As many in the fancy are aware, the American Kennel Club established the AKC Canine Health Foundation ten years ago with an original donation of $1 million. Since its inception the Foundation – a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – has contributed over $12 million to help fund canine health studies. This includes research related to the sequencing of the canine genome and the health effects of dogs involved in the search and rescue efforts after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Over the past decade, the fancy – both as individuals and via AKC’s national, local and all-breed clubs – have given generously to the foundation. Collectively, 250 studies have been funded. With a mission statement proclaiming “take whatever actions to protect and assure the continuation of the sport of purebred dogs,” the AKC realizes that there is little that is more important than investing in the long-term health and well being of our beloved dogs. With this in mind, it’s clear that guaranteeing the successful continuation of the AKC Canine Health Foundation is crucial and in that vein the goal of building an endowment was born. An endowment ensures the financial health of an organization and allows for annual operating costs to be financed by interest as opposed to donor contributions.
In October of 2004, the AKC Board of Directors took a significant step towards making this endowment a reality by authorizing a donation of up to $1 million to the AKC Canine Health Foundation Endowment Fund. An initial installment of $500,000 was given outright, while an additional $500,000 in matching funds is being made available for all new donations earmarked for the endowment through December 2005. As of this writing, the foundation has raised nearly $170,000.
These matching funds are in addition to AKC’s annual donations. The American Kennel Club is proud of our dedication and commitment to canine health. A fiscally strong AKC allows us to allocate such a considerable donation to this worthy cause. With a strengthened endowment fund, the Foundation will continue to support the research that will result in healthier and longer living dogs. We hope the fancy will help us to meet our goals on behalf of the ultimate beneficiaries of this effort–our dogs. For further information visit www.akcchf.org.
Sincerely,
Ron Menaker
Chairman