Assemblyman Fred Thiele (I, D, WF, WE-Sag Harbor) today announced that an additional $5 million is available to continue the support of critical improvement projects at New York's animal shelters. This is the second round of funding for the New York State Companion Animal Capital Fund, which will allow eligible organizations to make significant updates to their facilities to enhance animal care and health. A total of $10 million has been dedicated to the program since 2017.

Administered by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the Companion Animal Capital Fund is available to non-profit and municipal animal shelters, humane societies, and societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals. The goal of the program is to help these organizations continue to provide sheltering services to local communities and promote better care for the animals.

According to the New York State Animal Protection Federation, more than 150,000 animals are brought to these facilities each year and many are adopted by New York families. The Companion Animal Capital Fund will provide competitive matching grants to offset the costs associated with capital projects at these shelters, such as renovating dog kennels or building more efficient shelters to reduce the cost of operation. Funds can be used to construct, renovate, rehab, or acquire buildings or equipment needed to house, treat, and care for sheltered dogs and cats. The Companion Animal Capital Fund is the first state-funded program in the nation to support critical improvement projects at New York shelters.

Eligible organizations that serve a single municipality with a population of less than two million people may apply for grants of $50,000 to $200,000. The awarded funding may not exceed 50 percent of the proposed project cost and applicants are required to match 50 percent of the grant total. Eligible organizations serving two or more municipalities, or one municipality with a population of more than two million individuals, may apply for grants of $100,000 to $500,000. For these grants, the awarded funding may not exceed 75 percent of the proposed project cost and applicants are required to match 25 percent of the grant.

All applicants must apply through Grants Gateway here by November 7, 2018 at 4 p.m. More details on eligibility and the application process are available on the Current Funding Opportunities page at www.agriculture.ny.gov/RFPS. For questions, contact Alexandra Chiusano at Alexandra.Chiusano@agriculture.ny.gov.