2023 ASPCA Research Grants

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

Investigators and/or research teams affiliated with United States public or private entities such as universities, colleges, government agencies, veterinary hospitals and clinics, animal welfare organizations, and other organizations are invited to apply. This opportunity is also available to Canadian registered public universities and qualified municipalities/public bodies which can demonstrate the applicability of the research to improve the welfare of animals in the US.

Applications from individuals will not be accepted.

Further, 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).

Eligible Projects

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 companion document to view eligibility information specific to each research area.

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.

Summary

ASPCA research grants develop cutting-edge knowledge in animal welfare. We fund high-quality research across a variety of disciplines and methods that has clear potential to benefit animals, either directly or through effecting systems-level change. Proposals to extend studies focused on other disciplines (e.g., public health, economics, crime data analysis) to include animal welfare in substantive ways will also be considered if they can clearly demonstrate potential benefits to animals.

This year we are soliciting proposals in the following four research areas:

1. Access to Veterinary Care (AVC) Research: Proposals that address AVC from any angle (e.g., medical, legal, AVC impact, program delivery, community engagement, veterinary engagement).
2. Applied Behavior Research: Proposals that inform the development or refinement of evidence-based shelter behavior protocols. Research that addresses common behavior concerns in shelter populations that lead to euthanasia is of particular interest.
3. Cruelty Research: Proposals that address animal cruelty from any angle (e.g., public policy, law, criminal justice, criminology, veterinary forensics, community engagement, prevention/intervention, human behavior change). Of particular interest is research that analyzes the effectiveness of legislative and other policy measures designed to prevent and/or respond to cruelty.
4. Psychological Trauma Research: Proposals related to developing novel approaches to the documentation of animal cruelty and neglect in the absence of physical trauma. Proposals are encouraged from any relevant discipline (e.g., physiology, psychology, ethology).

The total funding amount available for these opportunities is $390,000. The maximum individual grant amounts for each research area are $20,000 (Psychological Trauma Research), $40,000 (Applied Behavior Research), and $50,000 (Access to Veterinary Care Research and Cruelty Research).

*Important Note: If you wish to apply to more than one research area, please submit separate applications for each area.

How to Apply

We recommend you prepare in advance the information listed in the companion guide to allow you to complete the form in one session.

If you wish to apply to more than one research area, please submit separate applications for each area.

Applications must be completed and submitted in one session; you cannot save your progress. Submitted applications cannot be revised.

Grant Timeline

• RFP will open on Monday, April 3, 2023, at 7:00 AM (MT)
• RFP will close on Monday, July 31, 2023, at 3:00 PM (MT)

Finalists will be notified via email on or around Monday, September 18, 2023, and invited to complete a formal application in our grant management system.

Funding decisions are expected before Thursday, October 9, 2023.

Overhead

25% of direct costs.

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Questions

Project-related inquiries about Applied Behavior or Psychological Trauma (bst.research@aspca.org)

Project-related inquiries about Access to Veterinary Care or Cruelty Research (ASPCAresearch@aspca.org)

Contact for application/submission inquiries/technical difficulties (grants@aspca.org)