Partners

PetSmart Charities can award grants to the following entities operating within the United States, its territories, and Canada:

• United States and its territories: 501(c)(3) public charities and municipalities (City, County, State, Tribal)
• Canada: registered charities and municipalities (City, County, State, Indigenous entities, First Nations, Metis or Inuit entity)
• We are unable to fund individuals, private foundations, for-profit organizations, or organizations or programs that operate outside the U.S. and Canada.

• PetSmart Charities supports nonprofit organizations and municipalities through programmatic grant support. Please view our grant categories here.
• We are unable to review requests for fundraising events, sponsorships or cash or product donations.

Regretfully, in order to maintain our charitable tax status, we are unable provide grants or donations to individuals. All PetSmart Charities funds are used to support funding to charitable organizations or municipal programs.

However, we do support many local animal welfare organizations that may have programs that can help your pet. We would suggest reaching out to your local shelter, Humane Society or SPCA to see if they might have services that can support your needs.

You might also review these organizations that our collaborative partner Red Rover has complied that may have programs for individuals seeking financial aid for veterinary care of their pets. PetSmart Charities has no affiliation with these organizations but offers this information as a potential resource for your needs.

• State programs - Find other resources in your state.
• National programs - Find programs that help nationally.
• Condition-specific programs - Find programs that help with specific conditions, such as cancer and thyroid disease.
• Breed-specific programs - For dogs.
• Assistance with routine pet care and other needs - Ex. food, spay/neuter, vaccinations, transportation.
• Resources for horses

Petsmart Charities provide grants that support programs for companion pets. We define companion pets as those that live in and share our homes and for whom PetSmart, our corporate supporter, is the retail provider of their supplies and services.

We are unable to review requests to support equine, farm animals, livestock or wildlife.

PetSmart Charities supports our adoption and veterinary service partners through grant programs with varying grant opening cycles. Please review the appropriate grant page on our website for each program’s application process, guidelines, criteria and requirements. Please reach out to the designated Grants Manager with questions.

• For programmatic grants, applicants will be notified within 120 days of the grant’s close date.
• Notification emails are sent to the Grantseeker (person who submitted the application) your organization has identified in SmartSimple, our grant portal. If you haven’t received an email within the stated time period, please check your spam/junk folder as sometimes our messages land there based on an organization’s email filters. 
• If your Grantseeker contact has changed or if you have not received notification within the stated time period, you may reach out to grants@petsmartcharities.org for information.
• For Adoption Partner applications, the approval process takes four-to-six weeks to complete.

• Yes. Organizations may apply for any grant in which your request meets the criteria.
• Organizations are not limited to one grant per year and may apply for funding in multiple categories or submit multiple requests per category.
• However, organizations are encouraged to determine their priorities for support when requesting funding or PetSmart Charities may determine which grant(s) best meet our philanthropic goals.

Each grant program has its own funding parameters. Review the grant criteria and guidelines for each grant program for information on maximum grant awarded. However, we suggest the following as a guide:

• We strongly recommend having a conversation with your Grants Manager prior to submitting a grant that exceeds the maximum grant amount. This will help us understand your intent and priorities.
• A grant request may not be fully funded. If a smaller grant amount is recommended to be awarded than requested, the Grants Manager will discuss the impact of the possible reduction with the organization prior to approval.
• In general, PetSmart Charities will not provide cumulative annual grants to an organization which total over 25% of their annual budget.
• Performance and accurate reporting on previously awarded grants to any organization may impact future funding decisions.
• Administrative costs are limited to no more than 10% of the total grant request. Administrative costs are considered those which have no direct support of the program which could include non-program related wages and benefits, fundraising costs, depreciation on office fixtures and equipment, legal counsel accounting staff salaries and office supplies.

Due to the number of applications we receive and the number of partners we support, we are unable to “prescreen” a request for viability. However, invitation-only grant categories expect that you will have worked closely with your PetSmart Charities Grant Manager on your request prior to submission. 

The most competitive grants are those which have a measurable and defined impact with an efficiency of costs.

PetSmart Charities does not provide funding support for traditional capital campaigns. Please review the grant criteria and guidelines for each grant program for information on specifics of what can be funded, or reach out to the appropriate Grants Manager with specific questions.

• All grant applications close at midnight MST on the published date, however we are unable to offer troubleshooting or technical support after close of business on 5 p.m. MST the date of application close.
• We are unable to extend the deadline for any reason and suggest that you mark your calendar and apply early to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

To more effectively serve pets, we now support a more holistic approach to Improving Accessible Veterinary Care, which may include spay/neuter activities but does not fund spay/neuter-only programs. For more information on this program, visit the Improving Access to Veterinary Care page. 

For grants requesting support for spaying and neutering of homeless pets (shelter/rescue pets), PetSmart Charities Adoption Partners are eligible to submit a grant for review in the Adoption Prep category.

