The Grey Muzzle Grant Program               Updated 5/7/09

The Grey Muzzle Organization makes grants to shelters, rescue groups, sanctuaries, and other dog-related non profit organizations, expressly for programs designed to improve the lives of at-risk senior dogs.

Our Spring 2009 grant application period is now closed. We've left the information on the remainder of this page available so that donors and future grant applicants can learn more about our process. If you would like to be notified when the next grant period is announced, please stay in touch by joining our mailing list and indicate an interest in grants.

Who is eligible for a grant?

Here are some basic criteria you should know when considering whether to apply for a grant.

To be eligible for a Grey Muzzle grant, you must be:

• An IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) organization

• Willing to host a visit to your location by a Grey Muzzle board member

You need to apply for a grant for a specific program, which must:

• Benefit senior dogs exclusively

• Have well-defined goals for helping senior dogs

• Have a system in place to account for the success of the program

How do you apply for a grant?

The grant application process consists of three stages. The stages are designed to help us build  long-term relationships with organizations that are making a real difference for senior dogs.

1. First, you send a one-page Letter of Interest using our form. This will give us a chance to discuss your needs and goals and determine if your organization and program is a good fit for Grey Muzzle funding. This process also helps us prioritize the organizations who have applied. If our board of directors determines that your program is eligible, you will be invited to complete an Organization Application (step #2 below). The invitation to apply does not guarantee a grant.
   
   The Letter of Interest form is available here (Word document). After downloading the document, be sure to save it on your computer before editing.
   
   Letters of Interest for our Spring 2009 grant-making period were due February 28, 2009.
   
   Review our Sample Programs below and our Values to determine if your goals are a good fit for ours. We welcome your questions and thoughts; please e-mail grants@greymuzzle.org.

2. If invited to apply, you next fill out an Organization Application. This is the most rigorous application. We check references, talk to your veterinarian(s), review financial information, verify 501(c)(3) tax deductible status, and review adoption and care policies. We will also do an interview and/or a site visit. If you are approved as an organization, you will not need to fill out this application again, even if you apply for funding more than once or for more than one program over time (we may ask you to update it occasionally, however). A sample of the Organization Application is available here (Word document). Remember, do not fill out this application unless invited to do so!

3. If you are approved as an organization, then you may apply for specific funding. You may apply for a grant for a specific program, or our board may choose to create an account for you to use for medical expenses associated with getting seniors out of at-risk situations. Once you are approved as an organization, grants require a fairly simple application; a medical expense account requires a very simple application for each dog. A sample of the Grant Application is available here (Word document). Please do not fill out this application unless we invite you to do so! Once you complete step #2 above, if you are approved, we intend to grant you funding; we will work with you to help you develop specific funding applications that meet our goals and criteria.

Stay in touch

If you are interested in applying for a Grey Muzzle grant, please stay in touch by joining our mailing list. Indicate that you are interested in grant application, and we’ll contact you whenever we have new information available.

How much money do you give out in grants?

Our resources depend entirely on the generosity of our donors! The year 2008 was our start-up year, and in Fall 2008 we made a set of initial grants to 10 organizations, ranging from $1,500 to $4,000. Our next grant-making period is Spring 2009, and our goal is to make 10 to 20 awards in the $1,000 to $5,000 range. Of course, the economy is a huge factor that currently makes planning difficult. We can only meet these goals with the help of our donors. We hope to have additional funds available for larger grants as we grow.

In addition to our grant program, we also provide funds for special programs such as our Bed Fund.

Sample Programs

Below are some example program categories for which we would encourage a Letter of Interest. Please don't limit yourself to this list; we we'd like to hear your program ideas as long as they meet our eligibility requirements and promote our Values. In 2009 one of the new areas that we would like to fund is the first example in bold. We are hoping to increase our impact here, but we will continue to fund other core programs, such as medical expenses for hospice and adoptable dogs, and working with shelters to improve their ability to care for older dogs.

• Developing a program to help owners to keep senior dogs with them. We would like to address the issue of owners turning in their old dogs to shelters simply because they cannot afford them in the current economic climate.

• Medical expenses for in-home, short-term hospice care for senior dogs that are rescued from a shelter and are unlikely to live more than a few days, weeks, or months. We want to give these dogs a chance to end their lives in a place of love, security and peace.

• Long-term, in-home care program for senior dogs who are not adoptable.

• Create or help to expand foster dog programs in shelters, specifically focused on getting senior dogs out of cement kennels and into homes.

• Medical expenses to get senior dogs ready for adoption.

• A program to help people find new homes for senior dogs when they can’t keep them.

• Helping senior dogs give back to society; for example, training senior dogs as therapy dogs or getting senior dogs involved with assisted care facilities.

• A new senior dog sanctuary.

• Working with senior humans who must give up their senior dogs due to a change in circumstances, such as moving to assisted living.

• Building a Seniors for Seniors adoption program.

• Improved medical care for senior dogs at shelters.

• Hiring a part-time staff person at a large shelter to be a senior dog advocate, ensuring that each old dog that enters has the best possible chance at a new life.

Q&A

Q: I run a sanctuary for dogs of all ages, but many of the dogs are seniors. Can I apply for a grant?

A: Sure, we’d love to hear from you. However, since you admit dogs of all ages, you must put a process in place to ensure that a prospective grant would go specifically to seniors, define a program and the intended benefits (we don’t make grants for general expenses), and report your success. The reporting doesn’t have to be complex but it must help Grey Muzzle and our donors understand the value you are providing.

Q: Do you make grants to breed-specific rescues?

A: Yes, although we balance our funding so that a significant percent also goes to non-breed-specific organizations. You may want to review the organizations we are supporting to get a sense of what we are looking for in a breed rescue. Note that breed-specific organizations we support are actively promoting seniors and have a long-term care or hospice program for seniors that are not adoptable. We may also be interested in your organization if you are starting to build such a program for seniors.

Q: Do you ever make grants for administration expenses?

A: Yes; we don’t make “general expense” grants, but we consider grants for administration if the administration activities directly benefit senior dogs. For example, if your organization is a hospice for senior dogs and you are ready to move to the next stage of growth, we would be interested in talking to you about expanding your organization with good administrative assistance. Our philosophy is that managed expansion allows you to  help more dogs. Getting administrative assistance, such as a bookkeeper or donations manager, can also free up your time to work directly with dogs. One of our goals is to help create loving homes for old unwanted dogs, and this can only be accomplished with well-run organizations.

Q: Does the program have to be new?

A: No, you may apply for a grant for expansion of an existing program, as long as it meets our criteria. However, one of our goals is to make an impact by helping organizations re-think and and expand their methods for helping dogs.

Q: Will you fund a portion of a program?

A: Yes. If your program budget exceeds our grant amount, and you have other sources of funding, we can fund part of an eligible program.