Tariffs Bite Into Sanctuary Budgets

The Cost of Caring for Animals in 2025

The mission of animal sanctuaries, like Catskill Animal Sanctuary, is simple yet profound: to provide safe, loving homes for animals in need. But fulfilling that mission has become more expensive than ever. As of mid-2025, a wave of U.S. tariffs and related cost increases are rippling through the economy, hitting animal sanctuaries hard. We’re tariff-ied, and we need your help! Essential supplies and services, from specialized animal supplements to tractor parts and electricity, now cost significantly more due to trade policies and inflation. Sanctuary leaders across the country are sounding the alarm that these rising costs are straining operational budgets, affecting donor behavior, and even threatening the level of care they can provide to rescued animals. Let’s take a data-driven look at how current tariffs are impacting sanctuaries like ours and others, and how we can only respond with resilience and the compassion of our supporters.

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Tariff-Driven Cost Surges in Animal Care Supplies

Recent U.S. tariff policies have led to steep price hikes for many goods that sanctuaries rely on. In early 2025, broad new tariffs were implemented on imports from many countries, including major suppliers of animal feed supplements and equipment parts. These tariffs function as extra taxes on goods coming into the U.S., and their costs are being passed down the supply chain. For sanctuaries that operate on tight budgets, even modest price increases can have an outsized impact…and the increases we’re seeing now are far from modest. Some of the most notable tariff-related cost surges include:

Imported nutritional supplements: +20–30% As a farm animal sanctuary, we give our residents dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, etc.) to keep them healthy, especially when caring for elderly or special-needs animals. Unfortunately, the price of imported supplement ingredients has jumped sharply. For example, vitamin C, often used as a supplement, now costs about 30% more than it did before April 2025. Herbal supplements haven’t been spared either; turmeric extracts commonly added to animal feed have seen 25–35% cost increases. Industry experts confirm that new tariffs (a universal 10% tariff on most imports plus country-specific tariffs up to 34% on suppliers like China and India) are largely responsible for these spikes. In short, feeding and medicating animals with imported nutraceuticals now takes a much bigger bite out of sanctuary budgets.
Tractor parts and equipment: +35% Sanctuaries aren’t just havens for animals; they are also working farms that require machinery for hauling hay, cleaning barns, maintaining grounds, and more. Tariffs on industrial goods and metals have driven up the cost of farm equipment and spare parts significantly. Steel and aluminum imports face a 25% tariff, which raises manufacturing costs for tractors and parts across the board. On top of that, new proposals in Congress in late 2024 aimed to hike tariffs on imported tractor parts to 35% or higher. The effect is already being felt: compact tractor prices have climbed as manufacturers pass on these costs, and essential components are harder to get. Sanctuary staff report paying substantially more for things like replacement tires, hydraulic parts, and repair services, sometimes around one-third higher than just a year ago, aligning with the tariff increases. These inflated upkeep costs for tractors and farm tools directly increase sanctuary operating expenses.
Utilities and energy: double-digit hikes Even the basic cost of keeping the lights on and the barns heated is surging. Utility companies in New York and other states have sought double-digit rate increases, citing higher fuel costs and infrastructure needs. For instance, Con Edison (which serves downstate New York) has proposed raising electricity rates by about 11.5% and gas by over 13% next year. Upstate, National Grid put forward a plan that would hike electric delivery by nearly 28% over three years (roughly 9% per year on average) and gas by 36% over three years. These are not small upticks; they’re significant jumps that can add thousands of dollars to a facility’s annual bills. While not all of the recent increases are due to tariffs (global fuel prices and supply issues play a role), trade policy is part of the geo-political environment driving up energy costs. For sanctuaries, double-digit utility hikes force difficult choices, as every dollar spent on electricity or propane is a dollar not going directly toward animal care.

Tariffs on steel, aluminum, and other materials have made farm equipment and tractor parts more expensive. Sanctuaries that rely on tractors for daily operations are facing rising maintenance costs, as import taxes up to 25–35% get passed down to consumers.

In combination, these tariff-linked cost increases create a perfect storm for animal sanctuaries. We might simultaneously be paying 25% more for feed supplements, 35% more for a tractor repair, and 15% more on the heating bill. Each of those on its own would be a strain, but together, they are straining our operational budget to the brink.

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Operational Budgets Under Strain

For most sanctuaries, operating margins are razor-thin even in the best of times. We rely heavily on donations and grants, since caring for dozens or even hundreds of animals (many with special health needs) is an expensive endeavor. When costs spike unexpectedly, there’s no deep reservoir of profit to dip into; budgets have to stretch or else something gives. In 2025, sanctuaries nationwide are finding that their expenses are outpacing income, and tariffs are a key factor behind the rising expenses.

