To apply for a grant from the Paws To People organization, please follow the instructions below.

  1. Read thoroughly the Information for Grant Seekers and Grant Application Process.  If questions linger, please see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) or contact us.
  2. Go to Forms and fill out the grant application, which consists of a Cover Sheet form and the Project Description form.  If relevant, add supplementary documents and/or additional pages to complete your project description.
  3. Send the request to the Paws To People Grant Coordinator, address of which can be found in Question 21 of FAQ or contact us.  Your proposal will be reviewed in three stages: the Advisory Board will review first for preliminary approval and then, after further research, final approval, and then the Board of Directors will determine funding approval.  Funding is dependent upon availability of funds and how closely your project meets the criteria of work with a translational studies connection.

Grant applications are accepted at any time throughout the year.  However, only one grant submission per project, research teams, or individual is allowed per year.  Consideration of grant funding is made once a year during the Paws To People Annual Board of Directors’ meeting in June.  Grant recipients will receive funding in one of three ways:  complete funding, partial funding, or funding of your project in phases.  For larger projects external funding sources may be required as well.  Paws To People’s grant funding limit is $15,000 per fiscal year.  The entire $15,000 may be awarded in full to one grant recipent, or may be split among two or more grant recipients.

Any questions about this process or suggestions for its improvement should be addressed to Paws To People Organization’s Corporate Secretary, information which can be found below in Question 22 in FAQ.

Paws To People Grants

Paws To People is committed to achieving lasting change that transforms the lives of humans and pets suffering from catastrophic disease.  Through our grant making, we support innovative thinkers, researchers, and organizations that are working to find causes, preventions, and cures for catastrophic diseases.  When making grants we think about how the proposal will contribute to our stated goals.  Because our resources are limited, we carefully target our support so it can be used most effectively and leverage the greatest impact.  To that end, our Advisory Board and Paws To People Board of Directors work to identify areas where funding resources are needed most to help achieve our objective of ending catastrophic diseases.  We also determine key benchmarks for progress and the amount of funding to be dedicated to each approach.  When making grant decisions, we look for new ideas and effective organizations that can help advance the work of a particular initiative.

Grant Decision Process

Every grant submission receives an automatic acknowledgement reply via e-mail.  If your submission falls within our parameters, your application will be numbered and a confirmation letter will be e-mailed to you within three weeks.  Each numbered application is reviewed by the Advisory Board.  If your proposed work aligns with the Paws To People’s priorities and budget limitations, an Advisory Board member will contact you if further information is needed, such as supplemental documents, a phone interview, and/or an on-site visit.  The Advisory Board will then do an administrative and legal review, which may take up to three to four months from the time a grant application is submitted. 

Please keep in mind that our funds are limited in relation to the large number of worthwhile inquiries we receive. 

Grant Use

The activities we support through grants must be charitable, educational, or scientific as defined under the appropriate provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations.  As we pursue our organization’s goals, we take responsible measures to fulfill our responsibilities as a tax-exempt charitable non-profit organization.  We want to make sure our funds are used for their intended purposes and do not support any activities that violate the U.S. tax code or anti-terrorism laws.  Because we appreciate the important work that our grantees do, we strive to fulfill our oversight responsibilities without creating undue burdens for them or being overly intrusive.

How We Monitor Grants

To ensure the appropriate use of our grant funds and compliance with the U.S. tax code and the U.S. anti-terrorism laws, Paws To People has extensive procedures for making and monitoring all grants.  These include the following:

  1. Pre-Grant Review:  All potential grantees are assessed by our Advisory Board who reviews the proposed work and determines the grantees capacity to undertake it.
  2. Legal Review:  All proposed grants and written submissions by the prospective grantee undergo a legal review.
  3. Compliance with U.S. Anti-Terrorism Financing Rules:  Under applicable law, our organization checks all prospective grantees against all available lists of terrorist groups.  These checks also take place throughout the life of all grants.
  4. Grant Agreement Letter:  This letter establishes a range of grant conditions.  Every grantee is required to sign it.
  5. One or More Site Visits:  A Paws To People Board Member will visit the grantee during the term of the grant, if feasible.
  6. Grantee Report:  During the grant term, grantees are required to submit reports that are reviewed by a Paws To People Board Member and a Grants Administrator for compliance with the term of the grant. 

Grant Agreement Letter

Grant Agreement letters are essential in monitoring a grant to see if anticipated outcomes are achieved.  The Grant Agreement will include the specific goals of the grant, as agreed upon by both Paws To People and the grantee.  It will also document the terms of the grant in writing, for example, the amount of the award and the payment schedule, and Paws To People’s expectations for reporting and evaluating the grantee’s progress.

