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.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
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.
April 5, 2024: FY25 Spay and Neuter Grant Applications Now ClosedOn 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.Center_Content