In late 2023, we conducted an informal survey of 45 U.S. animal sanctuaries, which revealed just how widespread the problem is. Over one-third of sanctuaries reported that their costs have doubled since the pandemic due to inflation and related factors. Think about that: a 100% increase in expenses in just a few years. Even those that didn’t hit the doubling mark saw major increases in the price of essentials like hay, grain, and medical supplies. Tariffs exacerbate these inflationary pressures by adding extra costs on many imported goods that sanctuaries use. For example, if the price of livestock feed rose during the pandemic supply crunch, it’s now rising further if any ingredients or supplements in that feed come from overseas and face tariffs.

Our founder Kathy Stevens described the situation bluntly: “Our costs have spiraled upward in a way that we couldn’t have anticipated.”. She provided a concrete example: hay. CAS goes through roughly 10,000 bales of hay each year to feed its residents, and recently the price of hay has jumped by about $4 per bale. That translates to an extra $40,000 a year just for hay, which, as Stevens notes, “is a salary for one of us”. Hay prices are influenced by factors like weather and fuel costs, but tariffs on fuel or trucking equipment and general inflation have contributed to that climb. And hay isn’t the only cost ballooning. We are seeing higher bills for bedding straw, barn building materials, and veterinary medications, some of which tie back to tariff-affected supply chains (for instance, certain imported veterinary drugs or equipment).

With expenses rising across virtually every line item, operational budgets are being squeezed from all sides. Many sanctuaries set their budgets on an annual basis assuming reasonable cost stability. Those assumptions have been upended. As Heartland Farm Sanctuary in Wisconsin put it, “we’re also experiencing unprecedented costs of supplies,” citing that the price of hay “has doubled” and other feed and bedding costs are similarly elevated. Meanwhile, Little Hill Sanctuary in California launched an emergency “Hay and Straw Fund” in 2023, noting that inflation had caused huge jumps in feed costs and they needed immediate donations to cover winter forage for their animals. These anecdotes are playing out everywhere: costs up 20%, 30%, 50% or more in a short span, far outstripping the modest 2–3% annual increases that budgets typically allow for.

Crucially, tariffs contribute to this budget strain in both direct and indirect ways. Directly, any sanctuary that must purchase imported goods (for example, specialized feed supplements from abroad, or even hardware like fencing materials from overseas) now pays a tariff-inflated price. Indirectly, tariffs fuel general inflation. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that earlier tariff waves (2018–2019) already cost the average American household $831 annually, and new 2025 tariffs could add up to $4,600 per household per year in costs once businesses pass them along. Sanctuaries feel those broad effects too, because our costs for services like construction, transport, and feed reflect the higher price level in the economy.

Without major adjustments, the math simply doesn’t work: when expenses rise 20–30% but income doesn’t, sanctuaries face deficits. Many of us are now scrambling to adjust our financial plans mid-year, seeking emergency funding or cutting any discretionary spending (e.g. postponing facility upgrades, scaling back events, etc.) just to cover the basics of feed, utilities, and payroll.

Donor Behavior in an Uncertain Economy

Nonprofits depend on the generosity of individuals, foundations, and sometimes corporate sponsors to keep going. But donor behavior itself is influenced by economic conditions. When donors experience financial strain or uncertainty, their giving patterns can change. Unfortunately, the current tariff-driven cost increases are coinciding with a period where charitable donations are under pressure, creating a double challenge for sanctuaries: rising costs on one hand, and potential dips in revenue on the other.

Nationwide data shows that charitable giving has recently failed to keep pace with inflation. In 2024, total donations in the U.S. rose about 1.9%, but inflation was roughly 2.9%, meaning in real terms charities could buy less with the money they raised. The backdrop for sanctuary fundraising is that donors’ dollars simply don’t stretch as far as before; a $100 gift now covers maybe $90 of last year’s expenses. Moreover, donors are feeling the effects of inflation (and tariff pass-through costs) in their own lives. As a nonprofit sector report noted, “charitable giving can be one of the first expenses people cut out of their budget when they are facing financial hardship.” With tariffs subtly raising prices on many everyday goods (from food to appliances), some donors may be tightening their belts and reducing non-essential spending like philanthropy.

Indeed, Kathy Stevens also observed that “charitable giving is down”, and not just anecdotally. Citing the authoritative Giving USA report, she noted donations across the country dropped by more than 10% in 2022, one of the largest annual decreases in recent memory. (2022 saw a pullback after the heightened giving in 2020–2021, and economic worries played a big role.) For sanctuaries, this decline in donations is painfully timed. Just as our needs are growing, some long-time funders are scaling back. Stevens gave a telling example: a foundation that had provided a grant to Catskill Animal Sanctuary every year since 2007 declined to fund us in 2023, stating that “there’s too much competition” among charities for their limited dollars. In other words, more nonprofits are in need, and donors (large and small) are having to pick and choose where to give. The proliferation of new sanctuaries (trying to address the ever-growing need to rescue farm animals) means donor dollars are being spread thinner across organizations as well.