The elements of a Grant Agreement letter include, but are not limited to:

  • The amount and overall purpose of the grant;
  • The specific goals of the grant;
  • A statement confirming an understanding of the IRS status (e.g., 509(a)(1) or (2);
  • A payment schedule:  when and how Paws To People will fund;
  • Expectations for grant reporting, such as: whether interim reports are required or just a final report; format; back-up materials, if any; and a timeline;
  • Expectations for how Paws To People and/or grantee will evaluate the grant;
  • If, and how, Paws To People would like the grantee to publicize the grant and how it would be financed;
  • If the grant is for a project, the project budget with a provision that no changes can be made without Paws To People’s approval;
  • Provisions for terminating a grant, e.g., if the grantee’s tax exempt status is changed or revoked, or if the grantee fails to abide by the terms of the Grant Agreement.

Grantee Reports

Paws To People will also require Grantee Reports, simple yet concise reports that include the information absolutely needed to find out about progress made toward the goals in the grant agreement.  If the grant is larger or more long-term, interim reports may be required, in addition to a final report.  Interim reports can give Paws To People and the grantee the opportunity to check on progress toward agreed-upon goals and adjust course along the way.

The grantee report is, in essence, a reflection of the heart of the grantee’s work.  Examples of what should be included are:

  • How the goals documented in the Grant Agreement were met;
  • Financial report detailing grant income and expenses;
  • What the grantee learned form the project or work;
  • Any attachments previously requested by Paws To People, such as a budget, testimonials, photos, etc.

Grant Selection Process

Throughout the year Paws To People Board of Directors and its Advisory Board will seek out and encourage innovative translational study research project teams or individuals to fill out our application for funding. 

The grant application consists of two forms, a Cover Sheet form and Project Description form, which gather the preliminary information about the study being done, funding amount requested, its phasing, its projected timeline and expenses, its process and scope, it stated goal, and its participant’s vitae.  The grant applications will be reviewed as they come in by our Advisory Board who will then make their recommendations about their potential, value, and how well the project fits our mission.  The Advisory Board may, at their discretion, hold a telephone or personal interview to learn more.

The Advisory Board will meet with Paws To People Board of Directors one month before the end of its fiscal year to review its grant recipient candidates and to determine how best to distribute the grant funding available, as determined by the Treasurer and approved by the Board of Directors.  The list of recipients and their grant amounts are then approved by the full Board of Directors.

Funding may be made as a single payment or in phases or on an “as expenses generated” means, as best determined by the Paws To People Board of Directors under the advisement of the Treasurer and CPA.

For example, Paws To People might receive and approve a request to fund the information collection, assembly, and completion of a database comparing the levels of heavy metals in drinking water by municipal districts with the same district’s rate of occurrence five different types of cancer:  breast, bone, brain, thyroid, and pancreatic, in both humans and dogs.  The information collected would include ages, sex, and how long the animal or human has lived in the area.  We may decide to issue payment in three parts:  1/3 initially, 1/3 at the midpoint upon receipt of a progress report from the grantee; and 1/3 upon receipt of a final report.  The database created from this funded study would then provide a springboard for future studies in the area of local cancer rates and their types and concentrations, and would be in keeping with Paws To People’s stated purpose.

Paws To People’s grant funding limit is $15,000 per fiscal year.  The entire $15,000 may be awarded in full to one grant recipient, or may be split among two or more grant recipients.

Grant Oversight and Check and Balances

In the process of granting funding to veterinary, medical, or scientific projects which meet the Paws To People stated mission, oversight begins with the application process and is built into the evolution through progress reports and review.

Throughout the year the Paws To People Board of Directors and its Advisory Board will review and share applications requesting funding.  These applications will come to us independently or be solicited by Paws To People based upon knowledge from reliable sources detailing the work.

The application will be reviewed on how well the project meets our organization’s criteria for translational studies, its relevance to promoting bridge applications, its financial need, and the availability of funds.  Further information or an interview with the applicant may be requested.

The grant recipients will be notified at the end of our fiscal year, after review of the Advisory Board’s recommendations and approval by the Board of Directors.  At that time the Corporate Treasurer will establish a timetable of funding payments. These payments will be tied to disclosure of progress reporting, including financials and an assessment of the projected versus actual schedule.

There are no current provisions in conjunction with grants to withhold payment or recover funds in the event misuse is proven or suspected.  In the acceptance of the Paws To People check, the grantee signs a certification that funds have or will be properly applied which serves to preclude this eventually.  In the event that grant funds have not been used appropriately, recourse would simply be a refusal of continued funding support.

