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Grant Guidelines

for Vets Helping Pets Veterinary Grant

Purpose

Vets Helping Pets Veterinary Grants provide funds to supplement a veterinarian’s/clinic’s charitable care for animals of low-income families or for families that have an undue financial burden due to extenuating circumstances. A primary goal of the Vets Helping Pets Veterinary Grant is to keep the human-animal bond intact by resolving medical issues that will restore the animal’s health and quality of life.

The Vets Helping Pets Veterinary Grant is a last-resort financial option intended to support a one-time surgical or medical intervention for an 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.

Applications must be submitted by veterinary clinics with at least one WSVMA member veterinarian. If you are a pet owner looking for resources, you can find other potential funding opportunities here.

This application should take 10 minutes or less to complete. It can be filled out by anyone in a veterinary clinic with a current WSVMA member.

Download Guidelines
Apply for Grant

Veterinarian/Clinic Eligibility

To be eligible for a Vets Helping Pets Veterinary Grant:

  1. The veterinarian must be licensed in Washington.
  2. At least one veterinarian in the hospital/clinic must be a Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (WSVMA) Member in good standing.
  3. The veterinary hospital/clinic must be located in the state of Washington.
  4. A reasonable effort must be made to discount services and/or provide a hospital/clinic grant in Vets Helping Pets Veterinary Grant cases.
  5. The veterinarian must provide the patient’s relevant medical records and photos of the pet and their condition.
  6. Advise clients that the hospital/clinic and/or the WSAHF will follow-up to see how their pet is doing and to request photos that highlight their bond with their pet. Here are examples of good photos: Example A, Example B, Example C
  7. The number of grants awarded is limited to one grant per veterinary clinic per calendar quarter.

Client Eligibility

A case selected by the applying veterinary hospital/clinic must meet the following criteria:

  1. The client must reside in the state of Washington.
  2. The pet and client must have a valid in-person VCPR (veterinarian-client-patient relationship) with at least one veterinarian at the requesting veterinarian’s hospital.
  3. The client demonstrates financial need and can make a financial contribution toward the cost of the animal’s care.
  4. There must be evidence of a significant and compelling human-animal bond between the client and patient.
  5. The client is willing and able to provide recommended follow-up care.
  6. Staff and board members of the WSVMA and Washington State Animal Health Foundation (WSAHF), as well as employees of the applying veterinary hospital, are ineligible for a Vets Helping Pets Veterinary Assistance Grant.

Grant Funding

  • Is subject to available funding.
  • May be approved up to $750 per case. It’s recommended that the practice applying for a grant matches or exceeds the grant amount by either providing a discount or through a charitable contribution from the hospital’s/clinic’s foundation.
  • The clinic’s discount/contribution will be taken into consideration when making grant decision.
  • Is limited to one grant per household unless a special exemption is provided by the WSAHF board.
  • 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.
  • Cannot be used for a treatment that was rendered more than two weeks prior to submission of application.
  • May not be used for spay/neuter procedures unless spay/neuter is essential to the prognosis and/or relieving suffering of the animal (for example, pyometra).  If care is being provided for a dystocia or birthing complication, sterilization (OVH) must be performed as part of the treatment in order to be considered for a grant.
  • Will take the animal’s age and other underlying issues under consideration in the determination of the Vets Helping Pets Veterinary Grant award.
Examples of Appropriate Cases with Otherwise Healthy and Stable Animals Examples of Inappropriate Cases
Uncomplicated pneumothorax Chronic renal failure
Parvovirus (stable patient with good to excellent prognosis) Treatment of hemoabdomen due to cancer
Cystotomy for urolith Chemotherapy or amputation due to osteosarcoma
Simple fracture repair with excellent prognosis or amputation Complex fracture repair
Uncomplicated gastic dilatation volvulus (GDV) or foreign body Congestive heart failure
Abscessed tooth or acute dental issue Oral cancer

Application

  1. Applications are available at wsahf.org by clicking on the “Apply for a Grant” tab or downloading the Grant Application PDF. Applications may also be obtained from the WSVMA office by calling (425) 396-3191.
  2. Before submitting the application, the veterinarian must have the client sign the Terms & Conditions (download Terms & Conditions PDF).
  3. The veterinarian completes the application and uploads all required documents including Itemized Financial Estimate, photos (if these will help WSAHF’s consideration) and any additional supporting information.
  4. The Vets Helping Pets Veterinary Grant application should be submitted online (apply online here). Applications may also be submitted via one of these channels:
    1. Email: info@wsvma.org
    2. Mail: 23515 NE Novelty Hill Rd.
      STE B221-337
      Redmond, WA 98053
    3. Fax: (425) 396-3192
  5. The WSAHF Grant Committee will review all applications and grant proposals. The applying veterinarian(s) must be reachable during the review process in the event of additional questions.

Grant Awards

Notification of grant awards are made directly by the WSAHF Director and/or appointed designee within five business days (Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays) of receiving the application, in most instances. For more urgent cases, we will attempt to notify within 24 to 48 hours.

Post Approval

  1. Patient medical records relevant to the case must be submitted to WSAHF from date of original visit and include rechecks as related to the approved treatment.
  2. Within one (1) month of grant approval, the veterinarian or a designated clinic staff member must submit an update with photos. We request a photo that highlights the bond between the owner and pet. Here are examples of good photos: Example A, Example B, Example C
  3. The veterinary clinic will collect the signed release and consent form from the client and submit it to WSAHF. 
  4. Grant payments are paid directly to the veterinary clinic upon WSAHF’s receipt of a final invoice and the signed release and consent form. The check will be sent within 10 days. Payment will NOT be made directly to the client.
  5. Payment will not be made to other providers beyond the veterinary clinic associated with the grant award.
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