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Furever Friends of PACC

The Veterinary Care Legacy Fund

Friends of PACC has launched the Veterinary Care Legacy Fund, with $3.1 million in seed funding from a recently received anonymous bequest. Like an endowment, the fund stays invested, and its annual earnings support veterinary care for vulnerable pets for decades to come. Our goal is to grow the fund to $10 million through estate gifts.

What the fund supports

  • Today: Medical Needs. Specialized care for pets at PACC beyond what the County can fund.

  • Tomorrow: Keeping Families Together. Emergency vet help so families don’t have to surrender their pets.

  • Future: Spay/Neuter Support. Affordable spay and neuter surgeries for families in need, so fewer litters come into the shelter.

Jimmy’s transformation

At 13 years old, Jimmy arrived at PACC as a stray with a severe respiratory infection, mouth ulcers, anemia, and advanced dental disease. Thanks to the Medical Needs program, he received ICU care and emergency dental surgery. Before long, he was acting like a kitten again, playing, zooming, and even fetching toys. Today, Jimmy is enjoying life in his forever home.

Jimmy at intake, with a dirty face and mouth sores

Jimmy at intake, with a dirty face and mouth sores

Jimmy today, healthy and alert in his home

Sombra’s success was getting to go home.

Sombra, a black and white puppy, resting in a cone during treatment

At four months old, Sombra hit a rough spot after eating chicken bones and contracting parvo. She needed emergency surgery and treatment, and without help, her family may have had no choice but to surrender her.

Keeping Families Together paid for her obstruction surgery and parvo treatment, and Spay/Neuter Support covered her spay. Instead of being surrendered to PACC, Sombra got to go home with her family, healthy and happy.

Ensure a bright future for pets in need with a legacy gift.

Leave a life-saving legacy by naming Friends of Pima Animal Care Center as a beneficiary in your will or trust. Your legacy of supporting the most vulnerable pets in our community will continue for future generations, giving shelter pets a second chance at life.

Your donations fund life-saving surgeries for pets, critical staff positions like a full-time vet, and supplies, including food, treats, and toys. The work we do is essential for pets who need PACC services to not only survive but thrive.

The power of planned giving

You know how important pets are to a family. You may also know the remarkable ability pets have to overcome difficult situations with enough time and care. A gift of any size will make a difference in the life of a pet in need, ensuring they have a chance to find their forever homes. Friends of PACC is committed to providing immediate funds to PACC for pets like Jax, who needed emergency surgery to remove a large portion of his intestines to save him from a life-threatening blockage.

FreeWill

As a thank you for being a friend of Friends of PACC, FreeWill is delighted to help you create your legal will. It’s 100% free to you, and most people finish in 20 minutes or less. If you are in California we also offer you the ability to make a free revocable living trust.

Create your free will here
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Caring for the whole community

Friends of PACC also helps pets in their forever homes whose owners need support. From vet bill assistance to supplies especially for our neighbors experiencing homelessness, a planned gift ensures that Pima County pets do not have to spend time in the shelter.

With a planned gift you can:

  • Ensure the future care of pets in your community.

  • Participate in innovative animal welfare services.

  • Support a cause close to your heart.

Get started today

Do you have questions about making a planned gift? Want to talk through the details? Please contact our staff at 520-724-5947.

Sample bequest language

Are you already planning a gift? Please include the following information in your bequest documents:

To Friends of Pima Animal Care Center (FoP), I give, devise, and bequeath (INSERT A SUM OF MONEY, % OF ESTATE, REMAINDER OF ESTATE, or a description of bequest property).

To direct your gift to the Veterinary Care Legacy Fund, add “to be used for its Veterinary Care Legacy Fund” to the end of the sentence above.

Whether you are drafting a will for the first time or amending your will through a codicil, you will need to provide your advisors with our official name, our legal address, phone number, and tax ID number as listed below.

Friends of Pima Animal Care Center (FoP)
PO Box 85370
Tucson, AZ 85754
520-724-5947
TAX ID: 47-4160770

This is not professional legal or tax advice. Consult your legal and tax professionals regarding your specific situation. Friends of Pima Animal Care Center (FoP) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Contributions to Friends of PACC are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law.

