2026 ASPCA Research Grants

Sponsor

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

For More Information

Please visit the ASPCA website for more information about:

• Areas of research
• Eligibility criteria
• How to apply
• Application requirements

Description

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®) research grants fund high-quality research with a clear potential to benefit animals, either directly or through effecting systems-level change. Proposals to extend existing studies, focused on other disciplines, will also be considered if they can clearly demonstrate substantial potential benefit to animal welfare.

This year we are soliciting proposals in the following Six research areas

1. Access to Veterinary Care (AVC) Research: Proposals that address AVC for cats, dogs and equines from any angle (e.g., medical, legal, impact, program delivery, community engagement, veterinary engagement). Ideally, the research will establish tools or guidelines to improve access to veterinary care.
2. Applied Behavior Research: Proposals that inform the development, refinement or validation of evidence-based shelter behavior protocols, or validation of applied shelter behavior research methodology. Proposed research must assess the impact of interventions for common behavior concerns in shelter populations that frequently lead to euthanasia of otherwise adoptable dogs and cats, such as excessive arousal, or validate methodologies to reliably assess behavior and/or welfare in the shelter environment.  Proposals that focus on general management protocols will not be funded.
3. Cruelty Research: Proposals that address cruelty toward equines, cats or dogs from any angle or relevant discipline (e.g., public policy, law, criminal justice, criminology, veterinary forensics, community engagement, prevention/intervention, human behavior change). Of particular interest is research that a) increases understanding of the perspectives of key stakeholder groups (e.g., law enforcement/animal control, veterinary professionals, animal shelters/rescues) or b) investigates the effectiveness of cruelty prevention/response efforts at the community or system level. Also of interest is research that heightens awareness of animal cruelty and builds knowledge that informs and engages key community stakeholders and allied professionals in preventing and responding to this animal welfare issue.
4. Farm Animal Welfare Research: Proposals exploring how farmers’ use of healthier, non-conventional broiler chicken breeds, intersects with the birds’ use of pasture, environmental outcomes and/or chicken product nutritional content. Research may be conducted by farms or other businesses in addition to academic or research institutions. However, field studies must include an academic partner or follow established field trial protocols for design and data collection.
5. Psychological Trauma Research: Proposals related to developing and validating novel approaches to the objective documentation of animal cruelty and neglect in the absence of physical trauma (i.e., documenting psychological trauma) in dogs. Proposals are encouraged from any relevant discipline (e.g., physiology, psychology, ethology). Of particular interest is research that focuses on objective measures, including biomarkers and quantitative behavioral phenotyping.
6. Shelter Research: Proposals related to the well-being and care of equines, dogs and/or cats in a shelter environment, as well as programs that strengthen prevention-oriented approaches that reduce suffering and keep animals and people together. Scope includes topics reflected in the Association of Shelter Veterinarians’ Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters (2022), including shelter management and operations, population management, adoption and adoption promotion, medical health, public health and shelter-based surgery. 

Note: proposals related to shelter behavior research should be submitted to the Applied Behavior Research category, proposals related to animal cruelty should be submitted to either the Psychological Trauma Research or Cruelty Research category, and proposals related to increasing access to veterinary care should be submitted to the Access to Veterinary Care category (see descriptions).

Eligibility

Investigators and/or research teams affiliated with United States-based public or private entities such as universities, colleges, government agencies, veterinary hospitals and clinics, animal welfare and other organizations. 

This opportunity is also available to Canadian registered public universities and qualified municipalities/public bodies that can demonstrate the applicability of the research to improve the welfare of animals in the United States.

Applications from individuals will not be accepted.

Applicants must meet ASPCA Grantee Organizational Standards:

• If a past ASPCA grant recipient, must be current on all reporting requirements
• If a nonprofit organization
  • Must be an incorporated or organized legal entity in good standing with the Secretary of State in the state where the organization is incorporated or organized
• Must have a board of at least 4 members with a majority of independent members with neither board chair nor treasurer receiving compensation from the organization
• Charitable registration must be current/active in the state of the Grantee’s primary location (for grants >=$25,000)

Projects with the primary aim of providing services or building infrastructure will not be considered. Proposals focused on evaluating the effectiveness of a program or service must demonstrate methodological rigor and a clear plan to produce generalizable scientific knowledge. Please see the Essential Requirements FAQs for the research area you are interested in to view eligibility information for specific projects.

If your organization is interested in research but does not currently have the capacity to conduct formal research on its own, we encourage you to email ASPCAresearch@aspca.org. We will gladly talk with you about ways to pursue your research ideas and may be able to offer networking and/or guidance.

Funding Availability

The total funding amount available for these opportunities is $750,000. 

The maximum individual grant amount for each research area is: $50,000 for Access to Veterinary Care Research, $35,000 for Applied Behavior Research, $50,000 for Cruelty Research, $75,000 for Farm Animal Welfare Research, $35,000 for Psychological Trauma Research, and $50,000 for Shelter Research.  Requests may be made for any amount up to and including the maximum, and applications of any amount will be equally considered.

Indirect Costs

15%

Special Notes

Attend an Open House to learn more or ask questions

We will offer two one-hour open houses to address questions from prospective applicants. A link to the recording of each session will be posted to this page once available. 

• Register for Open House: Friday, April 10, 2026, at 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. ET
• Register for Open House: Monday, May 18, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET