The Value of GFAS Accreditation and Verification is Great!
GFAS certified facilities around the globe are committed to the safe, ethical, and professional standards which GFAS sets forth. When donors, law enforcement officials, government authorities, and the general public are searching for facilities, they know GFAS Accredited and Verified organizations are best.
Certification with GFAS also allows access to valuable benefits, such as:
- Inclusion in the searchable GFAS Find a Sanctuary Database to enable donors, supporters, and the community to provide support
- Access to funding opportunities from Grantmakers who require or prefer sanctuaries who are GFAS certified
- A log-in to the Sanctuary Resources Portal on the GFAS website to access important information, opportunities, and links.
- Monthly GFAS e-newsletters and sanctuary features on GFAS social media
- Free job and volunteer ads on the GFAS website
- Invites to monthly Roundtable webinars to exchange expertise and connect with other GFAS certified sanctuaries and rescues
- Direct access to pro bono legal services for your sanctuary-related needs through an exclusive GFAS collaboration with Animal Defense Partnership
- Exclusive health insurance and related coverage options for you, your family, and your personnel through a GFAS partnership with the LIG Association Health Program
- Eligibility for annual GFAS Carole Noon and Outstanding Sanctuary Awards
- Enhanced opportunities from GFAS partners, such as discounts on educational offerings
If your organization is already Accredited or Verified with GFAS, you’ll want to make sure you have access to our Sanctuary Resources Portal, where you can view sample and template documents, use the GFAS directory to connect with others, and access benefits GFAS offers only to certified organizations. Log-in at https://sanctuaryfederation.org/sanctuary-resources-login/
If you are not currently GFAS certified but are interested in the process or wish to start an application, learn more about GFAS certification here https://sanctuaryfederation.org/accreditation/definitions/
Strategic Planning for Animal Activism Course
The application form for the Strategic Planning for Animal Activism (SPAA) course for 2024 is now open!
This is your opportunity to be part of a transformational experience, designed to amplify your impact within the realm of animal rights and vegan advocacy. Thanks to the generous support of The Greenbaum Foundation and Vegan Grants, this comprehensive program is offered at no cost to you.You can find out more here.Key Details:Application Deadline: March 31stFully funded, with no financial barrier to accessLimited spaces available to ensure personalized attention and interaction
Do not miss this chance to elevate your strategic planning skills and connect with influential funders in the field. Apply by March 31st to secure your place.Please apply here.Together, we can strategize towards a Vegan World.
Calling All Homes for Horses Coalition Members
Have you missed learning from and collaborating with fellow equine rescue professionals? Here’s your chance! Save the Date for the Homes for Horses Coalition Conference happening September 21 – 23, 2024 in Washington DC.
Stay tuned for specifics like hotel information and registration by watching the Homes for Horses Coalition Facebook Event page.
What If Farms Provides Horses and Donkeys a Safe Place to Heal
Off a quiet road sits a sanctuary. A true sanctuary where horses and donkeys have plenty of room to roam, ponds to play in, plentiful food, and safe shelter when they choose it. This is What If Farms located in Florida. Christine Hendler, Founder and ED of What If Farms and her small team of dedicated staff and volunteers work diligently to provide the resident horses and donkeys with a forever home. But their care does not end there. The donkeys have a play yard, and soon the horses will have access to a tract system. Additionally, the team provides holistic veterinary care utilizing both traditional and complementary medicine. From the start, What If Farms has been committed to not only rescuing equines, but to providing a safe place for individual horses and donkeys to ‘find a way back to themselves.’
The sanctuary also strives to change how people think of animals. ‘At What If Farms, our goal is not only to make a difference in the lives of our inhabitants, but to bring awareness to an idea that we believe should be spread throughout the world, for all animals.’, said Christine Hendler, Founder and Executive Director, What If Farms, ‘Here at What If Farms, we are about recognizing all animals as cognitive beings that are “born for themselves, not for us.’
To learn more about What if Farms Inc, go to: https://whatiffarms.org/.
Chimpanzees Ready to Greet Spring at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest!
Back in 2021, GFAS was thrilled to see Lucky, Cy, Rayne, Gordo, Dora, and Terry move into, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest (CSNW), their new home in central Washington. The group had traveled a long way from their former residence, Wildlife Waystation in California. Once in sanctuary, life for these chimpanzees expanded into playrooms filled with enrichment, greenhouses with swings, climbing structures and an expansive view from their outdoor perches and indoor windows. Knowing that chimpanzees thrive on dynamic, social relationships, the skilled team at CSNW worked hard at planning this group’s eventual introduction to Honey B, Mave, and Willy B, who had been moved up to CSNW earlier from the same facility. It wasn’t always easy, but after several pauses and starts, the chimpanzees became integrated and have been living together as one group. A wonderful outcome!
Along with the original group nearby—Negra, Burrito, Annie, Jamie, Foxie and Missy—these chimpanzees are ready to shrug off winter. Spring is around the corner, and all the residents at CSNW, will soon bask in sweet breezes, silky green grass, and sunshine. It will all happen under the watchful eyes of a caregiving team devoted to each individual’s needs. We are always moved by the dedicated work of our sanctuaries and rescues! GFAS has been proud to recognize this compassionate and conscientious organization, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest as a true sanctuary since 2012. To learn more about CSNW, please visit: www.chimpsnw.org
This is what life in a battery cage looks like.
When we visited Accredited Animal Place, we experienced the horror of factory farming firsthand. Animal Place’s Museum of Animal Farming is an eye-opening experience which allow visitors to learn about the horrific treatment of farmed animals in industrial agriculture.
If it was hard to fathom how much animals suffer physically and psychologically in intensive confinement, we no longer need imagine, as we will likely never forget the haunting feeling of seeing real-life cages that held animals and then stepping into them ourselves. These are a stark reminder of that which we almost never see firsthand – and it’s impossible to turn away once you do. The majority of farmed animals may be hidden in factory farms, but their suffering has never been more visible.
We encourage you to visit and experience this yourself, or visit the virtual museum here https://animalplace.org/museum/
In the meantime, we encourage you to keep animals off your plate, as these industries are what necessitate sanctuary and rescue and harm billions of animals yearly. As animal protection organizations, sanctuaries can set an example of compassion toward all animals – if your organization would like to adopt a vegan organizational policy, Animal Place has grants to encourage you to do just that. Find out more at https://animalplace.org/food-for-thought/
New Certifications and Renewals
Over the past month, GFAS has certified two new organizations, transitioned one organization from Verified to Accredited and renewed three organizations!
Congratulations to these groups!
New Certifications
Animal Place, California
What If Farms, Florida
Transitioned from Verified to Accredited
Renewals
Heartwood Haven Vegan Animal Sanctuary, Washington
The Wild Animal Refuge, Colorado
The Wild Animal Sanctuary, Colorado