TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Team at Hermitage Cat Sanctuary in Tucson, AZ has a lot of mouths to feed.
Executive Director Amber Nix says they have more than 250 cats at their sanctuary with about 100 more in foster homes and an additional 50 staying at the El Jefe Cat Cafe.
But funding for those over 400 cats and their necessities has gotten harder this year for Nix.
“The whole landscape of grants just changed," Nix said. "There are so many grants that aren’t available to us and those that are do not have that availability anymore.”
As federal funding cuts hit the non-profit sector, Nix says she's noticed grant applications getting more and more competitive.
“We reached for a grant that had still two weeks in the application process, and we were told they had cut off all applications because they had such an enormous response that they just couldn’t take more applications,” she said.
So, they're pivoting to other kinds of fundraising, asking to partner with local businesses and asking the community for recurring private donations, no matter how small.
“Five, ten dollars, anything at this time really, really does make a difference," Nix said. "I think that a lot of nonprofits are trying to work with those smaller donors.”
She says the sanctuary gets shelter discounts, so a $10 donation could provide cat litter for one cat for the entire month.
Right now, she says they're operating at a deficit, losing about $12,000 a month.
“We have about 11 months worth of operating funds in the bank,"Nix said. "If we receive nothing after that, we’ll have to find homes for 300 cats.”
To Nix and her team, it's more than keeping the shelter running, it's about expanding their reach and their mission. “We want to grow, we want to expand our reach, and we want to save as many cats as possible.”
So those cats they save will have a safe place to stay for all nine of their lives.
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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.
