Showing posts with label Underdog Grant. Show all posts

Monday, April 27, 2015

Raise the 'Woof' Art Paws Announces Seven Local Groups Applying for the Underdog Grant 2015

What do these animal-aid groups have in common?

US Wolf Refuge
Shakespeare Animal Fund
Safe Haven Rescue Zoo
Palomino Valley Pet Rescue
Nevada Humane Society
Nevada French Bulldog Rescue
Feeding Pets of the Homeless
Dog Day in the Park

The above local animal rescue groups have serious needs in order to continue their charitable functions. Each group has applied for the Art Paws 2015 Underdog Pet Rescue Grant. These pet rescuers and community foundations all deserve some financial help, but the Underdog Grant will have to narrow it down to two worthy organizations.

Reno’s Art Paws is Artown’s only ‘bring your dog’ event boasts the annual canine carnival that brings thousands of dog lovers and their pets to McKinley Arts & Culture Center Park. Over the past 15 years, the private organizers have donated more than $100,000 back to the pet rescue non-profit community. This year, we will be presenting two separate grants to two well-deserving local (within 75 miles of Reno) groups, from the list above.

In keeping with tradition, one charity/non-profit also will be picked by the popular People’s Choice vote at this year’s July Art Paws event. But for the second year running, two other pet-centric organizations will take home proceeds, as well.

To involve the community, Art Paws Executive Director Landess Witmer wants your help in ‘raising the woof: more money for the animals!’

Landess invites everyone to "Attend Artown’s 15^th Annual Art Paws on Sunday, July 12. You can directly participate in the fundraising that helps animals in our community through the Art Paw silent auctions, hourly raffles, beer garden, and much more. Help us generate funds for these grants!"

All applications are given careful consideration by a special Underdog Committee. Grant beneficiaries will be chosen and announced on June 15, 2015. The period for submitting applications is now CLOSED for this year.

Past awards have been more than $3,000 each. These hardworking pet rescue groups strive to provide pets (dogs, cats, ferrets, wolves, horse, bunnies, etc) the happy, healthy lives they deserve. The 2014 recipients were Chihuahua Rescue Truckee Meadows and Canine Rehabilitation Center and Sanctuary (CRCS).

Art Paws Contacts:

Landess Witmer/Executive Director, 775.560.4242 landess@ArtPawsReno.com

Michelle McHardy/Art Paws Coordinator, 775.722.9914 michelle@ArtPawsReno.com

Friday, May 16, 2014

Reno News& Review Article On Artown's 14th Annual Art Paws Draws A Bow Wow Audience!!!! Read This--SHARE this please!

Dog lady

Landess Witmer

By Sage Leehey

This article was published on 05.15.14.

PHOTO/SAGE LEEHEY

July 20 is the 14th annual Art Paws event. It's tailored to people with pets and is a dog-friendly Artown event. Landess Witmer is the host and has recently added two Underdog Grants to her event. All proceeds from the event are split between the beneficiaries of these two grants and the people's choice award. The application can be found atwww.artpawsreno.com and is due by May 20.
You’ve been doing Art Paws for a while now?
Yes, yes. This will be our 14th year, and it is set for Sunday, July 20. We’re very excited because in our 15th year we have a goal of $15,000 to give back to the community. So that’s going to be a big goal. So we’re trying to rev up to it next year.

What’s your favorite part of Art Paws?
Probably the people’s choice. I think we’re the only event that I know of that you can vote, and your vote helps determine who gets the money. And I think that’s really cool. We’ve done that for many years, and this is the first year that we’ve decided that we’ll award one people’s choice grant from the popular votes at our event and we would award two needy, what we call the Underdog Grant to non-profits that apply online. … I thought it was interesting because I wanted to name this the Underdog Grant, but underdog means different things to different people. If you look it up, it has many different meanings, and one of them is perfect to somebody who is almost disenfranchised. And what we thought is that the people’s choice went for bigger groups, and there are lots of little groups that are doing amazing things. So now two-thirds of all the money from Art Paws will go to the little groups. It will go to two different groups within a 75-mile radius of Reno that help animals, and then we’ll still have the people’s choice.

What prompted that change?
Well, I guess just knowing some really great little groups and wanting to help them but not knowing how to. I am not on the grant committee. Neither is Michelle, our event coordinator. No one that’s affiliated [is], not even one of our volunteers. We have a separate group that’s being set up just for the grant committee. But yeah, I did have some non-profits in mind when I was making this, and I’ve made sure that they get to apply. And it’s the first year. Next year we’ll promote it more and give them more time to do it. But we wanted to not skip this year. It was that important.

How are you determining who gets the grants?
We’re really looking at need. We’re looking at how they’ll actually use the money. And we also have one of our grading categories as which one do you feel the most for, which I think is really cool because they may not be able to put things in words as well as somebody else, but they will be given points on having a great idea and doing good things with their money. Also, one of the things that’s important is do they use volunteers? … Volunteers are extremely valuable, and the more you use, the more your cause or event can grow. So I’d like to remind people that you’re not alone. There’s a lot of good people out there who want to help you. … We’re really looking at new groups, too. It doesn’t have to be a group that’s been doing it for years.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Art Paws Underdog Grant Is Accepting Applications from Local NonProfit Pet Groups--NOW!!!

14^th ANNUAL ART PAWS CELEBRATION announcing

the 1^st ANNUAL UNDERDOG GRANT

Event: Sunday, July 20th ~ 10am to 5pm

Location: McKinley Arts & Culture Center, 925 Riverside Drive, Reno

www.artpawsreno.com

_____________________________________________________________________________________

RENO, NV –

It’s a bird…it’s a plane…no…IT’S UNDERDOG!

Do you know an Underdog Pet Rescue Group that could use some financial help?

Reno’s Art Paws is Artown’s only ‘bring your dog’ event boasts the annual canine carnival that brings thousands of dog lovers and their pets to McKinley Arts & Culture Center Park. Over the past 14 years, the private organizers have donated more than $100,000 back to the pet rescue non-profit community. This year, we need your help to present separate grants to two well-deserving local (within 75 miles of Reno) groups.

In keeping with tradition, one charity/non-profit will be picked by the popular People’s Choice vote at this year’s July event. But for the first time ever, two other pet-centric organizations will take home proceeds, as well.

To involve the community, Art Paws Executive Director Landess Witmer wants your help in ‘spreading the money out a little bit more.’

The 2014 inaugural grant application is available. All applications will be given careful consideration, if they are completed correctly.

Past awards have been more than $2,000 each. These hardworking pet rescue groups strive to provide pets (dogs, cats, ferrets, wolves, horse, bunnies, etc) the happy, healthy lives they deserve.

Plan to attend the event in July, but grant applications are due by May 20, 2014. Grant beneficiaries will be chosen by a committee and announced on June 15, 2014.

Contacts: