ASPCA Grant Application Process

Learn about the application process and requirements for our grants program. Our application process is designed to save applicants the time of submitting a full proposal if our grant officers are able to establish up front that a request is ineligible for funding.

See a visual overview of how to apply for ASPCA grants. 

Step 1: Review the ASPCA Grant Guidelines

The ASPCA establishes specific funding priorities and restrictions on the kinds of work we will support and adheres firmly to those guidelines. 

Review the guidelines to ensure that your organization and the work you want us to fund are in line with our guidelines.

Step 2: Review Our Two-Stage Application Process

The ASPCA uses an online application process that has two major stages:

• Stage 1: Submitting a Letter of Inquiry for a specific grant type
  

  A Letter of Inquiry is a brief online form that asks for basic information about your project and your funding need. A Letter of Inquiry is not a grant application.

• Stage 2: Submitting a full application with required documentation
  

  You complete a full application only when the ASPCA grant officers have invited you to submit an application based on your Letter of Inquiry.

Step 3: Submit a Letter of Inquiry

Each grant type, such as sheltering and spay/neuter, equine, and emergency/disaster, has its own Letter of Inquiry. In addition to our general guidelines, each grant type has specific funding priorities, requirements, and restrictions that are listed on the Letter of Inquiry page. 

You will need your Federal Tax ID (Employer Identification Number) to complete the online Letter of Inquiry. The ASPCA does not accept Letters of Inquiry submitted via hard copy, fax, or email.

ASPCA grant officers review your Letter of Inquiry to determine whether the request meets our guidelines and there is funding available. We will reply with either a declination or an invitation to formally apply for a grant, which is also completed online. Because the ASPCA receives far more proposals than it can possibly support, some requests are declined. We make every effort to promptly notify you of our decision.

The ASPCA staff accepts and reviews grant requests on an ongoing basis. Unless otherwise stated, there are no particular deadlines to meet; however, fourth quarter requests will be at a competitive disadvantage due to budgetary restrictions, so we encourage earlier submissions when possible. Exceptions are made for genuine disasters and emergencies and responses to animal cruelty.

Unless otherwise stated, organizations that have previously been awarded grants may apply for additional grants, contingent upon the successful, timely completion of active grant requirements. Active grant requirements and their deadlines may be viewed by logging into your account.

Step 4: If Invited, Submit a Full Application

If you receive an invitation to formally apply for an ASPCA grant, the invitation remains open until the application is completed; however, we recommend submitting the application as soon as possible after receipt of an invitation and that you provide all required documentation listed below. Be sure to review our expectations for your application.

Grant decisions are made by regional managers and program executives. Proposals funded in one year are not always assured of future funding and will generally not be considered for more than one grant per 12-month cycle.

You may access your grant inquiries, applications, and requirements on the My Accounts page of the grants application site. Please bookmark this site for future reference.

Required Documentation

You need to submit the following documentation with your formal application:

• Professional references
• Photographic or other evidence of property and/or animals to be served by a grant award
• Two most recent audited financial statements, if available
• Current  and previous year balance sheets
• Current cash flow report
• Current and previous year organizational budgets
• Vendor quotes and/or other price documentation
• Project budget and timeline
  

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

How Long Does it Take?

The entire grant-making process – from your submission of a Letter of Inquiry to receipt of the grant award – in some cases takes up to three months.  Please take this into account when applying for funding for time-sensitive projects. Only qualified disaster and emergency requests are given preference.