Friends FAQ

Donations made through Friends, which is a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit, are not included in the shelter’s annual operating budget. This allows us to fund new and expanded CAC programming that goes beyond the scope of county-funded shelter operations. It also allows us to support future capital needs and purchases of costly medical and surgical equipment for CAC’s veterinary clinic, which enables many major life-saving procedures to be performed more efficiently and economically on site, thus saving thousands of dollars annually.

Friends was established to focus on fundraising and development projects on behalf of CAC. This reliefs the team responsible for operating the county shelter from that essential but time-intensive responsibility, thus allowing them to focus on providing the best possible care for the animals as they await adoption.

Absolutely! Friends of CAC is an IRS-recognized 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit.

Friends is operated by an elected Board of Directors. While there is some intentional overlap between the CAC and Friends boards, which promotes collaboration, each board operates independently and is governed by its own set of organizational bylaws.

When a need is identified by CAC, a funding request is submitted to Friends. The request then is reviewed and evaluated by the Friends board of directors and, upon approval, funding is made available.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to contact us at [email protected], and we’ll be glad to tell you more about CAC and the Friends organization, and how you can get involved.