Veterinary Care Legacy Fund FAQ

  • The Veterinary Care Legacy Fund is an investment fund created to provide sustainable and reliable funding for Friends of PACC programs providing veterinary care for homeless and vulnerable pets. The nonprofit’s Medical Needs, Keeping Families Together, and Spay/Neuter Support programs will be partially funded through the Veterinary Care Legacy Fund.

  • The Veterinary Care Legacy Fund is similar to an endowment, with the donation placed into an investment account. The annual earnings on that account will be used to fund veterinary care, while the initial donation is left untouched. This ensures that funding will be available year after year for decades to come, as the initial donation continually generates funding.

  • Access to affordable veterinary care is a major issue nationally. This is acutely true in Pima County, which was scored 36 out of 100 points by the Veterinary Care Accessibility Project, ranking care as “difficult to access.” This challenge leads to animal suffering, increased spread of disease, pet overpopulation, and directly contributes to animal homelessness. Creating effective and sustainable programs to expand care for vulnerable pets is critical to addressing these issues. As the nonprofit partner to PACC, Friends of PACC is uniquely positioned to establish such programs.

  • The Veterinary Care Legacy Fund will support three Friends of PACC programs, each addressing a different aspect of veterinary care.

    The Medical Needs program provides specialized medical support for pets at PACC beyond what the County can fund. PACC is the only open-admission shelter in Pima County and as a result takes in the most challenging medical cases. Without the Medical Needs program, these pets would have no opportunity for a healthy future.

    Through the Keeping Families Together program, Friends of PACC aids vulnerable families whose pets need emergency veterinary support beyond the families’ financial capacity. Without this support, these pets would face potential suffering, surrender to PACC, or economic euthanasia.

    Through the Spay/Neuter Support program, Friends of PACC provides subsidized spay and neuter services to families receiving public assistance via a network of clinical partners.

  • Each of the programs supported by the Veterinary Care Legacy Fund is intended to reduce pet homelessness and PACC census numbers. The Medical Needs program prepares PACC animals for a new home and reduces an animal’s length of shelter stay. The Keeping Families Together program reduces animal intake at PACC by helping loving families provide medical care rather than surrendering the pet to PACC for care. The Spay/Neuter Support program addresses future pet overpopulation, reducing the number of litters brought to PACC.

  • The donation came via a bequest from a generous individual residing in Pima County and wishing to create a better community for local animals. Prior to passing, the donor indicated they didn’t wish to be recognized for the donation.

  • The Veterinary Care Legacy Fund is established now. Its first annual earnings will be distributed to support veterinary care in June 2027.

  • While anonymous, this donation can still serve as an example for others wishing to leave a legacy for helping animals. Friends of PACC has a goal of raising $10 million for the Veterinary Care Legacy Fund through trust and will bequests or IRA and life insurance beneficiary designations. Anyone concerned about the plight of homeless and vulnerable pets can establish estate plans that support the long-term care of animals. They can then contact Friends of PACC about designating their future donation for the Legacy Fund.

    • Trust or will: Name Friends of PACC’s Veterinary Care Legacy Fund as a beneficiary.

    • IRA or life insurance: Name Friends of PACC as a beneficiary, then contact us to set up a gift agreement directing your gift to the Veterinary Care Legacy Fund.

    Our legal name is Friends of Pima Animal Care Center, Tax ID 47-4160770. For help, contact Torre Chisholm at torre@friendsofpacc.org.

  • Yes! Supporters can make current gifts to the Veterinary Care Legacy Fund to help build its long-term capacity to support veterinary care for vulnerable pets. At the same time, donations to Friends of PACC’s current programs remain essential to meeting the urgent needs of pets and families today.

    For those interested in making a lasting impact, planned gifts through a bequest or beneficiary designation can help strengthen the Legacy Fund for future generations. Some donors may choose to support both immediate needs and long-term sustainability through a combination of current and planned giving.

    Friends of PACC welcomes the opportunity to work with donors to explore giving options that reflect their wishes and support the future of veterinary care in our community.