Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
Ken Jackson poses with Maggie at Remy’s Dog Park at Red Mountain Park. Jackson raised the funds through his foundation, The Remy Fund, to build Remy’s Dog Park. Above: Ken Jackson plays with Maggie at Remy’s Dog Park.
The Remy Fund for Pets and Animal Services at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, established by Hoover resident Ken Jackson, in 2025 gave out $90,500 to nonprofits to nonprofits involving companion animals such as dogs, cats and horses in Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, Blount and Walker counties.
The 12 organizations that received grants in 2025 included:
- Kitty Kat Haven and Rescue, $10,000, to cover veterinary care for ill cats that require specialized care
- Shelby Humane Society, $10,000, to cover spay and neuter surgeries through the Fix-a-Bull Program and provide a small bag of food and pet supplies to program participants
- Greater Birmingham Humane Society, $10,000, for Project Pet Safe, which assists pet owners who may be unable to afford care for their animals due to life changes or emergencies
- Alabama Spay/Neuter, $10,000, for the Remy SNIP program, providing low cost spay/neuter surgeries, reducing the number of unwanted animals in the community
- Walker County Humane Society, $10,000, to provide spay and neuter resources in Walker County
- Hand in Paw, Inc, $7,500, for the “Sit, Stay, Read!” program, which supports struggling readers in classrooms through animal-assisted education
- Rescuers United for Furbabies (RUFF), $6,500, to support their new maternity cottage, which will house pregnant/nursing mothers and their pups in a more easily maintained and less stressful environment
- Animal Shelter of Pell City, $6,000, to provide low-cost spay/neuter certificates through the SNAP program
- Sugarbelle Foundation, $6,000, to further the mission of keeping pets and people together by providing comprehensive medical care, safe shelter and training/evaluations to pet owners in need, and for spay/neuter services
- Special Equestrians, $5,500, to provide comprehensive care for horses in their animal-assisted equine therapy program.
- The Red Barn Foundation, $5,500, for their therapeutic riding and equine assisted therapy to individuals with disabilities, especially those in families with limited resources
- Birmingham AIDS Outreach, $3,500, for the Pets Are Wonderful Support program, which provides food and services for pets of HIV-positive individuals who require financial assistance
The Remy Fund was established in 2010 by Jackson in honor of his late dog, Remy, with Jackson giving more than $750,000 to the fund. Since 2011, the fund has awarded more than $739,000 in grants, with 2025 being the largest amount of grants given out.
The Remy Fund for pets and animal services is a special field of interest Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. It is supported by many donors, including significant donations from VPFunds, the Diane and Warren Ferguson Fund for Animals, the Jean K. Forman Fund for Animal Welfare and the Anne Knight Townsend Fund for the Welfare of Animals.
The Remy Fund Grant Committee conducts in-depth reviews of all grant applicants, including virtual and in-person site visits with applicants. The Remy Fund Grant Committee members include Debra Linton (chairwoman), Cathy Adams, Bert Gaddis, Sheryl Kimerling, Murphy Lynch, Maggie McDonald, Isabel Rubio, Cameron Vowell and Laura Wainwright. Jackson serves as an ex-officio member of the committee.
Donations to the Remy Fund can be made online at cfbham.org/remy-fund/ or by check mailed to Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, 1531 Third Ave. N., Suite 100, Birmingham, AL 35203.
The 2026 grant cycle for the Remy Fund will open for applications Monday, March 16, and will close Thursday, April 30.
Learn more at cfbham.org/remy-fund/. For more information about grants, contact Meg Ford at mford@cfbham.org.
