2025 ASPCA Research Grants

Timeframe: Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 9 a.m. ET. - Thursday, July 31, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET

About these Grants

ASPCA research grants fund high-quality research across a variety of disciplines and methods that has clear potential to benefit animals, either directly or through effecting systems-level change. Proposals to extend studies focused on other disciplines to include animal welfare will also be considered if they can be clearly demonstrated to have substantial potential benefit to animals.

Download the Essential Requirements Checklist (PDF) and budget template.

This year we are soliciting proposals in the following Six research areas

Access to Veterinary Care (AVC) Research: proposals that address AVC from any angle (e.g., medical, legal, impact, program delivery, community engagement, veterinary engagement). Ideally, the research will establish tools or guidelines to improve access to veterinary care. Download the full requirements (PDF).

Applied Behavior Research: proposals that inform the development, refinement, or validation of evidence-based shelter behavior protocols, or validation of applied shelter behavior research methodology. Proposed research must assess the impact of interventions for common behavior concerns in shelter populations that frequently lead to euthanasia, such as excessive arousal, or validate methodologies to reliably assess behavior and/or welfare in the shelter environment. Proposals that focus on general management protocols will not be funded. Download the full requirements (PDF).

Cruelty Research: proposals that address animal cruelty from any angle or relevant discipline (e.g., public policy, law, criminal justice, criminology, veterinary forensics, community engagement, prevention/intervention, human behavior change). Of particular interest is research that a) increases understanding of the perspectives of key stakeholder groups (e.g., law enforcement/animal control, veterinary professionals, animal shelters/rescues) or b) investigates the effectiveness of cruelty prevention/response efforts at the community or system level. Also of interest is research that heightens awareness of animal cruelty and builds knowledge that informs and engages key community stakeholders and allied professionals in preventing and responding to this animal welfare issue. Download the full requirements (PDF).

Note: A separate funding opportunity for cruelty research is available from the Animal Welfare Institute.

Farm Animal Welfare Research: proposals supporting a transition from modern, conventional broiler chicken breeds to alternative chicken breeds with higher welfare outcomes. Of particular interest is how alternative broiler genetics affect feed conversion, human nutrition, regenerative outcomes and farm economics, as well as how regional climate suitability, animal diets and consumer marketing impact the adoption of these breeds. Research may be conducted by farms or other businesses in addition to academic or research institutions. Final materials may include either grey literature (reports), data sets, or peer-reviewed journal articles. Download the full requirements (PDF).

Psychological Trauma Research: proposals related to developing and validating novel approaches to the objective documentation of animal cruelty and neglect in the absence of physical trauma (i.e., documenting psychological trauma). Proposals are encouraged from any relevant discipline (e.g., physiology, psychology, ethology). Of particular interest is research that focuses on objective measures, including biomarkers and quantitative behavioral phenotyping. Download the full requirements (PDF).

Shelter Research: Proposals related to the well-being and care of animals, including equines, in a shelter environment, as well as shelter programs related to prevention of shelter relinquishment. Scope includes topics reflected in the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters (2022), including shelter management and operations, population management, adoption and adoption promotion, medical health, public health, and shelter-based surgery. Note: proposals related to shelter behavior research should be submitted to the Applied Behavior Research category and those related to animal cruelty should be submitted to either Psychological Trauma Research or Cruelty Research as appropriate (see descriptions). Download the full requirements (PDF).

Attend an Informational Open House

June 25, 2025 at 2 PM ET

Can't make it? We'll share the recordings here following the info sessions.

Watch the recording: Open House, May 15, 2025 at 3 PM ET

Grant Fund Amounts

The total funding amount available for these opportunities is $460,000.

The maximum individual grant amounts for each research area are $20,000 (Psychological Trauma Research), $50,000 (Applied Behavior Research), $50,000 (Access to Veterinary Care Research and Cruelty Research), $50,000 (Farm Animal Welfare Research), and $50,000 (Shelter Research). Requests may be made for any amount within the maximum, and applications of any amount will be equally considered.

Eligible Applicants

Investigators and/or research teams affiliated with US public or private entities such as universities, colleges, government agencies, veterinary hospitals and clinics, animal welfare organizations, and other organizations. This opportunity is also available to Canadian registered public universities and qualified municipalities/public bodies that can demonstrate the applicability of the research to improve the welfare of animals in the U.S.

Applications from individuals will not be accepted.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ® (ASPCA®) was founded on the belief that animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment by humans. We invite all voices to join us in working together to improve the lives of animals in need.

