Funding for Safe Haven Pet Programs
Below are funding sources for establishing safe havens for the pets of domestic violence survivors. There may be other sources of funding not listed here; if you know of additional sources, please contact AWI at safehavens@awionline.org so we can add them to our list.
Funding opportunities for starting or maintaining a Safe Haven for Pets of domestic violence victims
Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime—Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance
Description: Grants for shelter and transitional housing and other assistance to survivors of domestic violence and their companion animals. Their materials indicate their goal to provide up to five awards of up to $500,000 each for a 36-month period. Applications typically open in April and end in June.
Qualifications: States and territories, units of local government, Indian tribes, any organization with a documented history of work on domestic violence, any organization with a documented history of work on promoting pet protection, and any other nonprofit organization. Prohibited use of funds includes construction that involves the breaking of new ground, any activities that may endanger domestic violence survivors, require any mandatory services for survivors, or that require a survivor to obtain a protective order.
Application Requirements:
- Proposal abstract of no more than 400 words
- Proposal narrative with a description of the problem and how it will be addressed.
- Proposal design and implementation
AKC Humane Fund—Women's Shelters Grant
Description: AKC Humane Fund offers Women’s Shelter Grants of up to $1,000 per year for a maximum of three years. Grants are awarded for essential operational support relating to the housing of pets or capital improvements specifically for the housing and maintenance of pets.
Qualifications: Funding will only be awarded to either (1) Nonprofit organizations providing temporary housing for survivors of domestic abuse and their pets or (2) nonprofit organizations providing temporary or permanent housing for pets and working closely with a DV organization providing shelter for survivors of domestic abuse. Grantees must follow a reporting process indicated by the AKC Humane Fund. AKC Grants may not be used for fundraising. Previous grantees may not reapply for an AKC grant if they have been a recipient twice in the five-calendar-year period following the application deadline.
Application Requirements:
- Completed, signed, and dated application form
- Organization’s financial information
- IRS Determination Letter, confirming 501(c)(3) status
Banfield Foundation—Safer Together Grants
Description: The Banfield Foundation offers Safer Together Grants of up to $15,000 to support programs that help the pets of domestic violence survivors with care and temporary shelter on-site at domestic violence shelters, animal shelters, with foster families, and/or boarding facilities. Funding can be awarded to the domestic violence shelter or to a nonprofit housing the pets that have a formally established relationship with at least one nonprofit domestic violence shelter. They provide funding to pet-friendly domestic violence shelters, animal shelters, boarding facilities, or foster care systems in order to help with veterinary care, temporary boarding, behavior training, and funding of dedicated animal care positions in support of pets. Applicants will be reviewed twice annually, throughout the months of March and September.
Qualifications: Up to $15,000 in grant money may be requested to fund only the following four programs: veterinary care, dedicated animal support specialists, temporary boarding, and behavior training. Organizations can only be approved for funding once a year. If you have been funded for the last two years, you will not be eligible for a third year of funding.
Application Requirements:
- A narrative regarding the services you provide to help pets impacted by domestic violence, including a plan for how you plan to evaluate this programming
- A budget outlining expenses for your current domestic violence pet programming, an intended budget for the Safer Together grant request, and a current organizational budget
- IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter
Red Rover—Safe Escape Grants
Description: Offers assistance to help support animals displaced by family violence. Safe escape grants pay for temporary boarding and/or veterinary care while a survivor is seeking shelter.
Qualifications: Applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis. Factors under consideration include urgency, financial need, and available funding. Eligible clients live in the US and currently coordinating or staying in a domestic violence shelter. Funds will not be allocated to domestic violence shelters that have received a Red Rover Safe Housing Grant and provide co-sheltering.
Application Requirements:
- Application must be submitted by a shelter worker on behalf of the client
- A written estimate for services
- Permission from client to release information to Red Rover
Red Rover—Safe Housing Grants
Description: Safe Housing Grants of up to $60,000 to fund the development of pet-friendly programs in domestic violence shelters and animal welfare organizations. Funds may also be used for veterinary care and pet deposits.
Qualifications: Applicant must be a registered nonprofit organization either working in the domestic violence sector or the animal welfare sector. In both cases, applicant must be pursuing services to help domestic violence survivors keep their pets. Grants may not be used to start a new organization, for real estate acquisition, for travel, for salaries, or to fund existing programs that are unrelated to expanding pet support programs.
Application Requirements:
- Detailed program plan and budget
- Obtain an MOU with a partner organization, if applicable
- Identify a veterinary partner
- Verify ability to secure permits necessary for renovating, if applicable
- Estimates for renovation costs, if applicable
Greater Good Charities—Rescue Rebuild
Description: Rescue rebuild creates pet-friendly spaces at selected organizations in order to keep survivors of domestic violence and their pets together. They assist with room conversions, kennel installations, shelter makeovers, play yard construction, and more. Costs of construction, volunteer costs, and travel and lodging costs will be covered by the Rescue Rebuild team.
Qualifications: Potential grantees are seeking support in the construction of temporary-emergency or long-term transitional housing. Rescue rebuild assists animal shelters, domestic violence shelters, homeless and veterans housing, and wildlife sanctuaries. Organizations must have a physical location owned by the organization.
