2026 ASPCA The Rescue Effect Campaign Grants

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®) is offering up to $2 million in grants to support adoption at shelters and rescues during the 2026 “The Rescue Effect”, a nationwide campaign that highlights the positive chain of events that occurs when people adopt, foster, volunteer, advocate and donate.

The Rescue Effect will run through the months of August, September, and October* 2026, during which grantees must offer a minimum of two (2) fee-waived adoption days/events each month. 

Grant Amount

All grants will be $10,000.

*Participation in other ASPCA funding programs during the month of October may impact the grant term and number of fee-waived adoption events required by grantees. The ASPCA Grants Team will be in touch with applicants who may be impacted by overlapping opportunities. 

The total funding available for this grant opportunity is $2 million. 

Eligibility

Applicants must be a U.S. non-profit or municipal organization with dogs and/or cats available for adoption within the United States.

Applicants’ 2025 aggregate intake number of dogs and cats must be at least 100. 

Applicants must meet ASPCA Grantee Organizational Standards:

• If a past ASPCA grant recipient, must be current on all reporting requirements
• If a nonprofit organization
  • Must be an incorporated or organized legal entity in good standing with the Secretary of State in the state where the organization is incorporated or organized
• Must have a board of at least 3 members with a majority of independent members with neither board chair nor treasurer receiving compensation from the organization

For more information about eligibility and the application process, please download the companion document .

Restrictions and Parameters

Grant funds may be used for any of the following:

• make-ready costs for cats/dogs available for adoption during the Campaign months covered by the grant term (e.g., s/n surgery, microchips, vaccinations, testing, dewormer, flea-tick treatment, heartworm preventative, bloodwork)
• marketing/advertising costs (e.g., adoption promotions, volunteer/foster recruitment)
• waived adoption fees for adoptions occurring during the Campaign months covered by the grant term
• foster program expansion/ramp up
• operating costs related to supporting participation in The Rescue Effect campaign

The grant term for most organizations will run from May 1 through October 31, 2026. For organizations receiving other funding through the ASPCA to support adoption in October 2026, the grant term will run from May 1 through September 30, 2026. Only one application per agency/organization will be accepted.

As part of their final reporting, grantees will need to submit:

• number of cat and dog adoptions (by month) for August, September, and October 2026

Complete Timeline

• RFP will open on Monday, March 23, 2026, at 9 a.m. ET.
• RFP will close on Friday, April 3, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.
• Selected eligible applicants will be notified via email on or around April 15, 2026

Two hundred (200) eligible applicants will be selected randomly on a regional basis. If selected, eligible applicants cannot be reached within 2 weeks of notification, the ASPCA will randomly select another eligible applicant to receive funding

How to Apply

Please submit an application by completing this form. We recommend you prepare in advance the information listed in the companion guide to allow you to complete the form in one session.

Please be sure all requested information is included in your responses. Applications cannot be revised after submission. 

For all inquiries, please contact us.