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 4 members with a majority of independent members with neither board chair nor treasurer receiving compensation from the organization
Charitable registration must be current/active in the state of the Grantee’s primary location (for grants >=$25,000)

Projects with the primary aim of providing services or building infrastructure will not be considered.

Proposals focused on evaluating the effectiveness of a program or service must demonstrate methodological rigor and a clear plan to produce generalizable scientific knowledge.

Please see the Essential Requirements Checklist for the research area you are interested in to view eligibility information for specific projects.

If your organization is interested in research but does not currently have the capacity to conduct formal research on its own, we encourage you to email ASPCAresearch@aspca.org. We will gladly talk with you about ways to pursue your research ideas and may be able to offer networking and/or guidance.

Strong Proposals Should

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Significance and relevance – the proposed research directly informs and advances the research area; research questions are clearly stated and justified.
Approach – the study design is justified and appropriate to achieve the project goals (e.g., the study is adequately powered to answer the questions; is adequately controlled, the statistical analysis is appropriate; ethical issues are addressed including Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and/or Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent oversight board compliance where required; if owned animals will participate in the study, a plan is included for acquiring owner consent; the project timeline is logical, feasible, and includes a plan to address any anticipated risks or obstacles).
Potential impact – the research has clear potential to inform and advance animal welfare in the United States; the proposal includes a clear and appropriate plan for disseminating findings to relevant stakeholders/audiences, especially applied audiences.
Generalizability – the results can be used by many stakeholders in different settings or with different resources. Or, for smaller “seed” projects that explore the feasibility of an idea, the results can give rise to further research that is highly generalizable.
Credentials – the ability of the team to carry out the work.
Budget – the budget is reasonable and appropriately justified.

To promote dissemination of research findings, especially to applied audiences, the ASPCA strongly encourages open-access publishing of manuscripts arising from funded research. Applicants may include article processing charges in their budget proposals as an allowable expense. Separately, the ASPCA also offers an Open-Access Publishing Fund (OAPF) for completed research for which publication costs are the only need.

ASPCA as a Resource

A member of the ASPCA's research staff and/or subject matter experts affiliated with the ASPCA may be available to lend expertise to study design considerations as requested by grant recipients. ASPCA personnel will not participate in data collection, analysis, or manuscript writing, and the proposed budget and application must provide for the personnel and expertise to accomplish these tasks.

Grant Timeline

RFP will open on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at 9 a.m. ET.
RFP will close on Thursday, July 31, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Finalists will be notified via email in September.
Funding decisions are expected before Tuesday, September 30, 2025.

How to Apply

Applications open on May 15, 2025. Prepare your information in advance using the appropriate companion guides linked above.

⚠️ Applications must be completed in a single sitting and cannot be revised after submitting.

Apply Now

Recently Awarded Grants

The following is a list of recent awards under our ASPCA Research Grant programs. It is not intended to be prescriptive; rather, it offers prospective applicants an idea of the types of research we have funded under this solicitation.

