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Animal Welfare Fund

To help Michigan’s pets thrive, each community needs high quality animal shelters to perform essential services. And, thanks to the Animal Welfare Fund, which is supported by generous Michigan taxpayers through voluntary contributions (Form 4642) on their state tax returns, the state’s registered animal shelters receive the support they need to help local animals. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MDARD) Animal Industry Division manages the Animal Welfare Fund. 

MI Community. MI Shelter.

Registered animal shelters provide care to animals in Michigan’s communities, offer spay and neuter programs, and serve as a place for lost pets to be reunited with their families. These shelters also offer hope for a new home to surrendered or abandoned animals.

Situated in the communities they serve, animal shelters partner with law enforcement agencies, veterinarians, and animal behavior specialists to ensure a safe place for animals and the people that love them. Our shelters and their partners play a key role in preventing unwanted animals in communities by encouraging or offering low-cost spay neuter programs.

About the Animal Welfare Fund

Throughout Michigan, communities struggle to find the money and resources their animal shelters need to provide medical care to the animals they rescue, offer public outreach, and fund educational opportunities for their staff.

Through the Animal Welfare Fund, MDARD provides financial grants to Michigan’s registered animal shelters for spay/neuter and care programs for shelter dogs and cats up for adoption.

The grants also support many local anti-cruelty and animal care programs around the state, including animal cruelty investigations for animal control and investigators. In addition, shelters use these grants to help care for animals seized through animal cruelty and hoarding cases.

The Animal Welfare Fund is able to invest in these causes and strengthen local communities through the generosity of Michigan taxpayers.

Since 2010, MDARD has distributed $1.4 million to 210 shelters throughout the state, with 59 grant applications requests totaling more than $511,000 in 2021.

Local shelters’ projects are tailored to fit the needs of the communities that they serve and to get more pets into fur-ever homes.

Spotlight on the Animal Welfare Fund

Learn more about the shelters that the Animal Welfare Fund supports. Watch the entire series on YouTube!
Animal Welfare Fund Playlist
How Spaying and Neutering Helps Your Community