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 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 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.
As of March 31, 2023:
Shelter Intake Reduced 27%, Shelter Euthanasia Reduced 62%, and
106,819 Spay/Neuter Procedures Completed by Our Grantees |
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Upcoming Advisory Board Meetings:
The Spay and Neuter Advisory Board (SNAB) will hold its annual meeting on Friday, August 11, 2023 from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at MDA Headquarters, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21401. Agenda items include general Board business. For more information please contact the Spay and Neuter Grants Program Coordinator.
April 1, 2023: FY24 Spay and Neuter Grant Application Window is Now Closed
Grant applications are no longer being accepted for the FY24 grant cycle. We would like to thank the applicants who have submitted an application for this cycle. The Spay and Neuter Grants Program Coordinator has begun processing the grants and getting them ready for the Spay and Neuter Advisory Board review. Our FY25 grant cycle will open in early January 2024. Please see our
current year applications and instructions for guidance if you would like to apply for a grant in the future.
January 6, 2023: FY24 Spay and Neuter Grant Application Window Opens at 12:00pm
On January 6, 2023 at 12:00pm the grant application window will open
for animal welfare nonprofit organizations and government animal shelters to apply for funding. The window will close at 5:01pm on Friday, March 31, 2023. For information about our three grant opportunities, and application instructions, please
visit this page.
December 15, 2022: MDA Announces FY24 Spay and Neuter Grant Application Window!
On January 6, 2023 at 12:00pm, the FY24 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 see
this press release.
November 1, 2022: Congratulations to the 31 projects selected as recipients in the FY23 grant cycle!
On April 1, 2022, the FY23 grant application period closed after receiving 32 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 19, 2022 to discuss the applications, and selected 31 of those programs to be fully or partially funded. These 31 projects will target another 14,494 spay and neuter surgeries for pets of low income families, and community cat projects. Projects are set to start in October 2022 be active until the end of 2023. The total amount funded was $844,104.81. 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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