Access to Veterinary Care Research

Open Door Veterinary Collective, “Increasing Access to Veterinary Care (AVC) Through Best Practice Guidelines for Veterinary Social Work”, 2023
Steinbach Consulting and Research LLC, “Market Access and Competition in the U.S. Veterinary Service Industry”, 2023
Toronto Humane Society, “A Retrospective Study Comparing Safety and Efficacy of 2-Dose and 3-Dose Melarsomine Protocols in a Shelter Setting", 2023
Tufts University, “Validation and Optimization of a Novel Method to Detect Glucosuria from Urine Voided on Clumping Clay Litter", 2023
University of Tennessee, “Standardized Community Needs Assessments that Include Non-Human Family Members”, 2022
The Ohio State University, “Decision Making in the Provision of Accessible Veterinary Care”, 2022
Mission Animal Hospital, “Spectrum of Care: Quantitative and Qualitative Impact Research”, 2022
Tufts University, “Perineal Urethrostomy as a First-Line Treatment Option in Cats Presenting to the Emergency Room for Urethral Obstruction”, 2022
University of California, Davis, “Incorporating Video Telemedicine for Improved At-Home Management of Chronic Health Conditions in Cats: A Focus on Degenerative Joint Disease”, 2022
Oregon State University, “The Reality of Financial Constraints for Feline Male Lower Urinary Tract Obstructions: Do Complication Rates Outweigh a More Affordable, Outpatient Treatment”, 2021
University of Wisconsin, “Fecal Microbial Transplant (FMT) for ParvOvirus in the OutPatient setting (FMT-POOP): A Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate a Practical and Low-Cost Intervention”, 2021
The Ohio State University, “Evaluating Cost Effectiveness and Outcome of Low-Cost Patient Care and Patient Selection”, 2021
Iowa State University, “Evidence Based Incremental Care Approach to Managing Acute Canine Vomiting”, 2020
University of California, Davis, “Examining the Efficacy of Video Telemedicine for Providing Virtual Health and Behavior Care for Cats”, 2020
Tufts University, “Prevention of GDV by HQHV Veterinarians: A New Opportunity”, 2020
Western University of Health Sciences, “A Randomized Clinical Trial to Evaluate a Low-Cost Treatment for Cranial Cruciate Ligament Disease”, 2020
Emancipet, “Evidence-Based, Low-Cost Treatment for Common Canine Skin Conditions”, 2020
Cornell University, “A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Resource Efficient Intervention Protocol for Management of Traumatic Wounds in Dogs”, 2020
University of Pennsylvania, “Establishing a Penn Vet Collaboration for Studies in Accessible High Quality Clinical Medicine with a Research Project Examining Metronidazole Treatment in Dogs with Diarrhea”, 2019
Idaho Humane Society: Clinical trial of Paraosseous Clamp-Cerclage Stabilization (PCCS) Technique as an Inexpensive Osteosynthesis System, 2024
Kansas State University: Amplifying the Voices of the Unhoused: Exploring Barriers and Trust in Veterinary Care with Photovoice, 2024
Purdue University: Studying the treatment of sporadic bacterial cystitis in spayed, female dogs with Clavamox, 2024
Regents of the University of California, UC Davis: The validation of companion cat health measurements during virtual veterinary appointments, 2024

Applied Behavior Research

Michigan State University, “Early Identification and Treatment of Shelter Dogs Exhibiting Maladaptive Coping”, 2022
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, “The Importance of Choice of Food Enrichment on the Wellbeing of Shelter Cats”, 2022
Arizona State University, “Reducing Kennel Reactivity in Shelter Housed Dogs”, 2021
Colorado State University: Identification of biomarkers of chronic stress using a military working dog model, 2024
Regents of the University of California, UC Davis: The impact of pair housing on the behavior of bonded and non-bonded adult shelter cats, 2024
Texas Tech University: Assessing the impacts of enrichment and pharmaceutical interventions on mitigating excessive arousal in shelter dogs, 2024
Auburn University: Examining the Effects of Chew Toys on Kennel and Cognitive Welfare in Working Dogs, 2021

Cruelty Research

Houston Humane Society, “Tracking Animal Cruelty Trends to Empower Solutions That Safeguard Our Community Members Against Human and Animal Crime”, 2023
Virginia Commonwealth University, “Developing New Time-Since-Deposition Signatures for Prosecuting Crimes Involving Animal Fighting”, 2023
Thomas Jefferson University, “Professional Responses to Animal Abuse in Childhood: A Mixed-Methods Exploration”, 2022
University of Denver, “Encounters with Animal Maltreatment in Professional Settings: The Experiences of Human Services and Public Service Personnel”, 2022
New York University, “A Preliminary Investigation of Animal Cruelty Reported During the Assessment of Family Maltreatment Incidents”, 2021
University of Denver, “Understanding Animal Control and Humane Law Enforcement Officers’ Perspectives on Community Engagement”, 2021
Colorado State University: Ascertaining the barriers to effectively addressing animal cruelty and neglect: applying lessons learned from Colorado throughout the US, 2024
Marymount University: Evaluation of the Virginia State Police Training program for animal service officers on reporting animal cruelty to the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS), 2024

Farm Animal Welfare Research

Innovate Animal Ag: In-Ovo Sexing Market Research as a Tool to Influence Industry and Consumers, 2024
Purdue University: How the age of pullet introduction to pasture influences lifetime behavior and performance, 2024

Psychological Trauma Research

University of Nebraska at Omaha: Studying the long-term psychological trauma in pets with broken bond, 2025

Questions

For project-related inquiries about Applied Behavior or Psychological Trauma, please contact bst.research@aspca.org
For project-related inquiries about Access to Veterinary Care or Cruelty Research, please contact ASPCAresearch@aspca.org
For project-related inquiries about Farm Animal Welfare Research, please contact suzanne.mcmillan@aspca.org
For project-related inquiries about Shelter Research, please contact sheltermedicine@aspca.org. If the project has an equine sheltering focus, please contact christie.kappert@aspca.org
For application submission inquiries/technical difficulties, please contact grants@aspca.org