Six New Grant Categories; Now 10 Total, Offer Eligible Nonprofits in the U.S. and Canada More Chances than Ever Before to Apply for Funding for Initiatives Aligned with PetSmart Charities’ New Mission
PHOENIX, 2017-Mar-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, today ( March 21, 2017) unveiled a new grant application timeline that will provide year-round funding opportunities for animal welfare organizations, as well as newly eligible nonprofits dedicated to bringing people and pets together. Under its new mission, PetSmart Charities, along with its Canadian counterpart, PetSmart Charities™ of Canada, has expanded its grant categories from four to 10, providing more ways than ever before for nonprofits to apply for and benefit from grants and funding support.
“We remain steadfastly committed to helping pets in need and finding lifelong, loving homes for all pets,” said David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., president of PetSmart Charities, which donated more than $37 million to directly help pets in the U.S. and Canada in 2016. “Under a newly refined mission, in addition to supporting the quality care of pets in need, we also hope to better leverage the power of pets and bring more people and pets together – enhancing the quality of life for both. We’re excited to expand our funding support to help even more pets and people with new grant opportunities like those that keep pets and their families together during difficult times and support animal-assisted therapy programs — just to name a few.”
Haworth noted that the new grant areas are in addition to the core funding PetSmart Charities has long-provided for spay/neuter procedures, emergency relief, conferences and training and adoption efforts. “We look forward to continuing to support more than 3,000 animal welfare partners across the U.S. and Canada, and joining forces with new nonprofits that share our new mission.”
Animal welfare and nonprofit organizations in need of grant support can refer to the new grant application timeline outlined below and available on PetSmartCharities.org/pro/grants.
Year-Round Grant Categories:
PetSmart Charities will accept grant applications and provide funding year-round for four grant categories that are essential to facilitating lifesaving care and adoptions for local pets in need, as well as training efforts for current and aspiring animal welfare professionals. These grant opportunities are open now through Jan. 31, 2018:
- Adoptions: These grant opportunities help current and potential PetSmart and PetSmart Charities adoption partners connect people with adoptable pets every day at PetSmart stores and at signature events, including National Adoption Weekends which are held four times a year.
- Conferences and Training*: These funding opportunities are aimed at supporting multi-organizational, professional-level learning opportunities that have a national or state/provincial focus for employees and volunteers working within the animal welfare industry.
- Emergency Relief: These grants are dedicated to providing support to organizations that offer assistance for pets and pet parents in the event of a natural or man-made disaster during the rescue, relief and/or recovery stages.
- NEW Enhancing the Quality of Life Through Pets*: This new grant category is focused on supporting programs that champion the power of pets such as specialized training for service animals supporting military veterans and people with disabilities, as well as pet therapy programs implemented in facilities such as hospitals, schools and senior homes. This grant category will open on Apr. 1, 2017.
NEW: Helping Shelter Pets Thrive, Apply Apr. 1 – 30:
This new area of focus supports organizations that build capacity and additional resources to care for homeless pets with a focus on adoption. Through this new focus, PetSmart Charities hopes to enhance pets’ lives while they are in shelters and increase their chances of finding a forever home. Grant categories include:
- NEW Shelter Operations (formerly introduced as Shelter Management): These grants support shelter-based programs that improve adoptions, reduce pet length of stay, and strengthen shelter infrastructure. Applicants must have a brick-and-mortar shelter.
- NEW Transport: The grant area supports organizations that relocate adoptable pets to areas where the demand for pet adoption is high so they will have the best chance at finding their forever family.
NEW PROCESS: Capital Grants, Apply through a Letter of Intent due May 1, 2017**
Creating and maintaining quality facilities that accommodate local pets in need is essential to increasing their chances of finding a forever home. For animal welfare organizations that have requests for more than $50,000 in capital funding assistance, PetSmart Charities requests that a Letter of Intent be submitted for consideration by May 1, 2017. If approved, the applicant will receive an invitation to apply for funding.
- Capital: Assisting with the construction, rebuilding or remodeling of animal welfare organization facilities or the purchase of equipment that fulfills the needs of companion animals.
NEW: Keeping Pets Out of Shelters, Apply May 1 – Jun. 30:
This new grant area is dedicated to keeping pets and their pet parents together wherever possible. With a focus on decreasing the number of pets entering shelters, PetSmart Charities will now offer grant opportunities to support programs and initiatives that proactively prevent pet homelessness and mitigate families surrendering pets during challenging transitions. Grant categories for consideration include:
- NEW Keeping Pets and Families Together: This funding area is focused on creating resources for families that are or may experience domestic violence, homelessness and/or military leave that would enable them to keep their pet.
- NEW Intake Diversion: Pets are surrendered for a range of reasons and keeping pets from entering shelters by making wellness clinic services, as well as behavioral training and education more accessible, is key to this new category focus.
Spay/Neuter, Apply Aug. 1 – 31
Spaying and neutering pets is a proactive approach to help reduce the overpopulation of pets in local communities. Through these efforts, animal welfare and nonprofit organizations can decrease the number of unplanned litters and the number of pets entering shelters.
- Spay/Neuter: This grant area supports the prevention of unplanned litters through targeted spay/neuter programs and clinic development, as well as free or low-cost spay/neuter procedures, trap-neuter-return (TNR) efforts and veterinary school initiatives.
PetSmart Charities has donated more than $310 million to help pets in need across North America since 1994, more than any other animal welfare funder. In the U.S., PetSmart Charities recently received its 14th straight 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, an independent nonprofit that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits. This ranking places PetSmart Charities among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization.
For more information on how to apply for a grant on behalf of a deserving animal welfare organization***, please visit PetSmartCharities.org/pro or PetSmartCharities.ca/for-professionals.
*Grant category is open for applications until the stated deadline or until all designated funds are allocated.
**Animal welfare and nonprofit organizations with capital requests for over $50,000 in funding should submit a Letter of Intent by April 30, 2017, to be considered.
***All applicants for grant support must provide documentation verifying status as a 501(c)(3) organization for the U.S. or as a registered charity in Canada.
About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization with a mission to find lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. In addition to finding homes for almost 500,000 shelter pets each year through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities provides funding to non-profits aligned with its mission through four key areas of grant support: Preventing Pet Homelessness; Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the Bond Between People and Pets; and Emergency Relief and Disaster Support. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the pin pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar donated and has become the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, donating about $300 million to date. PetSmart Charities, a 501(c)(3) organization, has received the Four Star Rating from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 14 years in a row — placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org
Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs
Find PetSmart Charities on Facebook: Facebook.com/PetSmartCharities
See PetSmart Charities on YouTube: YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc
About PetSmart Charities™ of Canada
PetSmart Charities of Canada is a registered Canadian charity with a mission to find lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. In addition to finding homes for more than 25,000 shelter pets each year through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores, PetSmart Charities of Canada provides funding to registered charities aligned with its mission through four key areas of grant support: Preventing Pet Homelessness; Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the Bond Between People and Pets; and Emergency Relief and Disaster Support. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities of Canada using the pin pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 89 cents of every dollar donated and has become a leading funder of animal welfare in Canada, donating nearly $12 million to date. PetSmart Charities of Canada is a member of Imagine Canada, and a registered Canadian charity independent from PetSmart, Inc. To learn more, visit www.petsmartcharities.ca
Contacts:
Lauren Sawyer
lsawyer@petsmart.com
623-295-3238
PetSmart Media Line:
623-587-2177
Source: PetSmart Inc.