# Research and ranking methodology

Checked **August 2, 2026** for this profile:

- Woodleigh Cats, southwest Houston / Harris County, Texas;
- Texas nonprofit corporation with a federal 501(c)(3) application pending;
- approximately 12 lifelong sanctuary residents;
- active community-cat TNR program with 97 surgeries reported publicly;
- annual funding currently below $10,000; and
- grant-readiness documents can be created but were not yet confirmed.

## Evidence standard

The scan covered national animal-welfare funders, cat/TNR programs, Texas and Greater Houston funders, municipal services, donated goods, discounted veterinary care, fundraising platforms, free technology, professional help, fiscal sponsorship, disaster resources, and passive giving programs.

An opportunity is included as recommended only when an official provider page or official program document supports its current existence and its key claim. Search snippets, third-party grant databases, old blog lists, and recycled application calendars were not treated as sufficient evidence. Where the official page omits a rule, the dashboard says **unclear**, **ask**, or **not stated** rather than filling the gap by inference.

Programs are screened out when a published exclusion, facility model, geography, scale threshold, or mission requirement materially conflicts with Woodleigh's actual work. This preserves time and avoids reshaping the mission for a grant.

## Fit score

The score is out of 100 and is not a probability of success.

| Component | Maximum | Question |
|---|---:|---|
| Mission | 25 | Does it directly support TNR, cats, sanctuary care, or a necessary enabling function? |
| Eligibility | 20 | How closely does Woodleigh meet the published rules now or at the stated stage? |
| Timing | 15 | Is it open, rolling, or close enough to prepare for? |
| Small-organization fit | 15 | Is the burden and expected scale realistic below $10,000? |
| Value | 15 | How materially could it save or add resources? |
| Effort | 10 | Is the likely return reasonable for the application/administration burden? |

Default order adds practical judgment to the fit score. An August deadline requiring a fast yes/no inquiry can appear above a higher-scoring opportunity that is gated until IRS approval.

## Stage labels

- **Act now** — no final IRS letter is published as a requirement, or the service is open to the public/current organization form.
- **Deadline soon** — a live deadline needs immediate preparation or a written eligibility answer. This does not mean Woodleigh is already eligible.
- **Fiscal sponsor route** — the program expressly allows sponsorship, or the row is a potential sponsor to evaluate for a concrete funded reason.
- **After IRS letter** — published rules require Woodleigh's own recognized public-charity status or verification.
- **Monitor / confirm** — timing or a decisive rule is not currently published.
- **Conditional fit** — useful only if a facility, partner, event, or operating fact is true.
- **Screened out** — a current rule or mission mismatch makes the program a poor use of time.

## Organization-specific safeguards

1. TNR and lifelong sanctuary are described as two separate programs. The 12 resident cats are not counted as TNR outcomes.
2. A southwest Houston address is not assumed to be inside Houston city limits; BARC depends on the exact boundary.
3. Texas incorporation is not treated as federal or Texas tax exemption.
4. A pending federal application is not treated as a final determination letter.
5. Fiscal sponsorship is not assumed unless a funder publishes it or confirms it in writing.
6. “No IRS letter published” is not a guarantee of acceptance; it means the official source did not state that gate.
7. In-kind goods are valued as cost savings, not cash income.
8. Advertising credit, loans, and free services are labeled accurately and not presented as grants.

## Maintenance rules

- Recheck every official source immediately before applying.
- Review deadlines at least monthly and weekly during August–October.
- Archive a dated PDF or screenshot of rules used for a submitted application.
- Record eligibility answers received by email and the staff name/date.
- Add application status, outcome, requested amount, and follow-up date to a working tracker.
- Update both the canonical JSON and its verification date, then run the build and validation scripts.