Final review of completed grant projects will be assessed by the Paws To People Advisory Board and Board of Directors, with final conclusions formally recorded into the Minutes of Board of Directors meetings.


Our grant review process is thorough and comprehensive.  The information contained on this page will help you better understand our approach to grant making.  To begin the grant application process, pleases thoroughly review the information provided herein.

  • Grant Program
  • How to Apply
  • Eligibility
  • Limitations
  • Deadlines
  • Grant Committee Dates
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Information for Grant Seekers

Grant Program

Paws To People awards grants for work that has a translational research connection, which is research that is designed to further the search for causes, preventions, or cures of catastrophic diseases effecting both humans and animals through the translational study methodology.

Annually, Paws To People will award grants to organizations, universities, veterinary clinics, hospitals, or individuals to fund or partially fund specific research that the entity is undertaking or currently has in progress.  Such grants are to be used by the recipients to accomplish purposes that are clearly within the scope of our organization’s exempt purpose, as detailed below in Question 4 in FAQ.

The Paws To People Corporate Board of Directors, with the help of an expert Advisory Board, determines the selection of grant recipients and amounts awarded.  Grant recipients are unknown in advance of grant funding as funding is awarded based on merits and medical value of research being funded.  There are no organizational ties or relationships between Paws To People and those who receive grants from us, other than the grant and research progress.

How To Apply

All applicants must complete the Cover Sheet form and Project Description form as the first step.  After an initial review of your submitted documents we may request one or more of the following: supplemental documents, a phone interview, an on-site visit.  Any or all of these requests are at the discretion of the Advisory Board, who review all grant applications.

Paws To People will entertain one submission per project, research team, or individcual in a twelve-month period. 

Eligibility

Our grant making program is restricted to the United States of America.  We do not accept unsolicited requests from international agencies, programs, or research facilities.  We award partial- or full-funding grants to organizations, universities, veterinary clinics, hospitals, or individuals.  Grants are to be used by the recipients to accomplish purposes that are clearly within the scope of our organization’s exempt purpose, as detailed below in Question 4 in FAQ.

Limitations

As a general practice, Paws To People refrains from funding:

  • Annual funds, galas, or other special-event fundraising activities.
  • Capital campaigns/renovation projects.
  • Debt reduction.
  • Emergency or disaster relief efforts.
  • Dissertations or student research projects.
  • Sectarian religious activities, political lobbying, or legislative activities.
  • Loans, scholarships, fellowships, or grants to individuals.
  • Unsolicited requests for international organizations or programs.

Deadlines

There is no deadline for submitting a grant request.  Paws To People accepts grant applications year round, however, we do require that you submit only one grant application per year.  Awards are made once per year, in June. 

Paws To People staff reviews grant requests on a regular basis.  You will receive an automatic e-mail confirmation response once your grant application is received.  You will be notified via e-mail within three weeks of your submission if Paws To People is willing to consider your proposal or if it has been declined.  If your proposal is considered, further instructions and/or information may be sent to you.  In some cases, a phone conference or on-site visit may be scheduled as part of the review process, or we may request that you submit more information for further consideration.  The Advisory Board will meet in May to review its final pool of grant recipient candidates and to determine how best to distribute the grant funding.  The list of recipients and their grant amounts are then approved by the entire Paws To People Board of Directors at their annual board meeting in June.

4. Frequently Asked Questions
Below is a list of questions that we are frequently asked about our funding guidelines. Should you have any further questions, or need assistance, please contact us at the address or e-mail listed on our About page.
  1. How do I apply for a grant?
  2. When I submit my electronic grant application should I send a hard copy as well?
  3. Who is eligible to apply for a grant?
  4. What is the purpose of your grant program and what does it fund?
  5. Is there an application deadline?
  6. What size grant should I request?
  7. Do you fund newly established non-profits?
  8. Do you have any geographic restrictions?
  9. Do you provide general operating grants?
  10. How long until I receive a response once my grant application has been submitted?
  11. If my grant proposal is declined, when can I reapply?
  12. Are other sources of funding required?
  13. What projects are not eligible?
  14. Will Paws To People make multi-year awards?
  15. How does Paws To People handle requests from universities?
  16. Will the Paws To People staff conduct site visits?
  17. Could I set up an appointment to discuss my project idea?
  18. How can I check on the status of my grant application?
  19. If my grant application is declined, will you explain why it was rejected or critique the proposal?
  20. Who reviews the grant application?
  21. Where do I send my grant application?
  22. If I have more questions whom do I contact?
  23. Do Paws To People grants cover indirect costs?
5b. Project Description Form