Zoetis Foundation grants aim to advance opportunities for veterinarians and livestock farmers

Photo: Arrowsmith2/Adobe Stock

The Zoetis Foundation will distribute $2.6 million in grants in support of 6 initiatives for livestock farmers and veterinary professionals. These funds are included in the second round of 2023 grants announced by the foundation.

Grantees that will help provide greater access to education and mental wellness resources, provide veterinary education debt relief funding, support diversity and inclusion efforts, and help enable thriving livelihoods by funding programs that support veterinary practices and farmers adopting sustainable and resilient business practices were selected by the foundation, according to an organizational release. The foundation also is expanding its support of veterinary mental health and wellness to Australia and the United Kingdom.

“From increasing educational access for the next generation of veterinary professionals and supporting well-being of current veterinarians to championing sustainable livestock farming, it’s critical that we support those who care for the animals we depend on,” said Jeannette Ferran Astorga, president of the Zoetis Foundation and executive vice president, corporate affairs, communications and sustainability at Zoetis, in the release “We are pleased to continue building upon the success of the foundation’s grantmaking thus far and expanding our funding to include new organizations, underscoring our commitment to advance opportunities for veterinarians and livestock farmers.”

The new grant recipients and expansion of programmatic work include the following:

Education

• American Association of Swine Veterinarians Foundation (AASVF): The AASVF/Zoetis Foundation Educational Debt Relief Grant program seeks to help offset veterinary student debt to expand access to veterinary education and to help ensure a diverse pool of veterinarians interested in swine veterinary medicine can pursue their career goals. The program will award 10 recipients with $7500 each.
• American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Dr. Catherine A. Knupp Scholarship: in its second year of grant funding, this scholarship aims to encourage more students to pursue research in veterinary science and is named in honor of Dr. Catherine A Knupp, who retired as Zoetis’ president of research and development in 2021. Commemorating her many contributions to scientific innovation as a veterinary scientist and leader in human and animal health research and development, the scholarship will award 2 recipients with $25,000 each.
• American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Veterinary Student Scholarship Program: in its third year of grant funding, the scholarship program will provide financial support to veterinary students, addressing the issue of student debt and the need to foster diversity in the veterinary profession. From 2021 to 2023, the foundation has approved $4.4 million in funding for this program in support of more than 840 scholarships.

Well-being

• Australian Veterinary Association: This grant will help AVA launch the “Cultivating Safe Teams” program, delivering free psycho-social safety and mental health awareness training sessions to 50 veterinary workplaces in Australia. The program aims to empower veterinary teams, increase staff productivity, reduce absenteeism, and improve retention as well as individual well-being and satisfaction.
• Vetlife: this grant will provide increased mental health counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy support for the veterinary community, expand volunteer helpline training, and improve online resources for those seeking guidance for mental health and related issues.

Livelihoods

• The Nature Conservancy: this grant supports farmers’ adoption of regenerative agriculture practices in the Cerrado region of Brazil through technical assistance models. These technical skills will maximize farmer livelihoods and production, while also minimizing environmental impact, advancing the sustainability of their farms.

Additionally, the Zoetis Foundation provided a second year of funding to Zoetis Colleague Resource Group (CRG) Philanthropy Grants Program, in alignment with the Foundation’s goal to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion across its focus areas. The CRG Philanthropy Grants Program invites Zoetis’ CRGs to propose grantee suggestions to the Zoetis Foundation for possible funding. This year’s program will benefit the Pets for the Elderly Foundation, the Asian Mental Health Collective, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, the Special Olympics, El Futuro, Inc., True Colors United, the Malala Fund and the National 4-H Council.

The Zoetis Foundation was launched in 2021 to support communities and the people who care for animals. From 2021 to 2022, the foundation distributed $6.6 million to advance opportunities for veterinary professionals and farmers, support the matching gifts program, and provide relief to those impacted by the war in the Ukraine. So far in 2023, the foundation has approved approximately $8.1 million to advance farmer and veterinarian education, well-being and livelihoods, to support the matching gifts program, and to provide critical support to the communities impacted by the earthquake in Turkey. The Zoetis Foundation is committed to its goal of $35 million in grants distributed by the end of 2025 to support the Foundation’s grantmaking priorities, with over one third of grant funding awarded thus far.

Reference

Zoetis Foundation announces $2.6 million in grants to advance opportunities for veterinarians and livestock farmers. News release. Zoetis Inc. September 7, 2023. Accessed September 8, 2023. https://investor.zoetis.com/news/news-details/2023/Zoetis-Foundation-Announces-2.6-Million-in-Grants-to-Advance-Opportunities-for-Veterinarians-and-Livestock-Farmers/default.aspx