2025 ASPCA The Rescue Effect Campaign Grants

Thank you for your interest in this grant program. Due to very high demand, we are no longer accepting applications.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®) is offering $2 million in grants, of which $1.8 million is available through an application process, to support adoption and operations at animal welfare organizations during the 2025 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* 2025, during which grantees must offer a minimum of two (2) fee-waived adoption days each month. 

Grant amounts will be determined based on the applicant’s 2024 aggregate intake number of dogs and cats and the number of fee-waived days they will be required to hold.

Grant Amount* - New! Lower Intake Eligibility.

• Tier 1  | Intake 100-749 | $3,300- $5,000
• Tier 2 | Intake 750 – 1499 |  $6,700-$10,000
• Tier 3 | Intake 1500 – 3499 |  $13,300-$20,000
• Tier 4 | Intake 3500+ |  $20,000-$30,000

*Participation in other ASPCA funding programs during the month of October may impact the grant term and number of fee-waived adoption days required by grantees as well as the amount of funding they receive. 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 $1.8 million. 

Eligibility

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

Applicants’ 2024 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 4 members for organizations with intake of 750 or more and at least 3 members for organizations with less. A majority of board members must be independent 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)

Restrictions and Parameters

Grant funds may be used for any of the following:

• make-ready costs for cats/dogs available for adoption during 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
• 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 July 1 through October 31, 2025. For organizations receiving other funding through the ASPCA to support adoption in October 2025, the grant term will run from July 1 through September 30, 2025. 

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 2025
• number of active foster homes at the end of the grant term
• average length of stay for cats and for dogs at the end of the grant term

Complete Timeline

• RFP will open on Monday, 4/7/2025, at 9 a.m. ET
• Finalists will be notified via email on or around 7/1/2025

Eligible applicants will be selected on a first-come, first-served regional basis and the number of individual grants awarded will be between 115 and 135, to the extent that the applicant pool allows. 

For all inquiries, please contact us.