Interview! Julie Jacobson, Spay Tennessee and CCP Grants Coordinator

“You can do it. We promise. We’re here to help.”

Those of you who have been CCP fans for a long time may remember hearing Stacy chat with Julie Jacobson before in Episodes 2 and 92. Julie runs Spay Tennessee, but is also the CCP grants coordinator. If you don’t know about the CCP grant program, here’s how it works, in a nutshell: small organizations apply to the program for a matching grant. If their application is approved, they get a period of time (usually about three months) in which to conduct a new fundraiser. Once they do, CCP will match up to $1,000 raised. It’s that simple!

But what about the details? In this episode, Julie & Stacy talk about the nitty-gritty of the CCP grant program, including what size groups can apply, whether you need to have a TNR program in placebeforeapplying (yes!), what the money can be used for (hint: it starts with “spay” and ends with “neuter”), what some of the pitfalls are, and what exactly qualifies as a new fundraiser (this one’s easy: it can be anything, big or small, as long as your organization has never tried it before!).

During her time as CCP grant coordinator, Julie has seen this program make a big difference in many organizations’ confidence level around fundraising. She has seen tons of successful events get off the ground – from simple online social media campaigns to t-shirt sales and restaurant nights to bingo games and donation jar programs. The point of the grants is to help groups feel empowered around fundraising, and to be able to go on to raise even more money to assist with community cat spay/neuter after their grant experience.

During the grant period, your group will get the added benefit of learn valuable grant-writing skills, and of being part of a group of other grant recipients that meets virtually with Julie on a regular basis to discuss what’s working, what help you need, and to make connections around the country. Julie has found that people really love these group discussions and the sense of relief they bring at finding out that you’re not the only ones out there struggling to do the work of helping community cats.

To date, 76 groups have successfully gone through the CCP grants program, raising a total of $116,000, and sterilizing 4,159 cats with those funds! Could your group be part of the next round?

To find out more and fill out an application, visit communitycatspodcast.com/community-cats-grants. You can also find Julie’s webinar on grant-writing (and why she believes that you don’t need to hire a professional!), as well as other grant-related webinars, at communitycatspodcast.com/webinar-recordings. To reach out to Julie directly, email her at grants@communitycatspodcast.com.

Listen to Episode #268 Now