more viewable photos and text, which allows us to focus more attention on the work of our grantees and our pet remembrances. In addition to better graphics, we also added a couple of new features, including a search feature making it easier to locate old remembrances, grantees and news. Further, we placed more focus on our popular pet remembrances by showing the most recent remembrances on our home page. Finally, we also added a Donate button on all pages at the request of a number of our friends.

We would love to hear from you with your comments about our new website or on any other aspect of our mission. Many thanks for your continued interest in our efforts.

With appreciation from the Board,

Michalina Bickford

Kathleen Bickford Berzock

Peter Bickford