Tenerife Council Allocates €700,000 to Support Animal Shelters and Feline Colonies

The Tenerife Island Council has announced a €700,000 budget to support animal shelters and organizations that manage feline colonies across the island. This funding is designed to stabilize a sector that currently serves as the primary safety net for animal welfare, filling gaps where local municipal resources fall short.

To ensure these organizations can continue their essential work, the Council is using a non-competitive application process. Unlike traditional grant models, this system provides advance payments. This approach is intended to ease the financial burden on shelters, allowing them to cover immediate costs—such as food, veterinary care, and facility maintenance—without waiting for the typical delays associated with public funding. The program runs from June 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026, with funding amounts tailored to each organization’s specific budget and workload rather than a flat, one-size-fits-all payment.

This move comes as new national animal welfare laws (Law 7/2023) have placed stricter requirements on local governments. Because many municipalities lack the resources to meet these new legal standards, animal shelters have become an indispensable part of the system. By providing this centralized support, the Council hopes to prevent these organizations from becoming overwhelmed and to ensure a consistent standard of animal care across all municipalities.

Eligible organizations can apply through the Council’s online portal at sede.tenerife.es. For assistance with the application process, the Council has set up a support line at 901 501 901 or 922 23 95 00, available daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Through this initiative, the island government aims to strengthen its partnership with the non-profit sector, acknowledging that the success of animal welfare laws depends on the financial stability of the shelters doing the daily work.