July 2025: Animal Welfare Grants announced & USPCA's big news

Animal-Kind International
Aug 15
4 min read

Kindness To Animals Has No Boundaries

AKI News: July 2025

We’ll keep this newsletter short (at least shorter than usual) and focus on two very exciting announcements (our grant program and Uganda SPCA), a generous matching donation, and an article about how Animal-Kind International began. Of course, we’re still supporting our Partner Organizations in Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, South Sudan, Liberia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Honduras, and Jamaica, all of whom receive ongoing support.

AKI’s 8th Annual Animal Welfare Grant Program-2025

We selected 8 animal welfare organizations from Africa and 5 from Latin America/Caribbean as our 2025-2026 animal welfare organization grant recipients. After an initial screening of the 76 proposals that we received, our 13-member review committee, with members from Spain, Kenya, Australia, the US, and the UK, reviewed 29 of the proposals. The committee members provided detailed comments and funding recommendations to the AKI Board, and the Board then made the final decisions. It’s an intense 2 months! But it’s worth it once we see the final list of grantees and realize how much good work they’ll do with our grants.

Man in white coat kneels feeding a dog and puppies while 4 kids watch, smiling. Set on red earth with trees and a fence in the background in Tanzania. — *Alpha Maisel, Director of* ***2025 grant recipient, Animal Smile (Tanzania),*** surrounded by children eager to learn and understand why it’s important to vaccinate dogs and cats, with adult dog Boxer, enjoying a snack after getting her rabies jab. Read more about their grant project and our 12 other grantees, here: *https://www.animal-kind.org/grant-program-2025*

Man in striped shirt works on metal frame structures under construction in a wooded area with red and orange cables and tools scattered on the ground in Honduras. — *The Avance Hotel de Paso at Zamorano college in Honduras,* ***Zamorano’s contribution to the Amor y Abrigo-Honduras grant project****, to spay/neuter roaming and fostered cats and dogs. Read more about their grant project and our 12 other grantees, here:* *https://www.animal-kind.org/grant-program-2025*

Our Animal Welfare Grant Program is 100% donor-funded. During the grant year (2025-2026), if one of our grantees moves you, if you feel a particularly strong connection to one of them, you can donate to top-up their grant project. Last year, with your support, we provided additional funds to three of the 10 grantees: SPCA Grahamstown, Tanzania Small Animal Veterinary Organization, and Starting Over Sanctuary-Israel.

GREAT news from Uganda SPCA

As you may know, the USPCA’s plans for the new shelter (photo below) were on hold because of new National Environmental Management Authority requirements. After waiting almost 2 years, we finally got this news from NEMA: “Your project certificate is now ready…” For over 5 years, we’ve been preparing for this moment, when the ~300 cats and dogs can be moved to the spacious, USPCA-owned shelter. And now we’re almost there!

Dogs rest on wooden crates and a blanket in a grassy area. The background features a fence and trees, creating a relaxed outdoor setting at the Uganda SPCA shelter. — Dogs relaxing at the new USPCA shelter site

We’ve been offered a match!

Thanks to a generous supporter, our Partner Organization, Uganda SPCA, has been offered a matching donation of up to US$800.

Three dogs near a wooden structure in a kennel with one dog on top, another peeks out, and the third stands nearby at the Uganda SPCA shelter. — This dog house is beyond repair!

If we can raise $800, we will receive a total of $1600, which is exactly what we need to build 9 new dog houses and repair 2 so that each kennel at the USPCA shelters will have its own dog house. The dog house above is one that is definitely beyond repair!

The USPCA’s dogs use the houses for shelter, for play, to stay warm,

and for the shy ones, to hide away and enjoy some quiet time. But after many years

of wear and tear, as you can see, they are falling apart.

We’ve almost reached

the full match, but we still need your help!

Please donate: your donation is doubled thanks to the matching donation offer!

From Faxes to Facebook: The Evolution of

Global Animal Welfare

We are honored to be featured on the Nine Days in Eden Blog. In her intro to the article, Alexandra George, Nine Days in Eden author, wrote: “Karen has spent decades building a compassionate network of shelters and rescue centers across Africa and beyond, giving voice to the voiceless and hope to the forgotten.

Her work reminds us that protecting stray and abandoned animals is deeply connected to wildlife conservation — both begin with empathy and the belief that every life, no matter how small or overlooked, deserves dignity and care.”

As always, we are so grateful for your kind support, and during these times of extreme uncertainty, we are humbled by your generosity and kindness.

Karen Menczer, Founder/Director

& the Animal-Kind International Board

Our Partner Organizations work in Uganda, Namibia, DR Congo, Ghana, South Sudan, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Honduras, and Jamaica. You can donate to AKI’s general fund or designate your donation to one or more of our Partner Organizations.

Our 2025 (8th annual) Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program grantees work in: Kenya, Tanzania (2 grantees), South Africa (2 grantees), Cameroon, Namibia, Israel, Haiti, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, and Chile.

AKI: Since 2007, helping animals and the people who care for them in resource-poor areas.

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; donations to AKI are tax deductible in the US to the extent the law allows. 100% of your donations are used to support our Partner Organizations & our Animal Welfare Organization Grant Program.