We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Dr. Phil Durfee Fund in recognition of Phil’s five years of service as an SFAFA Board member and his continuing volunteer service to Vet SOS and PAWS.

The purpose of this Fund is to help hospitals that wish to accept patients who are eligible for SFAFA Grants in Aid but have already exhausted their annual GIA funding. The Fund will provide up to $1,000 to the first hospital that has used its entire GIA grant and does not need to be matched. Details will be available through SFAFA.org.

A generous SFAFA Board member has offered to match all donations until our goal of $5,000 is reached enabling us to extend this fund for many years. Please consider making a donation today!

Our existing programs continue to fund life saving care to pets in need. Since July 1 our Grants–in-Aid program has provided over $10,000 in funding and helped save 22 pets while the Ingrid Tauber Fund for Animals has donated nearly $23,000 and helped save 7 pets. Together with the matching donations generously provided by our participating hospitals that is over $53,000 worth of life saving care provided in the last three months alone.

More information is available on the “For Providers” page at sfafa.org or by emailing requests@sfafa.org.

SFAFA has had a very successful year helping save 75 pets and distributing over $45,000 through our Grants-in-Aid program.

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

May 31: Last day to submit your paperwork if you wish to participate in the Grant-in-Aid program for FYE 2019 (July 1, 2018–June 30, 2019). If you miss the deadline to send in your paperwork and wish to participate please immediately contact Dr. Anne Marie Benfatto (AnneMarie@sfaidforanimals.org).

June 15, 2018: Last day to submit paperwork for any FY18 Grant-in-Aid funding that you awarded to a client. Any unused Grant-in-Aid funds will be rolled over to the Grant-in-Aid program for FYE19.

July 1, 2018: Welcome letters will be sent out announcing grant amounts for the FYE19 Grant-in-Aid program.

The Ingrid Tauber Fund for Animals (TFA) will be available in FYE19: For those special cases where the anticipated costs are high and the client is in need of financial assistance please remember the TFA program. The animal must have an urgent need for veterinary care, a reasonably good prognosis and the client must have exhausted all other financial options. Funding of up to $5,000 per case will be considered provided that you make a matching donation of in-kind services or discounts equivalent to 25% of the TFA funding. More information is available on the “For Providers” page at sfafa.org or by emailing requests@sfafa.org.

We are happy to report that since July 1, 2017 SF Aid for Animals has provided over $23,000 in funding to help save fifteen dogs and two cats.

Thirteen of these patients received aid through our GIA Program while four, with more serious medical problems, qualified for grants from the Ingrid Tauber Fund for Animals.

This year one hundred twelve veterinarians have joined SFAFA and have received help with cases varying from cataract surgery to tetanus.  As a member you are encouraged to apply for assistance for any case where financial considerations might alter the outcome.

The Ingrid D. Tauber Fund has just released an additional $25,000 to SFAFA for the treatment and care of any pets injured in the Napa/Sonoma fires. Please contact us at: requests@sfaidforanimals.org if you know of any such cases.

We are excited to announce the introduction of the Tauber Fund for Pets (TFP) that allows veterinarians participating in our Grant-in-Aid (GIA) program to access supplemental funds outside the GIA program. Details on how participating veterinarians can utilize TFP funds will be distributed in the coming weeks.

Funding for this program can provide up to an additional $5,000 per case over the GIA match, and we hope will allow us to help save those pets whose medical bills far exceed our current GIA program. If you feel you may have an urgent need for these funds, please contact board member Ken Linton at: ken@sfaidforanimals.org.

In other news we are happy to report that so far this fiscal year we have helped save thirty-two pets and awarded grants of over $23,000. We thank you for your continued participation.

— Phil Durfee
Spring 2017