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Care Grants

When Bandit was hit by a car, Raelene was sure this was the end for her best friend. She had just been in the hospital herself and struggled to make ends meet. With the help of a Care Grant, Bandit received the life-saving surgery he needed and was able to return home.

When veterinarians need a partner to support pets and people in need, Care Grants are here to help.

What is the Care Grants program?

Care Grants provide funding to supplement a veterinarian’s charitable care for animals of vulnerable populations specifically in rural and frontier counties. Pet owners in rural and frontier counties have fewer options for veterinary care, and many pet owners in these counties have limited financial resources. Additionally, veterinary practices in rural and frontier communities have fewer charitable funds to help pet owners in need.

The primary goal of the program is to keep the human-animal bond intact by eliminating barriers to care faced by non-urban families and resolving medical issues that will restore the animal’s health. Care Grants are a last-resort financial option intended to support a one-time surgical or medical intervention for a companion animal with a good to excellent prognosis. Without such emergency funding, an otherwise treatable animal might be unnecessarily euthanized, relinquished, and/or endure excessive suffering.

What are the grant guidelines?

Rural and frontier definitions

The Care Grants program is designed to assist pet owners in rural communities; the program will use county designations as defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) classifying rural counties as those that do not include a city of 50,000 people or more and classifying frontier counties as those with a population density less than or equal to six persons per square mile. Click here to see Colorado’s county designations as of 2021.

Types of cases

Examples of appropriate cases with otherwise healthy and stable animals include, but are not limited to:

  • Parvovirus (stable patient with good to excellent prognosis)
  • Fracture repair with excellent prognosis or amputation
  • Abscessed tooth or acute dental issue
  • Gastric Dilatation/Volvulus (GDV) or foreign body
  • Removal of potentially malignant masses
  • Wound/laceration repair and management
  • Enucleation
  • Humane euthanasia

Examples of inappropriate cases include, but are not limited to:

  • Chemotherapy
  • Amputation due to osteosarcoma
  • Chronic renal failure
  • Diabetic ketoacidosis
  • Recurring uroliths or urethral obstruction
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Private cremation
  • Hemoabdomen due to cancer

Veterinary practice eligibility

To be eligible for Care Grants funding, the veterinary practice must:

  • Provide veterinary services in a rural or frontier county in Colorado per the definition enclosed;
  • Prepare and submit the Care Grants request (the client may NOT submit the application);
  • Discount its services in Care Grants cases; and
  • Provide the patient’s medical records (if requested).

Client eligibility

For a case selected by the applying veterinary practice, the client must meet the following criteria:

  • Reside in the veterinary practice service area;
  • Demonstrate financial need;
  • Make a financial contribution toward the cost of the animal’s care;
  • Show evidence of a significant and compelling human-animal bond between the client and patient; and
  • Be willing and able to provide recommended follow-up care.

Grant funding

  • May be approved up to $500 per case;
  • Is subject to available funding;
  • Is limited to one grant per household unless a special exemption is provided by the CEO and/or the appointed designee;
  • Is limited to $2,500 per veterinary practice per calendar year;
  • Must be used for a one-time surgical or medical intervention that will improve the prognosis and well-being of the patient, and is not meant for treating chronic conditions or routine care;
  • Cannot be used for a treatment that was rendered more than two weeks prior to submission of application;
  • May not be used for diagnostics or spay/neuter procedures unless spay/neuter is essential to the continued health of the animal; and
  • Will take the animal’s age and other underlying issues under consideration in determining a Care Grants award.

Grant awards notification

Notification of grant awards are made by phone or email directly by the CVMA Foundation CEO and/or appointed designee within three business days (Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays) of receiving the completed application.

After approval

  • Grant payments are paid directly to the veterinary clinic within 30 days of approval of the complete application.
  • Payment will not be made to other providers beyond the veterinary clinic associated with the grant award.
  • A 1099 Form will not be issued as it is not required by law for payments under $600.

How to apply?

Applications are to be completed by both the veterinary clinic and the client; the final application must be submitted by the veterinary clinic. Applications may be submitted to CVMA via email to [email protected].

Applications will be reviewed and approved by the CVMA Foundation CEO and/or appointed designee and a veterinarian. The applying veterinarian must be reachable during the review process in the event of additional questions.

Questions?

Contact us at [email protected] or 303-318-0447.

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