Grant Opportunities for Animal Organizations
About Our Investments
As one of the nation's largest funders of animal welfare causes, we are proud to support non-profit animal organizations that care for animals in need, fight pet cancer, and celebrate our Helping Hero therapy and working animals. We hold a responsibility to invest donor dollars in organizations that work to achieve our shared, lifesaving goals. As such we seek to support organizations that continually endeavor to achieve a high standard of doing more, and are determined to efficiently save as many lives as possible with our investment.
Partner Loginwho we support
We offer support opportunities for organizations throughout the year. Organizations are invited to apply based on their organization type or primary purpose and mission. All requests for support should be submitted through our online application portal, Find your organization type below to learn more.
We are unable to support individuals, organizations outside the United States, or non-profit organizations whose primary mission is not related to companion animal welfare.
2019 Application Periods
*Pet Cancer Research & Treatment Organizations are by invitation only.
All application periods close at 5PM PT/8PM ET on the final day.
Unsung Heroes
The Petco Foundation is teaming up with Victoria Stilwell to honor Unsung Heroes across the nation for their extraordinary lifesaving efforts on behalf of animals. Each year, one of these honorees is awarded the national Unsung Hero award at the Petco Foundation Lifesaving Awards.
Learn More

The Holiday Wishes campaign gives adopters the opportunity to share their stories of how their pet changes their life, and gives the animal welfare organization they adopted from a chance to win a grant of up to $100,000 from the Petco Foundation, in partnership with Petco.
The Innovation Showdown
Are you an animal welfare professional with an idea that could help change the landscape of animal welfare and save more lives? The 2019 Innovation Showdown application is open. You will have the chance to compete for investments to make BIG things happen for animals!
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Innovation Showdown
Are you an animal welfare professional with an idea that could help change the landscape of animal welfare and save more lives? Ready to compete for thousands of dollars in funding to make BIG things happen for animals? Submit your idea to our "Innovation Showdown" and you could have the opportunity to make your lifesaving pitch in front of a distinguished panel of innovation investors at the 2019 HSUS Animal Care Expo. The application will be opening soon.See the 2018 Winners
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Animal Welfare Organizations
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Animal Control agencies & non-profit organizations responsible for animal control sheltering.
- SPCA/humane societies and other non-profits that operate primarily out of an animal sheltering facility.
- Non-profit organizations that are primarily foster-based rescues.
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Helping Heroes: Service, Therapy, & Working Animal Organizations
Each October in partnership with Merrick, we invite animal lovers to support the heroic and lifesaving work of service and therapy animals. Funds raised during this campaign support service and therapy animal organizations across the country.
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Holiday Wishes: Sheltering & Adoption Organizations
We invite pet parents and animal lovers across the country to share stories about how adopting a pet changed their lives—all for the chance to give deserving animal welfare organizations an opportunity to receive grants from the Petco Foundation. The 2019 application period will be August 15, 2019, through September 30, 2019.Read past winning Holiday Wishes stories!
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Pet Cancer Research & Treatment Organizations
Support for Pet Cancer Research & Support Organizations is available by invitation only.
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Spay & Neuter Providers
The Petco Foundation grant opportunity for organizations whose primary mission is spay and neuter welcomes organizations like spay and neuter clinics and community cat groups to apply under this application.Log In To Apply
Instructions & Tutorials
Regular Applicant Registration Page
Applicant Workflow with decision information
application faqs
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My animal shelter also operates a spay & neuter clinic. Can I apply in both the animal sheltering and spay & neuter application periods?
If the animal shelter and the spay and neuter clinic are operated by the same entity, with one Tax ID number, you should select one or the other and may not apply for both. Select the application period that bests matches your organization’s primary mission and purpose.
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My organization has had a change of address. What should I do?
If your organization has had a change of address, we’ll need the following: Please fax these completed forms to (858) 909-2618.
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My organization is not one described above. Can we still apply?
Our support is limited to the organization types described above. If your organization’s primary purpose does not fall within those categories you should not apply for support.
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We just received support/We have multi-year support. Can we apply for additional support?
In order to apply for support you should have received all payments (for multi-year support) and have completed any required follow-up reports (multi-year and one-time support) before applying again.
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What will I need to apply?
- Organization legal name and official mailing address
- Valid email address (you'll be notified of your application decision via email)
- The geographic area where the funding will be applied
- A completed and signed copy of IRS Form W-9
- A copy of your organization's 501c3 tax determination letter or Government or Municipal Agency Form (available from within the application site)
- For non-profits, your organization's most recent IRS Form 990