“There’s so much we can do to improve the quality of life for our four-legged friends.” – Tom Golisano, Founder of Bailey and Friends, 2019
Bailey and Friends is dedicated to supporting animal welfare in Western NY, Region 1 and SW Florida, Region 9. With a focus on dogs and cats, Bailey and Friends is committed to working with shelters, rescue groups, veterinary clinics and other lifesaving programs to promote wellness, ensure safety and keep pets and families together.
At the heart of Bailey and Friends, we strive to make a positive difference in the care of dogs and cats because we recognize and cherish the bond that exists between animals and humans in personal, occupational, and therapeutic capacities.
Traditionally, animals have flooded into open admission shelters. So from the moment of intake they entered a system in reactive and therefore chronic crisis mode. Instead, we should view an overcrowded shelter as a symptom of the lack of proactive programs and draw our attention to the community level.” – The Best Practice Playbook for Animal Shelters
Giving Region 1 Counties: Niagara, Orleans, Monroe (7), Wayne, Erie (1), Genesee, Wyoming (1), Livingston, Ontario (1), Yates (1), Seneca, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany, Steuben, Schuyler, & Chemung (1).
Giving Region 9 Counties: Manatee, Hardee, Sarasota, Desoto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee (2), Hendry, & Collier (5).
*Counties in red have not connected or received a grant award from Bailey and Friends since its founding.
“You can’t change an animal’s past, but you can rewrite its future.” Bonnie Brewer, Humane Society of Yates County, Grant Award Recipient, 2021.
Site Visits Completed
Pet Pride of NY, Chemung County Humane Society and SPCA, Erie County SPCA, and Freedom Guide Dogs.
Humane Society Naples, Gulf Coast Humane Society, Animal Refuge Center, SNIP Collier Inc., and QT Kittens, Inc.
48 posts, 262 people like, 281 followers
41 posts, 119 followers
“Shelters are not just supportive of pets and animals but have begun to be a place of care for both pets and people.”- Best Friends Animal Society, Monthly Action Calls, 2022.
The proposed strategic grantmaking plan for 2022 addressed pet care during emergency situations such as financial difficulties, displacement, medical emergencies, and natural disasters. A total of 4 out of 19 (21%) grants were awarded through the creation of the following response grant applications:
In addition, 6 out 19 (32%) grants were determined “capacity” grants. These grants provided the essential materials and program functions needed to increase an organization’s ability to overcome accessibility and affordability difficulties and their capacity to serve the animals in their rural communities.
The proposed strategic grantmaking plan for 2023 includes the following in addition to continuing to monitor the vet and vet tech shortage in our giving regions and connecting with each county to grow our grantseeker network.