Grant Applications

The Spay and Neuter Grants Program was established in 2014, to reduce intake and euthanasia rates in Maryland's animal shelters. We hope to accomplish this by providing competitive grants to local governments and non-profit animal welfare organizations who will then provide free spay and neuter services through an in-house clinic, by partnering with area veterinarians and clinics, or a combination of the two. There are two grant opportunities: one for spay/neuter for pets of low-income Marylanders; and one for spay/neuter of free-roaming, unowned community cats. This is a supplemental grant opportunity and not intended to be the sole or primary source of funding for an organization. This Program does not provide funding for spay/neuter of shelter/rescue animals prior to placement.

The Spay and Neuter Grants Program is fully funded by the Pet Food Industry, and we are grateful for their support over the years.

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 projects. If you are seeking services for unowned/feral cats, please click here to see a list of projects for free roaming cats.

The FY27 application cycle will open on Friday, January 16, 2026 at 12:00pm; and will close on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 5:01pm.

Grant Processing Timeline:

January-April: Each year, the window to submit an application is open from early January to early April.
April-May: The Program Coordinator completes the due diligence process on the submitted applications, and in mid-May, sends them to the Spay and Neuter Advisory Board (SNAB) for review.
May-July: The SNAB reviews and scores the applications.
August: The SNAB meets to discuss the applications and determine their funding recommendations to send to the Maryland Secretary of Agriculture. Applications may be approved in full or in part, or they may be rejected.
August-September: The SNAB's funding recommendations are provided to the Maryland Secretary of Agriculture for review shortly after the SNAB meeting. Once approved, the Program Coordinator contacts the applicants to notify them of the SNAB's recommendations, and/or to inquire whether the project will still be feasible with the recommended changes. If so, the process moves forward to the next step of creating the Grant Contract (typically this occurs in mid to late September). If not, the application is canceled.
September-October: Grant Contract is signed by the applicant.
December: First allocations usually arrive to the grantee in mid to late December. The first allocation will be comprised of 50% of the surgery funding amount, and 100% of the rabies vaccine and other funding amounts (if applicable). The second allocation will be released once a grantee has reached 35% of their budget spent (determined via the required quarterly reporting), and it will consist of the remaining 50% of the surgery funding.

HOW TO APPLY

The Guidelines, Instructions, Applications, and Forms for the FY27 grant cycle will be posted below this section, in January 2026. A Request for Prosposals will be posted on this page in late December 2025. You may refer to the previous grant cycle's instructions and forms below as guidance.

Before you apply, it is vitally important that you carefully read and understand the Guidelines and Instructions that are linked below. Failure to follow the guidelines and instructions may result in your application being removed from consideration.

Please be sure that your project meets the Program requirements, that your organization is eligible to apply, and that you fully understand the questions, and have the documentation, budgets, and statistics that will be required. If you're not sure which grant opportunity is right for you, read through the following sections and the Guidelines and Instructions for both of the grant opportunities. If you're still not sure whether your project or organization qualifies, please contact the Program Coordinator.

Organizations may apply for one or both of these opportunities in a grant cycle, but only one of each type. The Pet Focused Grant opportunity is for for pet dogs and/or cats of low-income Marylanders only; the Feral Cat Focused Grant opportunity is for unowned, free-roaming cats only. Owned pets may not receive services under a Feral Cat grant, and vice-versa. Animals that are in the care and/or custody of a rescue or shelter are not eligible for grant-funded services. Funding is to be used for pets that are already owned by low-income Marylanders, or for unowned free-roaming cats in Maryland.

Applying organizations and veterinary clinics do not need to be based in Maryland, but all animals/owners receiving services must reside in Maryland.

Once you have all your data and materials together, and are ready to apply, please be sure you are referring to the Guidelines and Instructions as you complete the application, as this detailed information is NOT contained within the application.

Refer to the Grant Processing Timeline above so you know what to expect, and when.

If you have any questions regarding any of the topics above, or the applications, please contact the Program Coordinator BEFORE YOU APPLY. Once an application is submitted, no changes may be made, resubmissions are not allowed, and the Program Coordinator cannot provide any information regarding your application's status other than it being under review.

