The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut (CFECT) is inviting applications for its Animal Welfare Grants that strive to ensure that region provides for the adequate protection, care and humane treatment of animals and wildlife.

For 2021, the Foundation will consider animal welfare grants that benefit any of the 42 towns in region.

Priority Areas

Priority will be given to programs that:

• provide support of veterinary care for domestic animals, including spay and neuter services, for low-income families and abandoned pets;
• encourage responsible pet ownership and the adoption of abandoned animals;
• support of healthy wildlife as well as their natural habitats; and
• make positive, therapeutic connections between people and animals.

Funding Information

• Eligible applicants may submit grant requests of $5,000 to $35,000.

What CFECT will Fund?

• These grants must be for the benefit of the residents of the 42 towns in region, which includes the towns of Ashford, Bozrah, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Colchester, Columbia, Coventry, Eastford, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Hampton, Killingly, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Mansfield, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Old Lyme, Plainfield, Pomfret, Preston, Putnam, Salem, Scotland, Sprague, Stafford, Sterling, Stonington, Thompson, Union, Voluntown, Waterford, Willington, Windham and Woodstock.
• Preference is given to programs that are:
  • collaborative in nature;
  • regional in scope;
  • promote systems change;
  • rooted in evidence-based, solution-oriented approaches;
  • serve lower-income communities;
  • serve at-risk animals;
  • include specific, measurable outcomes; and
  • affect positive change over the long term.
• Will also consider:
  • grants for existing programs, new initiatives or special projects;
  • public policy and general operating grants;
  • capacity-building grants (please call to discuss);
  • a limited number of multiyear grants (please call to discuss in advance of submission).
  • Note: Their policy for three-year grants requires taking a fourth year off from funding.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants generally must be 501(c)(3) charitable organizations, schools, municipal or governmental agencies, or partner with a nonprofit fiscal agent. We do not make grants to individuals or to for-profit endeavors.
• Applicants must serve one or more of the 42 communities in Eastern Connecticut.
• The program does not provide funding for capital or endowment campaigns, litigation costs, religious programming, endowment campaigns, deficit funding or debt retirement. The program does not typically make grants for special events.
• Applicants may not discriminate against any person or group of persons on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, disability, marital status or any other characteristic protected under federal, state and/or local laws.
• Grant reports must be received before a new grant award is made.

For more information, visit Animal Welfare Grants.