Grant Proposal

for BARCS to
Improve Facility Capacity

https://barcs.org/
Summary:

As an advocate for rescues, this proposal is seeking to further develop the internal housing of BARCS
animal shelter. This renovation would require the removal of old kennels and the installation of new
housing.

Introduction:

The Baltimore Animal Rescue & Care Shelter, BARCS, is a non-profit organization focused on providing
shelter and refuge to animals in need. BARCS assists over 12,000 animals yearly, including cats, dogs,
and wildlife. Being an open shelter, BARCS does not turn away animals that need care. As a result, over
30 animals a day are received.
BARCS receives a grant from Baltimore City each year, however, a majority of BARCS budget comes
from private donations. The center is fully staffed, with experienced personnel serving several roles as
well as implement and running programs. Volunteers are heavily utilized, with over 1,000 active
volunteers, totaling 30,000 hours yearly.
Operating under an open shelter, BARCS receives animals in a variety of health. Excluding salaries,
medical care, cleaning supplies, and food are the highest annual cost items. The current shelter can house
250 animals at a time, with others in foster homes.
Volunteers and donations play a key part in maintaining BARCS to ensure all animals are treated
humanely. Being responsible for the care of animals in their center, BARCS also promotes responsible
ownership of pets. BARCS plays a key role in Baltimore’s Bureau of Animal Control.
Statement of Need:

With the sustained influx of animals in need, the shelter is only able to handle 250 animals at a time. By
adding spaces, BARCS would be able to house more animals and ensure their health is excellent prior to
adoption or fostering. The renovation of the unsuitable spaces would allow additional resources to be used
by staff. Due to the lack of space, fosters are used to assist with housing animals till they can be adopted
to a home.
These additional spaces would greatly assist in situations of major animal neglect. In recent news, a home
was found to have a substantial number of neglected animals. They required a large amount of space and
time to nurture them back to health. By converting unused space, this would allow for the influx of
special circumstances to not effect a major portion of existing animals.
The need for space has grown over time as animal are constantly being taken in for a variety of reasons.
Originally starting in 2005, BARCS initially saved 240 animals in 2004. As of 2018, BARCS recently has
housed nearly 11,000 dogs and cats. This significant increase in incoming animals has led to the need for
the facility to grow.
Goals and Objective:

1. Remove existing unsuitable equipment and furniture.

a. Volunteers assist with the dismantling stage.
b. Proper recycling or disposal of materials.
2. Install new kennels within the renovated area.
a. Receival of kennel material.
 b. Assembly of kennels.
c. Placing the kennels in the most effective use of space.
3. Develop the area for wildlife and exotic animals.
a. A separate area with animal specific needs

Review of Literature:

Presented by The Humane Society of the US, there is a range of statistics for pet population over the last
40 years. They note that since the 1970s, pet population has been greatly impacted by sterilization and
standardized pet care. (Rowan, Andrew, Kartal, 2018) They expand further with the total number of
dogs in shelters in the United States in
2016 was 5.5 million. [Table 1]
Estimated calculations explain that
roughly half, 2.6 Million, were adopted,
about 770,000 were transferred, and
about 770,000 were euthanized. This
coverage on just dogs shows the wide
reach of animals that are processed by
shelters. The calculation does not
account for the remaining several
million dogs.

The ASPCA reviewed the quantity of

animals entering rescues in 2011 to be
approximately 6.5 million nationwide.
(ASPCA 2019) Some animals are
returned to their owner, but only
about 3.2 million animals are adopted
each year. (ASPCA 2019) As a result, animals can be subject to euthanization. In some cases, the number
of pets through U.S. shelters has declined. The number of animals still leads to crowded shelters and the
need for more shelters.

Detailed description of project

Revitalization of existing spaces that will provide further utilization to house rescued animals; domestic
and wild. The existing furniture/area will be removed, followed by a thorough cleaning. The need for a
way to dispose of old materials is needed. Due to the vast number of volunteers, labor can be achieved
by leveraging this help. The decade old flooring will also be renovated as well, this requires the removal
and installation of new tile. Commercial tile is needed due to its ability to be cleaned while being
durable. Once the space has been thoroughly gone over, the new kennels can be installed and sorted
with volunteers help again. Ending with specific attention for wildlife and exotic animal needs; focusing
on specific housing requirements such as; size, temperature, humidity, etc.

Budget

1. 40,000 – Overall budget request

a. 2,500 – Disposal services
 b. 7500 – New flooring
c. 20,000 – New metal kennel
d. 5,000 – Cat, dog, wildlife items – bowls, mats, furnishing.

Materials Needed

 Industrial kennel crating

 Commercial floor tile
 Bowls
 Mats
 Furnishing

Assessment of project

The assessment of this project would contain the overall increase in capacity of dogs, cats, wildlife, and
exotic animals. The overall volunteer hours would be counted to determine manpower hours and
potential costs saving. Following the completion, usage rates of new spaces would be determined
through the year to overall effectiveness of this project.

Timeline

The overall goal is to complete this process within a month.

Week 1 consists of staff and volunteers demoing the work area, removing existing kennels, followed by
flooring.

Week 2 consists of installing new flooring and allowing it to settle.

Week 3 consists of staff and volunteers receiving and assembling kennels for new spaces.

Week 4 is the revitalization of exotic and wildlife areas.

Work Cited
Rowan, Andrew, and Tamara Kartal. “Dog Population & Dog Sheltering Trends in the United States of
America.” Animals : an open access journal from MDPIvol. 8,5 68. 28 Apr. 2018, doi:10.3390/ani8050068

FAQs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://barcs.org/about-faqs/

Pet Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-

surrender/pet-statistics