In 2024, Lady Freethinker’s Urgent Need Fund awarded nearly $75,000 to eight nonprofit organizations across the globe that are helping animals in need.
Lady Freethinker’s Urgent Need Fund sponsors animal rescue/care and projects to help promote compassion for animals. Since its inception in 2021, it has provided over $260,000 to qualified organizations helping animals around the world. Some of the grant winners from 2024 include an organization that treats and rescues street animals in India, a farm sanctuary in North Carolina that provides a haven for disabled farmed animals, and the first animal shelter in Haiti.
This grant program would not have been possible without our generous supporters. Thank you for joining us in helping build a kinder world for animals everywhere!
To learn more about the program or get information on applying when the upcoming grant application cycle opens for 2025, click here.
Here are your 2024 Urgent Need Fund grant winners:
1. GRACE Marketplace
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Courtesy of GRACE
What happens to dogs and cats if their family suddenly becomes homeless?
The Co-Sheltering & Animal Welfare Program at GRACE Marketplace, a project of the Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless & Hungry in Gainesville, Florida, helps ensure that beloved companion animals are sheltered, cared for, and able to stay with their family – all while supporting their guardians in regaining housing.
They provide kennels, a cat condo, veterinary services, food, supplies, grooming services, and a dog park. The organization also helps people without homes obtain permanent housing and offers a computer lab, laundry services, warm meals, a clinic and pharmacy, and a community garden.
Lady Freethinker awarded GRACE Marketplace a $10,000 grant that will go toward food, care, supplies such as new dog beds & water bowls, and costs of securing permanent housing for homeless individuals with companion animals.
2. Rescue Network
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Courtesy of Rescue Network
Rescue Network is a foster-based rescue that saves animals on reservations in North and South Dakota. They help reduce stray populations by spaying and neutering, fostering, adopting, and working with various shelters. Currently, Rescue Network has approximately 250 animals in foster care and has saved nearly 1,700 animals in the past year alone.
According to the rescue, they often see animals who have been shot, hit by cars, or are suffering from illnesses that need immediate medical care.
Lady Freethinker was able to award Rescue Network $5,000 that will go toward urgent veterinary expenses for homeless animals.
3. RezDawg Rescue
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Courtesy of RezDawg Rescue
RezDawg Rescue serves Indigenous and rural communities in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The organization transports homeless animals to volunteers’ homes and network partners, distributes food and supplies to shelters and rescues, offers spay/neuter and vaccine services, and has a vast network of foster homes.
Lady Freethinker awarded RezDawg Rescue a $10,000 grant that will go toward veterinary care, spay/neuter services, and animal food for low-income families.
4. Ziggy’s Refuge Farm Sanctuary
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Courtesy of Ziggy’s Refuge Farm Sanctuary
Ziggy’s Refuge Farm Sanctuary in North Carolina is unique because many farmed animals they rescue are disabled. They’ve had residents with spina bifida, amputated legs, missing eyes, and a variety of other disabilities. Many times, the disabilities came as a result of the abuse they endured.
Lady Freethinker awarded Ziggy’s Refuge a $10,000 grant to expand an enclosure for nine pigs rescued from an animal hoarding case.
5. Cape of Good Hope SPCA
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Courtesy of Cape of Good Hope SPCA
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA is the oldest animal welfare organization in South Africa. Operating in Cape Town, they have a shelter, animal hospital, mobile clinics, and an animal cruelty investigation unit.
In 2024, the organization admitted more than 23,000 homeless and surrendered animals. South Africa has millions of stray animals, and Cape of Good Hope recognizes that spay and neuter services are critical to fighting this problem.
Lady Freethinker awarded Cape of Good Hope with an almost $10,000 grant to support the Langa community with sterilization services, vet assessments, and humane education in schools.
6. Fondation Alliance Verte
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Courtesy of Fondation Alliance Verte
On her way to work every day in Haiti, Marylin Esper Acloque would feed the dogs she saw on the street. Shortly after that, she began tending to companion animals people could no longer care for. She tried searching for an organization that could help her efforts but couldn’t find any, so she decided to open the first shelter and sanctuary in Haiti, Fondation Alliance Verte, which helps care for and shelter homeless animals.
Lady Freethinker awarded Fondation Alliance Verte a $10,000 grant to provide food, vaccinations, spay and neuter services, kennels, and catios for their shelter animals.
7. Rescate Fenix
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Courtesy of Rescate Fenix
Rescue Fenix is an all-volunteer, all-breed rescue that works on the U.S./Mexico border and has a shelter in Obregon, Mexico. They provide medical care and rehabilitation for all of their rescues, offer free sterilizations and food when possible, and have an extensive network of foster parents.
Lady Freethinker awarded Rescate Fenix a $10,000 grant to aid in the spay and neuter of 2,000 animal companions of impoverished community members.
8. Tree of Life for Animals (TOLFA)
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Courtesy of TOLFA
TOLFA is a charity working in India with an animal hospital in a rural area of Rajasthan. They operate three vehicles from 8 am until 11 pm, treating and rescuing street animals — primarily dogs, cows, and cats but also camels and donkeys — in Pushkar, Ajmer, and other nearby villages. TOLFA returns rehabilitated animals to where they were found once healthy, and offer sanctuary to rescued animals who may have trouble surviving on their own.
TOLFA also provides sterilizations and rabies vaccinations, teaches children about rabies prevention and animal welfare, and hires many locals who have faced discrimination because of their low-caste status.
Lady Freethinker awarded TOLFA a $10,000 grant that will go toward their Rescue and Care Project, which treats and rescues more than 1,000 street animals every month.
LFT is proud to assist these fantastic organizations that are creating a more compassionate world for animals.
Thanks again to our wonderful supporters who allow us to continue this amazing work!