Grant FAQs
What type of organization does PetSmart Charities of Canada support?
PetSmart Charities of Canada can award grants to the following entities operating within Canada:
- Registered charities and municipalities (City, County, Provincial, Indigenous entities, First Nations, Metis or Inuit entity)
- We are unable to fund individuals, private foundations, nonprofits (as defined by the CRA), for-profit organizations, or organizations or programs that operate outside of Canada.
What does PetSmart Charities of Canada fund?
- PetSmart Charities of Canada 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.
My pet needs veterinary care. Can you help?
Regretfully, in order to maintain our charitable status, we are unable provide grants or donations to individuals. All PetSmart Charities of Canada 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 or resources that can support your needs.
What type of pets do your programs support?
PetSmart Charities of Canada 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.
When are grants available?
PetSmart Charities of Canada 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.
When/how will I hear about funding decisions for my grant?
- 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.
Can I apply for more than one grant?
- 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 of Canada may determine which grant(s) best meet our philanthropic goals.
How much money should I request for my program?
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.
- 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.
Can you review my application before I submit?
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, we strongly encourage you to connect with your PetSmart Charities of Canada Grant Manager on your request prior to submitting your grant application.
The most competitive applications are those which have a measurable and defined impact with an efficiency of costs.
Will you fund capital requests? I am building/remodeling a facility or need a new vehicle. How can I apply for a capital grant?
PetSmart Charities of Canada 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.
When do the applications close?
- 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 at 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.
What happened to the Spay and Neuter Grants? Does PetSmart Charities of Canada still support subsidized Spay and Neuter?
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 of Canada Adoption Partners are eligible to submit a grant for review in the Adoption Prep category.
My organization doesn’t adopt pets and/or we don’t have a PetSmart store in our area. How can my organization receive support from PetSmart Charities of Canada?
- 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.
How do I check who our organization’s primary contact is in SmartSimple?
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.
Adoption Partner FAQs
Does my organization need to adopt a certain number of animals to become a PetSmart Charities of Canada Adoption Partner?
- No. PetSmart Charities of Canada does not require a minimum number of adoptions to become an Adoption Partner. Canadian registered charities and municipal animal welfare organizations are encouraged to apply to become approved Adoption Partners.
- Please note that Approved Adoption Partners will be deactivated after 24 months with no logged in-store adoptions.
Do I need to reapply to become an Adoption Partner?
- 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.
What if I am not currently an approved PetSmart Charities of Canada Adoption Partner?
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.
How are adoptions tracked?
Adoptions are tracked by your organization’s PetSmart Charities of Canada 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.
What if there’s a discrepancy in the number of recorded adoptions?
- Partners will have 30 days from the reward payment date to notify PetSmart Charities of Canada 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.
Is there a maximum adoption prep grant amount?
The maximum grant given is $75,000 in Canada.
Is there a maximum transport grant amount?
In 2021, our transport grants re-focused to provide for collaborative efforts that involve multiple Adoption Partners utilizing sustainable transport networks relocating at least 500 pets annually and optimizing the PetSmart in-store network for adoptions.
Where can I find information about PetSmart Charities of Canada Adoption Partner policies and procedures?
Adoption Partners can download the latest version of the Adoption Partner Manual here.
Adoption Reward FAQs
Will the adoptions my organization facilitated before February 1 be eligible for adoption rewards?
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 of Canada’s fiscal calendar). Adoption Rewards thresholds restart on February 1 as well.
Are the adoption rewards cumulative?
- 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: If your organization facilitates 25 adoptions in-store, you’ve reached Threshold 1 ($500) and are eligible to receive a $500 Adoption Reward. When you reach 50 adoptions which is Threshold 2 ($1,000), you’ll receive another $500 reward totaling $1,000 in rewards. Adoption rewards are paid on or around the 20th of the following month.
Is there a maximum adoption reward threshold?
Yes. Adoption Partners in Canada who reach more than 2,000 adoptions in one year will receive the $75,000 adoption reward.
When will I receive my adoption rewards?
- Once an Adoption Partner reaches a new reward threshold, rewards are paid out on or around the 20th 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.ca/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.
National Adoption Week FAQs
When are the National Adoption Weeks taking place in 2025?
There are three National Adoption Weeks in 2025:
- March 24-30
- July 21-27
- October 20-26
Why did Adoption Event Grants go away?
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.
How do National Adoption Weekend 2 for 1 adoption rewards work?
To help our adoption partners reach their reward tiers, PetSmart Charities of Canada is offering 2 for 1 adoption rewards during National Adoption Week events. 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.
What if I need help connecting with the Store Leaders or if I have other questions?
Please reach out to your Adoption Grants Manager, who can help connect you to your local Store Leader and answer all other inquiries.