Dear Applicants,
AnimalCare 
Aug 24, 2014 
AnimalCare, NGOs 
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Dear Applicants,
This is an appeal from the heart of AnimalCare to all of you.
When you apply for our funds, we send you the link to our policies: www.myanimalcare.org/subsidy/. We hope you do read it.
We would like to draw your attention to this part right on top, especially to the underlined parts:
Our funds are open to responsible INDIVIDUAL caregivers of street animals who are not receiving financial assistance from other sources.
Our funds are NOT open to:
1. animal welfare organisations, groups, shelters and their members
2. animal caregivers who have the means to raise/source their own funds or who are supported by other sources.
*Other sources of funds: Facebook, PetFinder, animal welfare organisations, other social media, friends, family, well-wishers, etc.
The animals who qualify for our subsidy: Street (stray) animals and rescued animals.
Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis and depends on fund availability. Applications are only processed upon receipt of full documentation. We retain sole discretion to decide on the subsidy amount or not to subsidise (without need to provide reasons for such decision).
AnimalCare was started as a small charity to help needy caregivers, ie. those who could not afford to pay for the neutering of the street animals under their care. It was not meant to help shelters or bigtime rescuers as we do not have the means or resources to get enough donations to fund large-scale rescue work.
We believe that shelters would have their own resources for funds (to run the shelter) while bigtime rescuers would also have their own means to fund their work.
That has always been the spirit of AnimalCare – to help the smalltimers and those who really do not have ways to source for funds.
Over the last five years, we’ve had thousands of applications and we have done our very best to help you out, as best as we can (2354 neutering cases, 2057 medical cases inclusive of vaccinations). We do not have the resources to check your financial background; we can only trust that you would have read our policies and would abide by them. More importantly, we also trust that as a responsible person, you would not claim from a charity if you have your own financial resources.
Recently, we found out that a few of the applicants are actually wealthy. Some are so wealthy that they can afford to give large donations to other animal charities yet when it comes to their own rescue work, they claim from us.
Here’s a heartfelt appeal to the wealthy applicants - please, if you have your own funds or if you have your own supporters and channels to raise funds, please do not claim from us. We can only ask this of you.
Some applicants have argued that the money we pay out does not go to them, but to the animals and yes, you are right. That is why we have been paying out our subsidies as long as there are photographs and legitimate receipts.
But over the last few months, we have had an influx of new applicants and many of them (as you would have read in the blogposts) are barely literate; they come from the lower-income group (factory workers, flat dwellers, etc.) and some can just about save enough money to neuter one cat/dog per month. We are working together with a vet who is willing to do the claim on behalf of them. The vet takes the photos, helps them fill up the form and gives us the receipts, and we pay the vet directly. By doing this, these low-income applicants do not have to foot the bill and they can get more of their neighbourhood or workplace animals neutered.
In this way, the animals who would otherwise not receive help, are now being helped.
We would very much like to prioritise our funds to help these needy caregivers to help their animals.
Our donations are hard-earned. We are not supported by any corporate body or the government. The long list of names in the donor list at the end of every month looks pretty impressive, but it includes those who buy a bar of soap from us, a tshirt, a bottle of Path-Away, a blanket or bag (through our auctions) as well as those who give us donations from their hard-earned income. We owe it to our supporters to ensure that their well-intentioned donations are channeled to the most needy applicants, as far as we can. After all, this is a charity. When you apply for our funds, you are taking money from a charity. A charity is meant to help those who do not have enough.
So we ask this of you, please: If you are wealthy, if you have your own resources, please, let us prioritise and let us use our funds to help those who are truly needy.
We cannot judge you. Only you can judge yourself. So we ask that you follow your heart and your conscience. Please do not take money from a charity if you can afford to fund your own work, or if you have the resources to get your own funds. Please let us help those who are truly needy.
In any case, AnimalCare will not last forever. Once we have no more funds or we do not have the energy to run this anymore, we will close. Then, caregivers and rescuers would have to depend on other sources to fund their work. So if you plan to do long-term or massive-scale rescue work, it may be a good idea to think of ways to source for your own funds instead of relying on a small charity like ours to fund your work. Find a group of supporters, set up a society, find sponsors, etc. It is good to be financially independent and not rely on others.
While we understand and empathise that it may not be easy for you to raise funds, similarly, it is also not easy for us to raise funds. We are in the same boat too. The difference is, we are not raising funds for our own rescue work, but for yours. We are helping on an average of 4 cases per day. On a busy day, it can sometimes even go up to 16 cases in a day.
So, dear applicants, thank you very much for your kind understanding.
We would like to thank all the applicants who apply to us only when they are truly in need of funds. We would also like to thank the applicants who do give back whatever they can to our Fund, paying it forward for others who are in need, like they once were.
And to our dear donors and well-wishers who have entrusted us with your generous support, we extend our deepest appreciation and gratitude to all of you for making it possible for us to help the animals (through their caregivers’ kind work).
Let’s work together to help the animals, but let’s do so responsibly and with a clear conscience.
Thank you.
Source: http://myanimalcare.org/2014/08/24/dear-applicants/
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