If your project is approved for funding, you will be required to submit Quarterly Grant Progress Reports, and a Final Report. For more information about the required reporting, visit this page. Please note that late and inaccurate reporting may affect future grant awards. Shelters that are not already required to provide Quarterly Shelter Statistics Reports may be required to do so for five years following a grant award.

Application Guidelines and Instructions for FY26:

Applications:

The FY27 application cycle will open on Friday, January 16, 2026 at 12:00pm; and will close on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 5:01pm.

Forms/Documentation Required for Applications/Projects:

FY26 Price Assurance Form (All Projects)
FY26 Permission to Enter Property Form (Feral Cat Projects)
Pet Estimation Tool (Pet Projects)

How to Obtain Required Shelter Statistics for Applications:
Request animal shelter statistics from your target area shelter(s): Maryland Animal Control Facilities
AND/OR
Prior years of annual shelter statistics can be found by clicking here (scroll to bottom category "Survey Reports"). Annual data is published on this page typically in mid-February for the preceding year. You may also contact the Program Coordinator directly.

Information and Links to Other Required Documentation:

All Applicants: IRS Form W-9 (links to IRS webpage with downloadable, fillable form).

Your W-9 must be signed, and dated within six months of your application date.

All Applicants: SDAT Good Standing (links to MD State Department of Assessments & Taxation Business Express webpage). Please confirm your organization is in good standing with the State of Maryland before submitting your application. Do NOT check the box indicating you are in Good Standing without checking first! Indicating that you are in Good Standing when you are not may be a basis for disqualification.

WHAT IS "SDAT GOOD STANDING"?

In Maryland, when one is obtaining a license, renewal, loan settlement, grant, etc., the person/organization is often required to obtain a “Certificate of Status” (generally called a “good standing” certificate) from the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). On the specific date and time, SDAT issues a certificate verifying that a business entity is in “good standing,” meaning that all documents and fees required by law to be submitted to SDAT have been received, and that no other government agency has notified SDAT that the entity is delinquent in tax payments. You do not currently need to provide this certificate with your application, but it is expected that applicants verify that their organization is in good standing with the State of Maryland before submitting their application. For more information, please click here.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN AN ORGANIZATION IS NOT IN GOOD STANDING?

Click here to view information from SDAT about what it means to not be in Good Standing.
Maintain Good Standing - Required Annual Filings

Non-Profit Applicants Who Fundraise in MD: Maryland Charitable Registration Permit (links to MD Secretary of State webpage with OneStop user guides to access online permits). Do NOT check the box indicating you are in Good Standing without checking first! Indicating that you are in Good Standing when you are not may be a basis for disqualification.

WHO IS REQUIRED TO HAVE A CHARITABLE SOLICITATION PERMIT?

Under the Maryland Solicitations Act, Title 6, Business Regulation Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, a charitable organization soliciting donations/engaging in fundraising activities in Maryland must file documents annually with the Office of the Secretary of State. Registration is required before a charitable organization begins to solicit so that the public may access information they need to make a charitable contribution.
Recording of 3/10/25 Charity Town Hall: Registration Requirements for Charitable Organizations (YouTube)
Recording of 9/16/24 Charity Town Hall: How to Come Back Into Compliance: Fixing Registration Issues (YouTube)

Applicants with Animal Shelters in MD: Maryland Animal Shelter Standards of Care Document (links to MD State Veterinary Board webpage with information and a link to the Maryland Standards from COMAR). Do NOT check the box indicating you are required to be in compliance without checking first! Doing so may be a basis for disqualification.

WHO IS REQUIRED TO HAVE A STANDARDS OF CARE DOCUMENT?

In 2017, the Maryland General Assembly passed HB 626- Agriculture - Animal Shelters - Standards of Care and Protocol Implementation and Enforcement, which required MDA to develop standards of care for dogs and cats kept in:

A shelter that is owned by a county or municipality;
A shelter that a county or municipality contracts with for animal control services; or
A shelter that has received a grant from the Maryland Spay and Neuter Grant Program during the previous year.

Other MDA Forms:

FY26 Change of Scope*
FY26 Request to Use Grant Funds for Medical Emergency*

*These forms can be used for any grant cycle