Application Requirements:
- Application must be filled out by a representative of the shelter
- Pictures of the potential project areas
Funding directed at animal shelters but could assist animal shelters that partner with a domestic violence organization
Greater Good Charities—Rescue Bank
Description: Rescue Bank provides food and supplies for pets in shelters across the US and Puerto Rico. They provide a valuable resource for animal shelters that make space to support pets, including those impacted by domestic violence.
Eligibility: Rescue bank focuses on supporting less visible nonprofits with limited access to resources such as pet food and basic supplies.
Application Requirements:
Petco Love
Description: Petco aims to support nonprofit animal organizations through the distribution of grants. All requests for support are to be submitted through their online application portal following the completion of an organizational profile. There is one grant cycle available per year and applicants may submit one proposal per grant cycle. Application periods can be found on their website.
Qualifications: Organizations with an annual intake of fewer than 250 animals who are not Petco adoption partners are not eligible. Eligibility for Petco Love grant awards requires an account on the partner portal as well as completion of their annual partnership report. Eligible animal welfare organization types include nonprofit organizations that are primarily foster-based rescue, non-profit or municipal agencies responsible for animal control sheltering, and nonprofit, SPCA, or humane society that performs adoptions. Please explore further details on qualifications here.
Application Requirements:
- Annual partnership report
- Grant request details (including the use of proposed investments)
- For nonprofits: IRS Form 990. Alternatively, a financial statement to detail revenue and expenses
- For governmental agencies: animal welfare department budget
Find further details on application instructions here and further details on partner portal login here.
Rehoming pets of domestic violence survivors who have to relinquish their pets
American Humane—Second Chance Grants
Description: Funding of any amount up to $2,000 for veterinary services at animal shelters and rescue groups in order to offset the costs of rescuing animals who are homeless or have faced cruelty and neglect. The intention is for animals involved to receive medical treatment and be successfully placed in new homes. For animal shelters working with DV organizations, these funds could be used in the case of a domestic violence survivor wanting to surrender a pet who was also a victim of abuse.
Qualifications: Funding is awarded on a case-by-case basis. Funds will only be distributed to animal sheltering agencies and rescue groups. Note: These funds are to be used to cover medical procedures for animals who have been abused or neglected only. This does not include routine medical procedures like vaccinations or heartworm testing. Spay/neuter costs may be an exception.
Application Requirements:
- Applications must be received no later than 6 months after animal intake
- Must follow rules of the online submission process for eligibility
- Copy of 501(c)(3) determination letter
- Veterinary receipts issued by veterinarian’s office
- Signed general release
- Before and/or after photographs of animals
- IRS Determination Letter, confirming 501(c)(3) status
Hugs and Kisses Animal Fund Grant
Description: Hugs and Kisses Animal Fund works to finance “mom and pop” animal welfare organizations in the absence of a fundraising department. They focus on supporting organizations working on population control, animal therapy training, and support of people with disabilities, as well as groups involved in the sheltering, rehabilitation, and rehoming process.
Qualifications: Grants are only offered to 501(c)(3) volunteer organizations with no administrative costs/salaries. You must be a certified nonprofit group.
Application Requirements:
- 5-year track record from the date of IRS Determination Letter
Paws for Love Foundation
Description: Paws for love is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers grants of up to $500 for organizations that are dedicated to improving the welfare of unwanted and abused animals.
Qualifications: Funds are exclusively distributed to animals who are within a nonprofit rescue or shelter program and will ultimately enter the adoption process. Eligible groups must reside in CA, OR, WA, ID, NV, AZ, NM, UT, CO, MT & WY. There is no funding available for personal pets—they must be available for adoption. Applicants may receive a maximum of two grants per calendar year.
Application Requirements:
- IRS Determination Letter
- Veterinarian report for medical treatment
- Proposal for specific need, program, or event, specifying how the funds will be used; proposed timeline; and expected outcome as well as outcome measurements
For veterinarians
Veterinary Care Foundation Funding Opportunities
Description: The Veterinary Care Foundation helps fund discounted and no charge care to hardship cases—including support to pets of families in crisis. Participating organizations establish a charitable account upon VCF membership approval and payment of annual fees. Direct links to the charitable account can be promoted on social media or the practice’s website to prompt donations. All donations are 100% tax-deductible.
Qualifications: Funding recipients must be members of the Veterinary Care Foundation and pay annual fees.
Application Requirements:
- Becoming a member & paying an annual membership fee of $480
Veterinary Care Charitable Fund
Description: The Veterinary Care Charitable Fund provides veterinarians with the option to offer charitable veterinary services to clients who are unable to pay. Participating veterinarians offer services to animals in real need, particularly survivors of abuse. AVMF acts as a “charitable umbrella” that accepts and disperses donations directly to participating veterinarians for charitable care.
Qualifications: Interested veterinarians must enroll in the AVMF Veterinary Care Charitable Fund. Enrollment is free. Veterinarians that are affiliated with a corporate entity with an established nonprofit foundation are not eligible to enroll.
Application Requirements:
There may be other sources of funding not listed here; if you know of additional sources, please contact AWI at safehavens@awionline.org so we can add that information to our list.
