News and Reports

Dear Friends:

2023 marks the third full year of our revised First Steps Grant Program, and the second full year of our follow-up Forward Steps grants.  Our $1000 First Steps grants are awarded to those newly formed groups that meet our three basic requirements: (i) it received or applied for 501c3 status within three years of application, (ii) its principals and/or staff have appropriate training in the business of running an animal welfare group as well as in appropriate animal care issues, and (iii) it has a formal, thoughtful action/business plan mapping its plans to achieve long-term sustainability in its community.  Our Forward Steps grants of up to $1500 are awarded to the prior year’s First Steps grant recipients that demonstrate the value and efficacy of their action/business plans, and success in striving for sustainability.

Through November 2023, we awarded 30 First Steps grants out of 79 applications, about the same number as last year. On the other hand, we awarded 19 Forward Steps grants this year compared to just 5 in 2022.  This increase, in our opinion, is the result of applicants and grantees more fully understanding our program’s emphasis on planning and structure over addressing immediate needs.

The core of our program continues to be our action/business plan requirement, which also is the most misunderstood of our requirements. Apparently, it is hard for some applicants to recognize that we do not care so much for how they intend to use the grant funds. Rather we are trying to provide an incentive for new organizations to establish themselves on a proper foundation with a working plan for now and for its future sustainability.  We continue to receive too many “lip service” action/business plans, seemingly designed to give us what the authors think we want rather than providing thoughtful guides for their own use moving forward.  The value of our action/business plan requirement was succinctly stated by one of our First Steps grantees, Best Friends Together of Las Vegas, Nevada, in its submission for a Forward Steps grant:

“Our business plan served as a compass for our organization by clearly defining our mission and vision. . .  Having our vision laid out in black and white served as a north star that guided our action while also ensuring our supporters knew what we were working toward.”

We are continuously updating our website and our communications with applicants in an ongoing effort to better explain the importance of our criteria. Our reward is hearing from grantees who value the importance to them of our requirements.

With appreciation from the Board,

Michalina Bickford

Kathleen Bickford Berzock

Peter Bickford

This past year continued our emphasis on helping newly formed animal welfare groups establish themselves on a proper basis. As of the first week of December, we have awarded a $1000 First Steps Grant to twenty-nine animal welfare groups in 2022 who met our simple three criteria: (i) it is a new organization (3-years or less), (ii) its principals have training or experience in the services to be provided and in running an animal welfare group, and (iii) it has a formal, thoughtful action/business plan. In our analysis of applications, we have learned to be flexible about strict compliance and to focus primarily on whether the group recognizes the value of training, preparation and planning – both organizational and financial — to achieve long term sustainability in its community.

The core of our program is our action/business plan requirement, which also seems to be the biggest bugaboo for applicants. We awarded First Steps grants to roughly one-third of applicants, with the main reason for rejection being the absence of a meaningful action/business plan. Our challenge has been to show applicants that the requirement is for their benefit, not ours, and that a short narrative or a stilted form found online is of little value. As explained on our website, “a purposeful plan should work as a living guide for the managers and overseers of an organization that can be updated and revised as circumstances warrant while keeping a focus on the mission of the organization…[W]e want to hear your voice in the plan.”

The value of the action/business plan requirement is best described by our grantees themselves. The excerpt below is from the application for one of our follow-up Forward Steps grants awarded to a prior First Steps grant recipients:

“Time and time again, I have returned to our business plan when applying for grants to use the graphics, narrative and market information to write a compelling proposal. I’m so appreciative that your First Steps Grant program required a business plan. The upfront investment of our time to write a business plan has repaid itself over and over in our first 18 months of operations and I highly recommend that all organizations, especially non-profits, go through that process.” Shannon Blake, Wolly Kitten Club

Thank you, Shannon, and thanks to all of you for your interest in our efforts on behalf of new animal welfare groups. With appreciation from the Board,

With appreciation from the Board,

Michalina Bickford

Kathleen Bickford Berzock

Peter Bickford

Our grant programs have evolved over the years to focus primarily on new organizations unable to obtain funding from mainstream funding sources.  This year we completed the transition to be totally focused on helping new organizations get established on a proper basis to achieve long-term sustainability. Our $1000 First Steps grant criteria have been simplified to three basic requirements: you must be a new organization (3-years or less), have training in the business of running an animal welfare group as well as in appropriate animal care issues, and have a formal, thoughtful business plan.

This year we also implemented a new Forward Steps grant of up to $1500 to be awarded to prior First Steps grant recipients that have demonstrated the value and efficacy of its business plan, and success in striving for a sustainable model.  First Steps grantees that received their grants more than 12-months ago receive an email invitation in due course to apply for a follow-up Forward Steps grant by providing a narrative on the value of proper training and planning and sharing their thoughts on their start-up experiences.  Most rewarding are comments recognizing the value of planning that our grant programs emphasize.  As one of our Forward Steps grantees stated in its application: “Producing the business plan forced us to define some short-term goals and bench marks to use in measuring our progress.” . . . “The business plan also proved useful in opening doors to grant applications.”  And another grantee stated: “We will be eternally grateful to the Binky Foundation for the early support we received when launching our organization.”

Comments like these and others confirm the value of our programs and provide gratifying support for the criteria we have developed.  Thank you for your interest in our efforts on behalf of new animal welfare groups.

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We continue to update our website (https://binkyfoundation.org/) and our pet remembrance page remains as popular as ever.  We would love to hear from you with your comments about our 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

As reported in our annual letter last December, we learned over the years that there are many passionate, well-intended people wanting to start an animal welfare group but do not fully understand the business or financial aspects of successfully running such a facility. This was the basis for our introducing, in the fall of 2019, our new, simplified First Steps grant program designed to provide a start-up $1000 grant to new animal welfare organizations (rescue groups, sanctuaries, shelters, etc.) that have invested in appropriate training and have a plan to achieve sustainability. In the year since inception of the program, through November 2020, we awarded 24 First Steps grants out of 52 applications received.

We have had a very busy 2019! Before our current windows were opened November 1st, we had awarded 39 grants totaling $50,483.45, primarily to groups whose applicants were carried over from the over 300 applications received in the fall of 2018. Over the summer we undertook a total review of our program criteria, our online application process and our website. As a result we made a number of changes, including the introduction of our new streamlined “First Steps” program for fledgling groups.

Our First Steps Grant Program continues to introduce us to amazing people across the country who are devoted to help protect and care for animals of all sorts and often under incredibly challenging conditions. We know we cannot help them all, but we try to focus on those with the greatest need and the greatest potential, particularly newer organizations seeking sustainability.

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!

2016 marked our 12th year of awarding grants to organizations and individuals devoted to protecting, rescuing and caring for domestic and wild animals and their habitats. For the year we awarded 53 First Steps grants to recipients in 26 states totaling almost $93,000. Our focus remains on small “First Steps” grants, with particular attention to new organizations with sustainable plans for future viability.

This year can be summed up in one word: Wow! In 2015, our 11th year of awarding grants to organizations and individuals devoted to protecting, rescuing and caring for domestic and wild animals and their habitats, we exceeded the $million mark in total grants. Among our 2015 highlights are the following:

2014 has been a landmark year for The Binky Foundation! It is our 10th year of providing grants to organizations and individuals devoted to protecting, rescuing and caring for domestic and wild animals and their habitats. In that 10-year period we have awarded 252 grants totaling $889,761.36. Here are some interesting facts regarding these grants and the evolution of our programs: