Mission

The primary mission of The Animal Union is to raise funds and to apply for grants and bequests on behalf of an alliance of animal welfare and rescue organizations and to allocate and distribute the funds received to the member organizations in order to enhance their life-saving and animal adoption goals.

Our secondary mission is to acquire the property and infrastructure needed to establish an animal rescue sanctuary, initially for feral cats who must be relocated, and then for all other animals in need of such intervention.

Vision

The Animal Union envisions an end to the euthanasia of adoptable or treatable animals. We are inspired by the possibility of a mutually beneficial union or bond between animals and humans, unfettered and unbiased by animal overpopulation, species, breed, gender, age, physical condition, or behavior or by human medical conditions, housing, laws, politics, budgets, competing medical opinions, or competing priorities.

We envision a society that treasures the human-animal bond and reflects that attitude in its support for animal welfare, humane causes, government policy and legislation. Our role in fostering this vision is to establish AU chapters throughout the United States and eventually in other countries.

We live by a variation of the Golden Rule: Treat other animals as we would like to be treated.

Purposes and Objectives

1. To act as an umbrella organization representing a charitable alliance of qualified animal welfare and rescue organizations in order to apply for grants and donations collectively

2. To assist member organizations in qualifying for foundation, private and government grants by collecting, collating, analyzing and submitting member organization reports and data according to grantor conditions and requirements

3. To allocate and distribute the funds received in order to enhance the life-saving and adoption goals of the member organizations

4. To track grants and funded projects in accordance with grantor requirements and member organization needs and to assist member organizations in fulfilling and maintaining the ongoing requirements for awarded funds

5. To educate member organizations in sustainable operations, self-sustaining development, good governance, corporate ethics and cooperative relationships in pursuit of their common goal of animal welfare and efficient and effective rescue outcomes and to provide a model and template for similar alliances nationwide

6. To purchase, maintain and allocate vehicles and equipment to be shared by member organizations as needed

7. To purchase or lease property and improvements/infrastructure, vehicles and equipment in order to manage an animal rescue sanctuary, initially for feral cats and then for all other animals in need of such intervention, and to staff the sanctuary with veterinary, operational, behavioral, management, and adoption experts and volunteers

Rescue Group Requirements              501(c)(3) Award Letter [PDF]