GRANTS

We are currently building our grant programs for 2023. Check back later for more updates. 

Past Grants

People and Pets Together Grant

This grant supports the development of sustainable services or policy changes that keep people and pets together. Such services and policies incorporate co-occurring animal and human support, with the aim of reducing barriers to pet-retention.

Each community has unique needs and grant applications will be considered on an individual basis.

To submit a letter of inquiry, please email Melanie at mappleton@animalfarmfoundation.org

  • Proposals must provide for co-occurring animal and human support
  • Proposals must respect the dignity and time of the people who would benefit from the grant
  • Proposals must have a built in plan for sustainability
  • Proposals must mitigate undue stress on the people and the pets who would benefit from the grant
  • The community must have an existing attitude of valuing all pet owners, all pets, and community cats.

 

We will not consider applications for:

  • spay/neuter programs
  • pet food pantries that are not part of community food pantries
  • programs that require indiscreet disclosure of income for inclusion
  • Applicant must be a 501c3 organization or a local/state government agency
  • Applicant must be an established organization (no start-ups)
  • Applicant must be financially self-sustaining as reported on most recent Form 990
  • Applicant must have established programs that deliver assistance to pets and their humans, free of breed restrictions
Woman getting a high five from her pitbull puppy

2021 Grantees

Karma Rescue

Our grant to Karma Rescue supports Project Coco, an outreach program that offers support to dog owners. Volunteers for this program bring food, help reinforce fences, build shelters, and educate owners who need help in hard times. The project also helps pay for veterinary expenses—with the goal of keeping dogs out of shelters and in their homes.

My Pit Bull Is Family

My Pit Bull Is Family focuses on ending breed restrictive policies in housing and helping dog owners find accessible housing. The organization manages the nation’s largest database of dog inclusive rentals along with a robust community partner database, which tracks services for families and pets in need.

They also run the North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center, where a team of volunteer advocates assist pet owners with supplies and resources.

Removing breed labels grant

The goal of this grant is to end the unintended consequences that result from arbitrarily breed labeling dogs in animal shelters.

Animal shelters eligible for consideration are those that have recently made the decision to remove breed labels from their kennel cards, software databases, and in social media posts.

In addition to a $1000 monetary grant, we provide virtual training to help shelter staff break the breed label habit. Also available at no cost will be high quality shelter signage to explain to adopters why dogs are not labeled by breed.

To submit a letter of inquiry, please email Melanie at mappleton@animalfarmfoundation.org

Despite the scientific evidence showing the inaccuracy of visual breed identification in dogs of unknown origin (most dogs in shelters), shelters are still applying arbitrary and useless breed labels to the dogs in their care. Many third parties then rely on these arbitrary breed labels assigned at the shelter, from the adopter’s veterinarian, to the dog groomer, to the landlord, to the insurance broker drawing up homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policies.

  • Equal access for all dog breeds: No breed specific policies, preferences, or restrictions
  • Breed Labeling: Recently removed breed labels from kennel cards, software databases, and in social media posts
  • Language: No longer using breed labels or breed stereotyping to communicate about dogs, but rather communicate the individual dog’s personality, quirks, sociability with other dogs and people
  • Staff Education: Animal shelter staff has been educated to stop using breed labels as a means to describe meaningful information about a dog and instead has learned that most labels are based on guesswork
  • Applicant must be a 501c3 organization or a local/state government agency
  • Applicant must be an established organization (no start-ups)
  • Applicant must be financially self-sustaining as reported on most recent Form 990
  • Applicant must have established programs that deliver assistance to pets and their humans, free of breed restrictions

Help us fund more community organizations

With your donation, we can continue to support local organizations that work to keep people and dogs together in their communities.

100 percent of your donation will go directly to our mission.