How to Finance an Animal Shelter – Two Viable Alternatives to Traditional Financing

Animal Shelter Designed by Shelterplanners - Click for more pics

Animal shelters are such specific buildings.  They are designed to support the sheltering mission and as such necessarily include a host of supporting rooms, details, finishes and equipment that aren’t found in standard construction.  Every component is critical to proper animal care, however, and must be part of the design.

Unlike financing the construction of an office building or a retail center the animal shelter requires such specific spaces, details finishes and equipment that it is almost impossible to refit for any other use except maybe pet boarding and/or pet day care.   This makes conventional financing difficult and humane societies and SPCA’s usually find themselves facing the need to engage in a “capital campaign” to fund their proposed new shelter.  Successful capital campaigns take time, considerable up-front investment and a great deal of work by everyone involved.

There are opportunities for long term financing available in the right circumstances.  In most states, local government can qualify for long term “lease/purchase” financing for projects involved in “essential services” like fire stations, for instance.  Animal shelters also qualify when sheltering animals is mandated either by local or state ordinances.

So if your organization provides sheltering services under contract with your local jurisdiction, you may be able to take advantage of “lease purchase” financing.  You will have to encourage your jurisdiction to work with you and provide a long term contract or “backing” by co-signature that can support say a 20-25 year deal.  With that arrangement in hand, you can approach a private capital corporation that specializes in government finance.  You will still have to raise some funds, but only about 20% of the total cost.

So what if you don’t have a contract with your local government?  You can look to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for help.  The USDA’s rural development program can provide funding for shelters – we have participated in two successful efforts.  Like the scenario above, you will still have to raise a portion of the total funding, but the USDA’s interest rates and terms are far better than any commercial lender can offer and if you qualify you will have the funds necessary to build.

Does Your Animal Shelter Have a Customized Plan to Improve Conditions?

“ShelterPlanners.com worked closely with me and my staff, developing a study that analyzed our situation and accurately predicted the size and scope of our new shelter.  The resulting layout includes everything we wanted to achieve.  The design has given us the exciting vision we needed to launch our capital campaign.” 

Gina West, Director

Lewis & Clark Humane Society

Helena, MT

It’s difficult to think about a plan when you’re busy trying to care for and save the animals at your animal shelter. However, we sincerely hope you have a specific plan and measurable goals to improve your current conditions.  How can you clearly communicate your mission and vision to potential donors and your community without a customized plan?

We know you are extremely busy and you likely don’t have the resources to create a blueprint for the future of your shelter.  That’s why we created a Needs Assessment Study.

The Needs Assessment Study provides the following: 

• Proposed shelter size  based on animal intake statistics
• Proposed shelter size for the future: 10-year and 20-year projections calculated
• A detailed description of sizing and space needed to house and support the animals you serve. Also provides description and size for every space needed for your staff and volunteers to properly care for the animals
• A cost range projection based on recently constructed animal shelters

This in-depth report is customized to your shelter’s specific mission and vision.  The report will allow the shelter director to easily communicate not only the mission/vision but also the capital requirements to the community and local government.  It’s one of the first steps to transforming your animal shelter.

Make time to create your plan with Shelterplanners.  We have all the tools necessary!  If you would like more information about the Needs Assessment Study, please contact us: contact@shelterplanners.com or 434-971-8848. Together we can: Save Time. Save Money. Save Animals!