• If an organization has programs for owned pets, they may be considered for an Improving Access to Care grant. For more information on this program, visit the Improving Access to Veterinary Care page. 
• Organizations with homeless pets can apply to be an Adoption Partner if they have the capacity to travel to a store for adoption events. Adoption Prep grants are available to Adoption Partners only. 

Log in to SmartSimple and click on “Organization Profile.” Your organization’s contacts will appear in the side tab. The most senior contact designated as having signing authority will be the primary contact. This is the person who will receive invitations to apply for grants, as well as final agreements, etc.

• No. PetSmart Charities does not require a minimum number of adoptions to become an Adoption partner. Excepted 501(C)(3) in active IRS status, Canadian registered charities and municipal animal welfare organizations are encouraged to apply to become approved Adoption Partners. 
• PetSmart Charities offers donated space in PetSmart stores and opportunities for adoption event grant funding to any approved Adoption Partner independent of the number of adoptions they perform.

• If your organization has not facilitated an adoption in the last two years, you will need to reapply to participate in the in-store adoption program.
• Please contact your local PetSmart Store Leader to begin the process. Click here to find your local PetSmart store. Please note that the Adoption Partner application and approval process takes four-to-six weeks to complete.

If your organization would like to facilitate adoptions at a PetSmart store, please contact your local PetSmart Store Leader to begin the process. Click here to find your local PetSmart store. Please note that the Adoption Partner application and approval process takes four-to-six weeks to complete.

Adoptions are tracked by your organization’s PetSmart Charities Adoption Partner Number. This was the number assigned to your individual organization upon admittance to the Adoption Partner program. Please contact us if you do not know your Adoption Partner number. Please note all adoptions must be recorded in store and assigned to your Adoption Partner number to be properly tracked.

• Partners will have 30 days from the reward payment date to notify PetSmart Charities of the discrepancy. Email your questions to adoptions@petsmartcharities.org.
• Please note all adoptions must be recorded in store and assigned to your Adoption Partner number to be eligible.

The maximum grant given in the U.S. is $75,000 and $40,000 in Canada.

In 2021, our transport grants re-focused to provide for collaborative efforts that involve multiple Adoption Partners utilizing sustainable transport networks relocating at least 1,500 pets (U.S.) or 500 pets (Canada) annually and optimizing the PetSmart in-store network for adoptions.

Adoption Partners can download the latest version of the Adoption Partner Manual here.

No. The number of adoptions reset every year on February 1. The Adoption Rewards program runs from February 1 – January 31 of every year (in keeping with PetSmart Charities’ fiscal calendar). Adoption Rewards thresholds restart on February 1 as well.

• No. Each a time a new funding threshold is reached, Adoption Partners will receive the difference between the larger reward and the first reward paid on or around the 20th of the following month.
• Example: In the U.S., if your organization facilitates 50 adoptions in-store, you’ve reached Threshold 1 ($1,000) and are eligible to receive a $1,000 Adoption Reward. When you reach 100 adoptions which is Threshold 2 ($2,000), you’ll receive another $1,000 reward totaling $2,000 in rewards. Adoption rewards are paid on or around the 20th of the following month.

• Yes. Adoption Partners in the U.S. who reach more than 7,500 adoptions in one year will receive the $250,000 adoption reward.
• Yes. Adoption Partners in Canada who reach more than 2,000 adoptions in one year will receive the $75,000 adoption reward.

• Once an Adoption Partner reaches a new reward threshold, rewards are paid out on or around the 20^th of the following month and are not cumulative. 
• When the next funding threshold is reached, Adoption Partners will be paid the difference between the larger reward and the previous threshold reward payment.
• If there are any issues with regard to payment for an adoption, a request for payment along with supporting documentation must be submitted via email to adoptions@petsmartcharities.org within 30 days of the payment. Claims older than 30 days will not be considered for payment.
• To view your adoption reward payments, log into the grant portal at: https://petsmartcharities.org/grant-portal.
• Adoption Partners are strongly encouraged to track their own adoptions and double-check their records with the store weekly. Any adoptions that are not recorded with the appropriate Adoption Partner number will not be considered for payment under the reward program.

There are three National Adoption Weeks in 2025:

• March 24-30
• July 21-27
• October 20-26

To promote a more equitable distribution of event funding, we’ve replaced Adoption Event Grants with 2 for 1 Adoption Awards during National Adoption Week events. That means during National Adoption Week, each adoption in-store will count as 2 Adoption Rewards to help more partners reach their reward tiers faster. Learn more about adoption rewards.

To help our adoption partners reach their reward tiers, PetSmart Charities is offering 2 for 1 adoption rewards during National Adoption Week. That means each adoption in-store will count as 2 adoption rewards to help more partners hit their reward tiers faster. 2 for 1 rewards will only be issued for adoptions processed through the Sunday of the National Adoption Event week. Learn more about adoption rewards.

Please reach out to your regional Adoption Grants Manager, who can help connect you to your local Store Leader and answer all other inquiries