The ASPCA is requesting proposals aimed at increasing the number of horses placed in new homes and careers by organizations providing rescue and rehabilitation for retired racers. Up to $235,000 in total is available for this program. Funds are restricted to expenses related to rehabilitation and training only.

Eligible Applicants

• Organizations that are established 501(c)(3) equine service organizations located within the United States, in good standing with the ASPCA, including no overdue progress or other reporting requirements from previous grants
• Must participate in the rehabilitation and placement of 10 or more retired race horses (of any breed) annually
• Must take back their returns when adoptions fail for whatever reason
• Must transfer ownership to adopters within a reasonable period of time
• Must be accredited by TAA and/or GFAS. Waivers will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Must meet these additional organizational requirements

Eligible Programs for Support

Funding is available to support the increase in capacity and efficiency of programs adopting out retired racehorses. Funding under this program can be used for the following:

• Training programs and other innovations including programs involving foster placements that increase capacity, decrease length of stay and/or improve adoption rates
• Lay-up grants to allow injured retirees time to heal
• Medical make-ready to include support for items such as gelding, therapeutic shoeing, surgeries to repair racing-related injuries and collaborative programs with veterinary colleges.

Applicants will be evaluated on the potential of their proposal to decrease the average length of stay, decrease average cost of care, and/or increase the number of horses their organizations can rehab, train, and place in the 12 months after funding.

Grant Amount Range

• Grants will be awarded for 12 months and range generally from $10,000-$25,000. Grants of up to $50,000 will be considered for innovative, potentially high impact programs that will substantially increase an organization’s capacity to rehome horses.
• Requests should not exceed 10% of an organization’s annual budget.

Deadlines

• Letters of Inquiry (LOIs): LOIs will be accepted until Friday, May 10, 2019 at 5 pm ET.
• Candidates will be notified via email if their organization has been selected to complete a full proposal.
• Full Proposals: The deadline for finalists selected to submit a full proposal via the ASPCA Grants Portal is Monday, June 10, 2019 at 5 pm ET.
• Final Decisions: Full proposal applicants will be notified of final decisions by Monday, July 15, 2019.

Guidelines for Completing the LOI

As a first step to determining which groups to fund, we are asking all interested organizations to submit an LOI. In your LOI, you will be asked to tell us the following:

• Basic Organizational Details
  • Federal Tax ID/Employer Identification Number (EIN)
  • Org Contact information
  • Organizational budget information for 2018

• Is your legal house in order? (See this resource for more information.)
  • Are you in good standing with the Secretary of State in the state where you are incorporated?
  • Are you registered to solicit funds in states in which you are soliciting funds, when required?
  • Are you a registered 501(c)(3) organization in good standing with the IRS?
  • Is the majority of your board independent?
  • Are both your board chair and treasurer uncompensated by the organization?
  • Are your horses on land owned by the organization or subject to a valid lease?
• Accreditation
  • Are you accredited by TAA?
  • Are you accredited by GFAS?
  • If you are neither TAA nor GFAS accredited:
    • Please explain why you think your organization should be considered despite lacking accreditation.
    • If you had accreditation from either organization in the past that lapsed or was revoked, please tell us when and why this happened.
    • If you were turned down for accreditation in the past, please tell us when and provide the stated reason.
      • If you have never applied, please tell us why.

• Are you a member of the EWDC? If yes, please attach your report.
• If you are not a member of the EWDC, please provide the following stats for the period 1/1 – 12/31/18:
  • Total equine intakes
  • Total equine adoptions
  • Total equine euthanasias
  • Equine intake numbers by category
    • Stray/At Large
    • Relinquished by Owner
    • Adoption Return
    • Law Enforcement Confiscation
    • Transferred in from another agency
    • Purchased at public auction
    • Purchased from kill pen/kill buyer
    • Born in shelter
    • Other
  • Equine outcome numbers by category
    • Adoption
    • RTO
    • Transferred to another agency
    • Euthanized
    • Died in care
    • Other
  • Number of equines in care on 1/1/18
  • Number of equines in care on 1/1/19

• Project Details & Description
  • Project Title
  • Request Amount
  • What is the situation you are aiming to improve?
  • How will the project allow you to increase your capacity to adopt out horses, decrease average LOS, decrease cost of care per animal, and/or improve adoption rates?
  • How many additional horses will these funds enable you to help above and beyond the number you would have helped without this funding? Please explain.
  • What is the current estimate of your organization’s monthly per-horse cost?
  • What percentage of your horses are in need of significant medical rehab?
  • If you were to be funded, what do you anticipate your organization’s monthly cost per-horse will be at the end of the grant year?
  • What else would you like us to know about your project?

How to Apply

Please send an LOI by clicking here and outlining your proposal.

Direct all questions to EquineWelfare@aspca.org

For other funding opportunities and resources, please visit https://www.aspcapro.org/grants

Please Note

Organizations invited to submit full proposals will also be asked to provide the following:

• IRS Form 990 from 2017 or later. If you are not required to file the long form 990, you will also be asked to attach a revenue and expense statement from 2018.
• Strategic Plan for 2019 (What your organization plans to accomplish)
• Development Plan for 2019 (How your organization plans to raise the funds needed to accomplish your 2019 goals
• Adoption Application
• Adoption Agreement

https://www.aspcapro.org/grant/2018/01/08/aspca-rescuing-racers-initiative-request-proposals?fbclid=IwAR2FZwlRHtOjOKFwW0Q4zj4a00FzMvmRaFflPc6FPyJH7qhqfd-QRgpxqx4