ASPCA: Grants for Animals and Wildlife

OVERVIEW: ASPCA makes grants for animal shelters and rescue operations, cruelty prevention measures, equine welfare and disaster response for animal organizations with strong focus on domesticated dogs, cats and equines.

IP TAKE: The ASPCA has supported over 3,000 animal organizations in every U.S. state and territory. It tends to make small grants of $10,000 or less to smaller organizations where funding can have a significant impact on the lives of animals. It currently awards Animal Shelter and Rescue Grants, Anti-Cruelty Grants, Equine Grants and Emergency and Disaster Response Grants.

The ASPCA maintains a grant opportunities page where it posts current funding programs and RFPs. Animal organizations may also contact the ASPCA’s grants team via with specific request and questions via the team’s contact form.

PROFILE: One of the oldest animal welfare organizations in the U.S., the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was established in 1866 by the New York State Legislature in an effort to ban cruelty to carriage horses. Since then, the ASPCA has become one of the most influential animal welfare foundations in the U.S. The ASPCA was the first humane organization given legal authority to investigate crimes against animals and facilitate arrests against the perpetrators of animal-related crimes. It aims to “provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.” It provides support to U.S. based nonprofit animal welfare organizations "through cash grants, sponsorships, executive and technical assistance, and training." Its current grantmaking programs are Animal Shelter and Rescue Grants, Anti-Cruelty Grants, Equine Grants and Emergency and Disaster Response Grants.

The ASPCA’s Animal Shelter and Rescue Grants support saving the lives of animals through programs that “decrease the number of animals entering shelters and increase the number of animals going home.” Recent grantmaking has supported high-volume adoption events, programs that relocate animals to areas of “low supply and high demand,” spay/neuter programs and conferences and scholarships for the education of animal welfare professionals. This program also posts RFPs for specific issues via the ASPCApro website.

The society’s Animal Cruelty Grants aim to assist organizations “with costs associated with the prevention of and response to animal cruelty.” Specific projects that have been funded include investigations, seizures of abused and/or neglected animals, veterinary and housing costs associated with animal seizures, outreach and advocacy programs and conferences that education law enforcement professionals on issues of animal cruelty.

Equine Grants support animal welfare organizations that work with wild and domestic horses, mules, donkeys and ponies. Recent grants have supported organizations providing housing, rehabilitation, training and safety to animals, as well as emergency response and capital improvements to facilities that house and treat equines.

The ASPCA’s Emergency and Disaster Response Grants fund “animal welfare organizations and government agencies whose communities suffer the impact of natural and other disasters.” The program makes funding available for supplies, food, shelter, equipment, relocation, veterinary services and infrastructure repair.

Since 2008, the ASPCA has made over $100 million in grants to over 3,000 organizations in every state and U.S. territory. About eighty percent of ASPCA grants total less than $10,000. The average grant is about $5,000. Overall, the ASPCA tends to prioritize smaller organizations with limited operating costs and revenue flows. Past grantees include Louisiana’s Acadiana Animal Aid, Oklahoma’s Nexus Equine, Wisconsin’s Racers Placers and Columbus Humane in Hilliard, Ohio. For additional information on past grantmaking explore the ASPCA’s grant history and news pages.

The ASPCA posts information about current funding opportunities and RFPs on its Grant Opportunities page. Grantseekers may also submit questions and requests to the ASPCA’s grants team via the program’s contact form.

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