Since 2011, the Remy Fund for Pets and Animal Services has provided more than $500,000 in grants to companion animal (dogs, cats and horses) nonprofit organizations, serving Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount and Walker counties. This year, the fund is awarding $60,000 in grants to 11 organizations in our region.
The Remy Fund, a Field of Interest Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, was established with a $750,000 gift from Birmingham area philanthropist, Ken Jackson, to honor the memory of his late dog, Remy. He is also the donor of Remy’s Dog Park at Red Mountain Park. In 2021, with the support of other generous donors, including a $100,000 gift from VP Funds, the Remy Fund has surpassed $1 Million in total assets. As an endowed fund, the Remy Fund for Pets and Animals ensures there will always be grant funding for local organizations that provide critical resources for companion animals.
“I am excited to see that the Remy Fund has been able to provide much needed support to organizations that are making a significant impact on our companion animals,” says Jackson. “It has been incredibly rewarding to work with generous donors, our volunteer grant committee and the team at the Community Foundation over the last ten years in making a difference for our animals and the humans they touch in our community.”
Organizations receiving grants this year:
- Alabama Spay Neuter, $10,000, to support affordable spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats through the Remy SNIP program
- Shelby Humane Society, $10,000, to support the Shelby Spay Neuter Program for dogs and cats in Shelby County
- Walker County Humane Society, $10,000, to provide low or no-cost spay and neuter services for dogs and cats in Walker County
- Bama Bully Rescue, $5000, to provide comprehensive care for pit bulls and other “bully” breeds that have been abandoned, abused or neglected
- Kitty Kat Haven, $5000, to support this free-roaming cat sanctuary and adoption center with food, litter, and spay and neuter surgeries for cats and kittens in care
- Animal Savers of Pell City, $4000, to support low-cost spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and cats in St. Clair Country
- Rescuers United for Furbabies (RUFF), $4000, for a partnership with the Walker Humane and Adoption Center to upgrade existing kennels in the recently designated no-kill shelter in Walker County
- Sugarbelle Foundation, $4,000, to provide needed supports including food, vaccinations and veterinary services to families struggling financially to keep their pets
- Episcopal Place, $3000, to support residents of Episcopal Place in meeting the needs of their companion animals including on-site grooming, annual vaccinations and check-ups, and a pet food pantry
- Special Equestrians, $3,000, to provide care for horses in their animal-assisted equine therapy program
- Friends of Pell City Animal Control Center, $2,000, to support a no-cost spay and neuter initiative in a targeted high-surrender and stray animal area of St. Clair County
The Remy Fund Grant Committee conducts in-depth reviews of all grant applicants, including site visits with those applicants. Remy Fund Advisory Committee members include Debra Linton (Committee Chair), Cathy Adams, Bert Gaddis DVM, Brenda Bell Guercio, James “Murphy” Lynch DVM, Maggie McDonald, Beverly Virciglio, Cameron Vowell and Laura Wainwright. Mr. Jackson serves as an Ex Officio member of the Committee.
If you share Ken’s “animal passion”, you can be part of the Remy Fund by making a gift on our website or by check. The grant cycle for 2023 grants from the Remy Fund for Pets & Animal Services will open for applications March 15, 2023. For more information about grants contact Kim Rogers.