Spay and Neuter Grants Program

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Welcome to Maryland's Spay and Neuter Grants Program!​​
 

Established by Senate Bill 820 (SB820/HB767) in the Maryland General Assembly's 2013 legislative session, this program was designed to reduce the number ​of cats and dogs surrendered to and euthanized in shelters across Maryland, by providing grants to local governments and non-profit animal welfare organizatio​ns, who will then provide free spay and neuter services to pet dogs and cats of low income Marylanders, and for colonies of feral/community cats. There are three competitive grant opportunities offered annually, for owned pets, feral cats, and capital expenses. The grant window typically opens in early January and closes in late March/early April, and government and non-profit organizations across Maryland are encouraged to apply. More information regarding the grant opportunities can be found here. The pro​gram is not taxpayer-funded; it is financed in full by fees paid from pet food manufacturers, who sell their products in Maryland.​

This program does not provide funding directly to individuals. If you are a pet owner seeking services for your dog or cat, please click here to see a list of our active pet​ programs. If you are seeking programs for unowned/feral cats, please click here​ to see a list of programs for free roaming cats. ​  ​


ANNOUNCEMENTS:

October 15, 2024: Spay and Neuter Grants Program Advisory Board Work Session
The Spay and Neuter Grants Program Advisory Board (SNAB) will meet virtually on Monday, October 28, 2024 from 10:00am until 1:00pm, to review and discuss program materials and guidelines. This meeting is open to the public, but there will not be an opportunity for public comment or questions and answers. To obtain the link for this meeting, email the Program Coordinator, Jen Swanson, at jen.swanson@maryland.gov.

August 26, 2024: FY25 Spay and Neuter Grants Program Advisory Board Meeting
The Spay and Neuter Grants Program Advisory Board (SNAB) met on Friday, August 23, 2024. The SNAB's funding recommendations for the FY25 grant applications will now be reviewed by the Maryland Secretary of Agriculture. Once the recommendations are ​approved by the Secretary, all applicants will be contacted by the Program Coordinator​. The list of awardees will be posted subsequently. For more information about the grant processing timeline, please visit this page​.

August 2, 2024: FY25 Spay and Neuter Grants Program Advisory Board Meeting Announcement
The Advisory Board of the Maryland Department of Agriculture's Spay and Neuter Grants Program will meet on Friday, August 23, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Agenda items include FY25 grant application discussions and funding recommendations. For more information please contact the Program Coordinator, Jen Swanson, at 410-841-5766 or jen.swanson@maryland.gov​. 

April 5, 2024: FY25 Spay and Neuter Grant Applic​ations Now Closed
On April 5, 2024,  at 5:01pm, the FY25 Spay and Neuter Grant Application window closed for animal welfare nonprofit organizations and government animal shelters to apply for funding, in order to provide free spay and neuter services in their communities​. The Program received 38 applications in this cycle. The applications will now undergo a due diligence review by the Program Coordinator, who will forward the applications to the Spay and Neuter Advisory Board​ (SNAB) for review and scoring in May. The SNAB will meet in August for discussion, and to decide on final funding recommendations. Further information regarding the August meeting will be posted on the Spay and Neuter Grants program webpage as it becomes available. For more information regarding the grant processing timeline, please see this page.

January 5, 2024: FY25 Spay and Neuter Grant Application Window Opens Today
On January 5, 2024,​ at 12:00pm, the FY25 Spay and Neuter Grant Application window will open for animal welfare nonprofit organizations and government animal shelters to apply for funding, in order to provide free spay and neuter services in their communities​. To view the press release, please click here.

December 18, 2023: FY25 Spay and Neuter Grant Application Window Opens January 5, 2024
On January 5, 2024,​ at 12:00pm, the FY25 Spay and Neuter Grant Application window will open for animal welfare nonprofit organizations and government animal shelters to apply for funding, in order to provide free spay and neuter services in their communities​. For more information, please click here.

November 1, 2023: Congratulations to the 32 projects selected as recipients in the FY24 grant cycle!
On March 31, 2023,​ the FY24 grant application period closed after receiving 36 applications to provide spay and neuter services to dogs and cats across Maryland. After careful review, the Spay and Neuter Advisory Board met on August 11, 2023 to discuss the applications, and selected 32 of those programs to be fully or partially funded. These 32 projects will target another 14,590 spay and neuter surgeries for pets of low income families, and community cat projects. Projects are set to start in October 2023 be active until the end of 2024. The total amount funded was $902,958.00.​ For information about projects in your county, please click here for owned pet programs, and click here​ for community/feral cat programs.​
  




 
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Contact Information

Jen Swanson
Program Coordinator​
410-841-5766
jen.swanson@maryland.gov​

Mailing Address:
50 Harry S. Truman Parkway
Annapolis, MD 21401​​​