Foundation boasts record year for income
Published on
This article is more than 3 years old
The American Veterinary Medical Foundation had another stellar year in 2011, bringing in $5.5 million in revenue. This more than doubles the previous year’s income of $2.4 million. Michael Cathey, AVMF executive director, said that, as a result, the Foundation continued to make a profound impact on the medical care and well-being of animals.
About $2.6 million was awarded by the AVMF in programmatic distributions this past year to advance its strategic goals.
The single highest amount of funding—$1.2 million—went toward education and public awareness. The second highest programmatic expense, coming in at nearly $1 million, went toward student enhancement, followed by $251,439 on humane outreach and animal welfare, and $150,123 on research support.
Specifically, 26 feline research projects were funded through the Cat Health Network, a collaborative effort of the AVMF, Morris Animal Foundation, Winn Feline Foundation, and American Association of Feline Practitioners. Projects were focused on treating or reducing the prevalence of various feline diseases they are investigating.
In the area of humane outreach and animal welfare, the AVMF provided medical supplies, drugs, and boarding for thousands of animal victims of the many disasters that struck the U.S. in 2011. In addition, the Foundation funded a variety of other animal-related needs, including drugs and medical supplies that saved 200 Alaskan Malamutes suffering from abuse and neglect at a puppy mill, anesthetic masks and other medical equipment for wildfire rescue teams, pet care for poverty-stricken communities, a veterinary exhibit for a children’s museum, and volunteers to care for more than 300 animal victims of flooding in North Dakota.
All told, the AVMF had $3.1 million in expenses this past year, 83 percent of which went toward the Foundation’s strategic goals. Besides the programmatic expenses, the remaining $542,694 in expenses went toward fundraising as well as management and general costs. The $2.4 million in revenue not spent in 2011 is being held for future program expenses.
Dr. Clark K. Fobian, AVMF board of directors chair, wrote in the 2011 AVMF Annual Report: “From urban clinics to rural farms, research laboratories to disaster zones, the American Veterinary Medical Foundation is hard at work for animals—and our impact is growing.”
Looking at revenue, collaborative efforts with industry stakeholders greatly boosted the nonprofit’s bottom line. The Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare accounted for 65 percent of the AVMF’s revenue at $3.6 million.
The Foundation and 14 other organizations launched the partnership during the AVMA Annual Convention this past year. The coalition of associations, animal health care and pet food companies, veterinary product distributors, pet insurance providers, and academic institutions formed the partnership to promote preventive care in response to a decline over many years in the frequency of feline and canine veterinary visits. The PPPH most recently developed a program called The Opportunity. Its core component is a survey tool for individual practices to obtain client and staff feedback about preventive care and reveal areas for action.
The partnership is a standing committee of the Foundation; AVMF staff also provide administrative support.
The second largest source of revenue in 2011 came from the Pfizer Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship Program at $818,573. Unrestricted donations from thousands of donors totaled another $738,014, and the Animal Disaster Relief and Response Fund brought in $288,882.