New York City’s newly approved budget sets aside $1.5 million for programs aimed at helping pet owners and animals, including funding for a new pet-food pantry.
Under City Council-backed initiatives, funding for free and low-cost spay-and-neuter services will rise by 50% in fiscal year 2027, bringing the total to $750,000, according to budget documents reviewed by The Post.
Another $750,000 has been earmarked to create what the council’s animal welfare caucus described in a social media post last week as a first-of-its-kind pilot pet-food pantry.
“These investments will help reduce animal overpopulation, ease pressure on the shelter system, and ensure that New Yorkers are not forced to choose between basic needs and feeding their pets,” the group wrote.
Flatbush Cats, a nonprofit that cares for stray and feral cats, is expected to serve as a key provider of the subsidized spay-and-neuter services through a $500,000 baseline grant.
The rest of the funding will be distributed to other animal-care centers and nonprofit organizations across the city.
The yearlong pet-food pantry pilot will begin with $250,000 directed to the Department of Social Services.
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Animal welfare caucus Chair Harvey Epstein told The Post that the pantry’s full $750,000 allocation, funded through the City Council’s discretionary spending, is still being divided among participating organizations.
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While the caucus initially sought upwards of $4 million in funding for animal-welfare causes, the group still celebrated landing a fraction of the city’s historic over $128.5 billion budget. It also applauded Council Speaker Julie Menin for championing its efforts.
“While more work remains, this investment is an important step toward a more compassionate and affordable city that keeps New Yorkers and their pets together,” the group wrote.
The ASPCA celebrated the funding boost for city pet owners.
“No New Yorker should have to choose between caring for themselves or keeping a beloved pet, and we are grateful to the Animal Welfare Caucus for championing this funding to help keep pets in loving homes,” said the animal nonprofit’s senior director of municipal affairs,m Michelle Villagomez, in a press release.
The Department of Social Services and City Hall did not respond to Post requests for comment.
