Purpose
The Animal Welfare Fund supports organizations dedicated to advancing animal welfare in Maine.

Criteria and Priorities
All applicants must meet the Maine Community Foundation’s grant eligibility requirements. Please read our eligibility and grant guidelines before submitting an application.

Criteria
To receive a grant, an organization must:

Advance animal welfare for small companion animals, primarily cats and dogs.
Priorities
Priorities are defined by funding type; please see below.

Types of Funding
Three-year general support grants to animal shelters focused on cats and dogs that do all of the following:
Help low-income people and their pets stay together to prevent surrender/abandonment, especially at times of hardship, e.g., domestic abuse, homelessness, serious illness, etc.
Support population control activities for cats and dogs
Educate pet owners and community members about the care and humane treatment of animals.
Please note: Maximum award amount for all organizations regardless of size is $15,000 per year. The first cohort was awarded grants in 2022. The second and third years of funding will be contingent on progress reports. No new applications will be accepted for general support until 2025. We will consider one-year project proposals from organizations that did not receive general support grants in 2022.

One-year project grants to animal welfare organizations for one or more of the following:
Programs that help low-income people and their pets stay together to prevent surrender/abandonment, especially at times of hardship
Population control activities for cats and dogs
Education of pet owners and/or community members about the care and humane treatment of animals
Statewide coordination among shelters
Coordination with human services agencies to make interventions that support animals in crisis situations.