This puts sanctuaries in a bind. Nearly all rely on donations to cover operating costs; admissions or program fees (if they even charge them) cover only a fraction. If donor support softens at the same time as costs soar, budget shortfalls are almost inevitable. Some sanctuaries have noticed donors shifting toward in-kind donations (like bales of hay, feed bags, or equipment) instead of cash, which can help offset costs but can be less flexible than monetary support. Others report that donors who used to give, say, $100 a month are dropping to $50 a month to adjust for their own cost-of-living increases.

There is also evidence of “donor fatigue” in some cases, especially following the intense fundraising during the pandemic. A Blackbaud Institute survey indicated donors were becoming cautious and even “skittish” in 2025, partly due to stock market fluctuations and economic uncertainty. Sanctuaries typically rely on a mix of small grassroots donors and a few larger benefactors. If those larger gifts pause due to caution (for instance, a major donor holding off on a multi-year pledge because their business is affected by tariffs or market shifts), it can create a significant hole in the budget.

Impact on Animal Care and Sanctuary Operations

Our top priority is the well-being of our animals. Budget issues and economic challenges are never an excuse to compromise the standard of care; the animals must be fed, watered, housed safely, and given medical treatment as needed. Our staff is incredibly dedicated to this mission. However, when faced with severe financial strain, sanctuaries can be forced to make operational adjustments that can indirectly affect animal care or at least the capacity to help more animals.

One immediate impact of higher costs is that sanctuaries like ours have had to limit new intakes of animals. Rescue opportunities arise unexpectedly, e.g. a cruelty case might surrender a dozen goats, or a small farmer might ask a sanctuary to take in an aging cow, and in the past we tried our best to say “yes” to as many animals as we could accommodate. Now, with feed and vet expenses so high, we have had to make the heartbreaking decision to say no more often because we simply can’t afford additional mouths to feed. Many sanctuaries have publicly shared that they’re at capacity not in terms of space, but in terms of budget. This means animals that might have been rescued in 2020 or 2021 could be turned away in 2024–2025, potentially leaving them with no safe haven. It’s an agonizing situation for animal advocates. Our survey found many sanctuaries “struggling to survive” despite a recent slight easing of consumer price inflation, and there is genuine fear that if sanctuaries “continue closing down, many animals could face starvation or slaughter”. This warning from Kathy Stevens underscores what’s at stake. These economic challenges aren’t just abstract numbers; they could literally cost animals’ lives if we can’t sustain ourselves.

Even for the animals currently in sanctuary care, belt-tightening measures can have effects. Sanctuaries might have to delay facility improvements that would have enhanced animal comfort (for example, putting off building a new barn or repairing an older shelter). Non-urgent maintenance might be deferred, perhaps a pasture fence that is aging will be patched up rather than replaced, or that plan to expand a pig habitat is on hold. While animals won’t be put in harm’s way, they may have to “make do” with infrastructure that’s less than ideal due to budget shortfalls.

In some cases, sanctuaries are adjusting diets and care routines in cost-conscious ways. For example, if imported supplements are too pricey, a sanctuary might switch to a domestic source even if it’s a slightly different formulation, or use more natural dietary solutions (like providing more fresh pumpkins for vitamin A instead of a supplement). If heating fuel is exorbitant, they might invest in more straw bedding and insulation so animals need less external heat. Creativity is key, but there’s only so far these adjustments can go without impacting the animals. Staff overtime or hired farm help might be reduced to save money, which can mean caregivers are stretched thinner. Volunteers can pick up some slack, but staff burnout is a risk when everyone is trying to do more with less.

Medical care is another concern. Vet bills and medical supplies often include imported components (many veterinary drugs or equipment are global products). Tariffs on medical supplies (like certain pharmaceuticals from overseas) haven’t been front-page news, but they exist and can make treatments more expensive. We will never deny an animal medical care to save money, we’ll fundraise or go into debt if we have to for a critical surgery, but the cumulative effect of higher costs may force us to prioritize only the most urgent interventions and hold off on elective or preventative care that could improve quality of life. For instance, if the cost of a particular preventive supplement became prohibitive, we might have to rely on regular bloodwork to monitor an animal’s health rather than giving the supplement proactively. It’s not ideal, but these are the kinds of trade-offs being considered.

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How You Can Help

Catskill Animal Sanctuary remains fiercely committed to providing quality food, shelter, and veterinary care to our residents, no matter what. Despite the financial strain, we’re doing what we’ve always done: pouring love and care into the animals and engaging the hearts of humans to support that work.

But with tariffs driving essential costs through the roof, we can’t do it alone. Here’s how you can help:

Make a donation: Your gift today helps cover the rising cost of hay, supplements, utilities, and emergency repairs. No amount is too small. Donate Today!
Give in-kind: Items like animal supplements, tools, and even hay bales can be donated directly. Our wishlist is a great way to see exactly what’s needed.
Volunteer your time: Whether you’re a skilled tradesperson, an animal lover, or someone who just wants to help, your time is invaluable.
Spread the word: Share this story. Help others understand what sanctuaries are facing and how they can pitch in.

Tariffs may raise prices, but they can’t raise walls around compassion. Thank you for standing with us.

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