Elizabeth Niemyer Cat Fund

The Elizabeth Niemyer Cat Fund is a charitable grant initiative managed by the Community Foundation of Washington County, Maryland. Established in 2010 to honor Elizabeth “Liz” Niemyer’s legacy and compassion for the welfare of feral cats, this fund aims to support organizations working to humanely manage and reduce the feral cat population within Washington County. Liz Niemyer was known for her dedicated support and affection for animals, particularly feral cats, and this fund continues her mission by providing critical funding for spay and neuter initiatives. The fund is available exclusively to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations that are both based in and actively serve Washington County, Maryland. Only organizations with this legal status and geographic alignment are eligible for funding. The purpose of the grant is narrowly focused—only proposals aimed at spaying and neutering feral cats will be considered. This ensures that the fund directly contributes to controlling and supporting the local feral cat population through humane methods. Applications for this grant must be submitted online using the Community Foundation of Washington County’s portal on SmarterSelect. The application link is https://app.smarterselect.com/programs/104110-Community-Foundation-Of-Washington-County-Md-Inc. All submissions must be received no later than September 5, 2025, at 11:59 PM. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered. The application portal allows for direct submission and likely includes prompts specific to the fund’s focus area. As of the reference date, applications are actively being accepted. Although no specific award date or distribution timeline is provided in the source, the program is described as renewable. This indicates the fund is recurring, suggesting that it may be offered annually or at regular intervals, with the next expected cycle opening in September 2026 based on current scheduling patterns. The grantor contact for questions or additional guidance is Susan Buchanan, who serves as the Community Impact Manager at the Community Foundation of Washington County. She can be reached via email at susanb@cfwcmd.org. No phone number is listed in the source materials. Applicants are encouraged to direct any inquiries to Susan Buchanan prior to the submission deadline to ensure they meet all eligibility and proposal requirements. There are no stated pre-application requirements such as Letters of Intent, nor are there published application questions or evaluation criteria. The fund’s criteria and spending restrictions are straightforward: funds are to be used exclusively for feral cat spay/neuter activities in the defined geographic area. No information is provided about past recipients or award amounts, and applicants may wish to contact the grant administrator for historical context or award size expectations.