Funding Amount

Up to US $10,000

Deadline

Deadline not published

Grant Type

Foundation

Deadline history & next window

Cycle
Twice a year
Tracked since
April 2026

From the program guidelines: “Applications are accepted twice a year, with deadlines approaching soon.”

Can we apply?

Check your organization against each line. Taken from the listing; confirm with the funder's guidelines.

Required status

  • 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status

Other requirements

  • Up to $10,000 may be requested for any activities that support readying companion pets for adoption with a preferred focus on activities supporting the mental and physical well-being of animals including but not limited to enrichment, increased time of out kennel and reducing length of time in the…
  • Your shelter or rescue needs to adopt out at least 500 pets per year.
  • Eligible expenses include:Veterinary services, supplies, medications or treatment including preventive, wellness, urgent care and spay/neuter, behavior training, shelter pet food or supplies, transport program costs, shelter dog field trips/outings, access to play yards/groups, activities geared…

Not eligible / not funded

  • Not eligible: This grant is unable to support veterinary costs at private practice, care for feral animals, animal sanctuaries, trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs, working animals, livestock, equine, therapy animals, or wildlife.
  • Not eligible: No funds may be used for overhead costs, equipment, or marketing.

Overview

VCA Charities offers the Ready for Rescue Grants to support animal welfare organizations in preparing pets for adoption. With a maximum award of $10,000, this program focuses on enhancing the mental and physical well-being of companion animals through various activities, including enrichment and training. Eligible organizations must be registered nonprofits dedicated to animal welfare, adopting out at least 500 pets annually. Applications are accepted twice a year, with deadlines approaching soon.

VCA Charities, the charitable arm of VCA Animal Hospital, supports the joy of pet ownership by helping pets find and remain in loving homes.
Through grants and partnerships with shelters and animal welfare organizations, we help remove barriers to pet ownership and help keep pets in loving homes by funding emergency and specialty veterinary care; supporting adoption readiness and surrender prevention programs; enabling the care and feeding of pets belonging to underserved families; and, responding to our local communities in crisis.
Pet ownership brings joy to the entire family, which is why we help support adoptable pets in finding homes through Ready for Rescue Grants. Grants provide animal welfare organizations with financial support needed to ready pets for adoption, expand enrichment efforts, help remove potential barriers to pet ownership and celebrate the role that pets play in our lives.
Our maximum award is $10,000 and applications are currently accepted twice annually. Application closes at the end of this month and approved grants will be announced at the end of next month.

Eligibility

Organization must be a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit or tax-exempt government agency focused on animal welfare.Up to $10,000 may be requested for any activities that support readying companion pets for adoption with a preferred focus on activities supporting the mental and physical well-being of animals including but not limited to enrichment, increased time of out kennel and reducing length of time in the shelter.Your shelter or rescue needs to adopt out at least 500 pets per year.Eligible expenses include:Veterinary services, supplies, medications or treatment including preventive, wellness, urgent care and spay/neuter, behavior training, shelter pet food or supplies, transport program costs, shelter dog field trips/outings, access to play yards/groups, activities geared towards increased time out of kennel, new and improved in-kennel enrichment initiatives, activities designed to reduce length of stay in the shelter, among other adoption readiness programs.

Ineligibility

This grant is unable to support veterinary costs at private practice, care for feral animals, animal sanctuaries, trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs, working animals, livestock, equine, therapy animals, or wildlife. No funds may be used for overhead costs, equipment, or marketing.

Past recipients of this program

Recent awards under this program (from VCA Charities's IRS filings)

91 grants in VCA Charities's 2021–2024 filings reference “Ready for Rescue Grants” in their stated purpose. Amounts and places as reported by the funder.

What VCA Charities actually gave

Source: IRS Form 990, 2024

Grants in 2024
76
Total given
$1.47M
Median grant
$15K
Range
$5,143–$74K
  • By dollars: Texas 20%, California 7%, New Mexico 6%. Top recipient cities: Albuquerque, NM; Houston, TX; Baltimore, MD.
  • 0% of grants with a stated purpose were for general or operating support.
  • 67% of recipients were new grantees, not repeat recipients.

Example grants

  • Animal Humane Association of New Mexico · Albuquerque, NM

    Fighting hometown hunger

    $74K

  • Underdog Animal Rescue & Rehab · Moab, UT

    Fighting hometown hunger

    $59K

  • Gulf Coast Humane Soceity · Corpus Christi, TX

    Fighting hometown hunger; ready for rescue

    $52K

  • The Good Shepherd Humane Society Inc · Eureka Springs, AR

    Fighting hometown hunger

    $52K

  • Appalachia Pet Pantry · Whitesburg, KY

    Fighting hometown hunger

    $48K

IRS Form 990, 2024. Amounts as reported by the funder. Full 990 history →

Focus Areas & Funding Uses

Fields of Work

  • Animal rescue
  • Nonprofits

Categories

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