Pedigree Foundation honors 15th birthday with 2023 grant cycle announcement

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Pedigree Foundation has opened its annual grant cycle, which will offer US shelters and rescue organizations with $1 million in funding to support foster, transport, and behavior programs nationwide. This initiative will help address the approximately 1.3 million street or stray dogs in the US¹ and is in line with the organization’s goal to end pet homelessness and help dogs find their forever homes.

"There's no better way to kick-off our 15th birthday celebrations than by announcing the continuation of our annual grant program, which supports shelters and rescues," said Deb Fair, executive director of Pedigree Foundation, in an organizational release.¹ "Whether it's fostering support to help relieve overcrowded shelters, training and behavior initiatives to help dogs get adopted or transport programs to increase their chance of adoption, our grants are designed around one central purpose—to end pet homelessness."

For its 2023 annual grants, Pedigree Foundation is centering in on several program categories, which are helping to boost adoption rates throughout the animal welfare community¹:

• Foster programs that move dogs temporarily into loving homes while they await adoption, with foster parents to care and advocate for them.
• Behavior programs that help with socialization, training, and stress relief, so dogs can move beyond behaviors that might hinder their adoption into loving, forever families.
• Transport programs that support organizations in moving dogs from areas of overpopulation to areas where they're more likely to be adopted.

The 2023 grants program includes 2 types of grants which shelters and rescues can apply for.

Annual grants – awarded in the fall

• Dogs Rule Grants ($100,000) – These 2-year grants ($50,000 per year) will be awarded to fund new, creative, and innovative initiatives that not only help their own organizations, but also could serve as best-practice models for other shelters and rescues to help increase dog adoption rates.
• Program Development Grants ($10,000 – $15,000) – These grants will support activities that expand the operational capability of shelters or rescues to improve dog adoption rates. This includes the expansion of existing programs or new programs.

Disaster relief grants

These grants are available year-round to address natural disasters, puppy mill seizures or hoarding situations. They can be applied for all year long.

Organizations interested in applying for a 2023 grant can join a webinar tomorrow, March 3, 2023, at 1:00 PM CST. Pedigree Foundation representatives will explain the grant cycle and offer tips on writing a successful submission. Register for the webinar here. The recording can be accessed at a later date by registrants as well.

This year's applications are open beginning today through Friday, April 7, 2023. All applicants must have a current 501(c)(3) tax designation status with shelters or rescues operating in the US to apply. The applications can be submitted here: https://www.pedigreefoundation.org/shelters-grant.

References

1. State of Pet Homelessness Index. Mars Petcare. November 2021. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://endpethomelessness.com/the-index
2. Pedigree Foundation celebrates 15th birthday with announcement of 2023 grant cycle. News release. Pedigree Foundation. March 2, 2023. Accessed March 2, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pedigree-foundation-celebrates-15th-birthday-with-announcement-of-2023-grant-cycle-301760672.html