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 organizations, who will then provide free spay and neuter services. There are two competitive grant opportunities offered annually, one for pet dogs and cats of low income Marylanders, and one for unowned/feral cats. The grant window typically opens in early January and closes in early April, and eligible organizations and agencies are encouraged to apply. More information regarding the grant opportunities can be found here. The program 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:
The FY26 Grant Application Window is Now Closed
The FY26 grant application window opened on Friday, January 10, 2025 at 12:00pm, and closed on Friday, April 11, 2025 at 5:01pm. A Request for Prosposals for the FY27 cycle will be posted on this page in late December 2025, and the grant window will open in January 2026. Information such as guidelines, instructions, and forms for the FY26 grant cycle are still available here, to provide general guidance if you would like to apply in FY27. The Program received 40 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.
Request for Proposals: The FY26 Grant Cycle will launch on Friday, January 10, 2025 at 12:00PM
Please visit the
Grant Applications webpage for more information about the application process. The FY26 applications, associated forms, and instructions will be posted on that page on Friday, January 10, 2025. Please note that there have been some changes to the grant application and instructions for this cycle, so if you have applied in the past, please read the documentation carefully.
Find the Request for Proposals here.
December 6, 2024: Congratulations to the 36 projects selected as recipients in the FY25 grant cycle!
On April 5, 2024, the FY25 grant application period closed after receiving 38 applications. After careful review, the Spay and Neuter Advisory Board met on August 23, 2024, and selected 36 of those projects to be fully or partially funded. These projects will receive a total of $959,216.00 in funding to complete 14,379 spay and neuter surgeries for pets of low-income Marylanders, and free-roaming unowned cats. Some projects began on October 1, 2024, while others will begin January 1, 2025, and will conclude when grant funding is exhausted, or April 1, 2026. Recipients include government animal shelters and 501(c)3 nonprofit animal welfare organizations. View a full list of grant awardees
here, and see a list of active Owned Pet projects
here, and active Feral Cat projects
here. The program is funded through fees paid by the pet food industry for each product they register to sell within the state. To date, the program has funded 317 grant projects that collectively have completed over 119,565 spay and neuter procedures; and has awarded $8,826,173 in grant funds.
November 18, 2024: Spay and Neuter Grants Program Advisory Board Work Session
The Spay and Neuter Grants Program Advisory Board (SNAB) will meet virtually on Tuesday, November 26, 2024 from 1:00pm until 2:00pm, 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.
October 18, 2024: Spay and Neuter Grants Program Advisory Board Work Session
The Spay and Neuter Grants Program Advisory Board (SNAB) will meet virtually on Tuesday, 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. Center_Content
