Florida Animal Friend, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pet overpopulation, announced on Wednesday three Gainesville organizations that will receive statewide grant awards that allow free or low-cost spay and neuter services.

The Humane Society of North Central Florida, Shelter Medicine Program at UF and Fix Them All were among the 34 organizations that received part of the $756,228 and were selected based on their applications, which were reviewed by the Florida Animal Friend grant review committee.

“Reducing pet overpopulation and preventing the birth of unwanted pets is both critical and humane for cats and dogs statewide,” said Florida Animal Friend Executive Director Lois Kostroski in a press release. “We are proud to award this significant amount of funding across the state in our 20^th year of operation.”

The organization’s grant funds come from the sale of the Florida Animal Friend specialty vehicle license plate with cute cat and dog images highlighting the spay and neuter message.

Florida Animal Friends’ mission is to help save the lives of cats and dogs by supporting organizations that provide free or low-cost spay and neuter services throughout Florida. The organization helps reduce pet overpopulation by increasing awareness of programs available to pet owners and homeless pets.