LANSING – Tax season starts every January, and with it comes the chance to donate refunds to the state Animal Welfare Fund.

The fund, established in 2007, provides grants to shelters for services such as surgeries; public information about proper care of animals; and a protection program for animals that are treated cruelly.

It will distribute $150,000 this year.

“It’s all about reducing the numbers of unwanted pets in our communities,” said Polly McKillop, the animal shelter and breeding kennels regulatory program manager for the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“One of our biggest drives is for pets in our community to be spayed and neutered so there aren’t litters of unwanted animals,” she said.

McKillop described how the program is funded through donations from income tax refunds. Early each February, the department gets its money donated in the previous year to hand out through an application process.

In years with low donations, less money is given out.

“In 2017, we decided not to award any grants,” McKillop said, “It was due to the fact that contributions were down.”

McKillop said all of the refunds donated go directly to the shelters.

Attorneys for Animals, a nonprofit animal rights advocacy group, raises awareness of the fund.

Beatrice Friedlander, the president of Attorneys for Animals, said, “The plan was to make shelters more aware of the Animal Welfare Fund,” and the organization hired someone “to call every shelter to make sure they know about the program.”

Freidlander said the program has an individualized feel because it allows shelters of different capacities to apply.

“There are special projects that the fund helps create,” said Friedlander, “There is spay and neuter, mobile adoption trailers, pet retention efforts and education on proper animal care.”

Friedlander said donating doesn’t add much time while filing a tax return.

“We always try to use clever headlines as a way to enjoy paying your state taxes,” said Freidlander, “usually along the lines of ‘pay your taxes and help an animal.'”

On the shelter side, Lincoln Park Animal Shelter, which is getting a $5,000 grant, opened a new facility last August.

That new shelter has space to spay, neuter and vaccinate pets while the old one did not.

“We planned to spay and neuter every cat and dog we got in here,” said Kennedy O’Dell, the director. “We’ve been able to do that with all the pets that we’ve had here, and it’s helped with our adoptions as well.”

The Lincoln Park shelter is one of almost 30 shelters receiving grants this year.

Others include Detroit Animal Care & Control ($8,000), Macomb County Animal Shelter ($2,000) and the Ferndale Cat Shelter ($4,000).

This story was updated on March 29, 2025.