Once again in 2024, Mars Petcare’s BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program is offering grants to help cities initiate or expand innovative programs that keep people and pets together and make their city more welcoming to pets. Five grants of $20,000 are available to cities or their designated NGO/non-profit partner.

Applying for a 2024 BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ grant is designed to be an easy and applicant-friendly process. However, as with any grant application, it is still a process and we’re here to help!

What makes a strong BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ grant application?

Cities awarded grants in the past had these things in common:

• They found resources in the Programme MEILLEURES VILLES POUR LES ANIMAUX DE COMPAGNIE™ they connected with and brought key elements into their program proposal.

• They were, or wanted to become, a BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ Certified City and join a network of over 150 cities who have raised a paw pledging to make pets an important part of their city’s present and future.

• They proposed grant funding to support a program (not a one-day event, not a capital campaign, etc.).

• They clearly communicated how the proposed program profoundly impacts pets and people within their community.

• They built innovative elements into their program — new to the world or new to their city — that may help inspire or encourage other cities to do similar programs.

• They delivered realistic budgets that showed the $20,000 could fully, or largely, fund the proposed program.

• They thought through options and plans to help ensure the program, if awarded and successful, would be sustainable beyond the $20,000 cash award during the two-year implementation period.

• They built into their processes how their program could be replicated or scaled up to help guide other cities working to tackle similar issues or inspired by similar ideas.

Suivez ces conseils pour vous assurer que votre candidature est complète et compétitive

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:

• Verify your eligibility and make sure the requirements are a fit for you. Begin reviewing the 2024 BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ Grant Guidelines and FAQs on the information page.

• Preview the application questions. Take a look at the application questions found on the information page. Notez les éléments que vous devrez rassembler ou les ressources que vous devrez consulter pour compléter chaque section.

• Make a cadenced timeline of to-dos, backing up from the application due date (August 16, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time) to help keep you on track and on schedule.

DEVELOP YOUR SUBMISSION:

• Arrêtez et démarrez au besoin. The online application form allows you to start and stop as needed. The system creates a draft and automatically and continuously saves your work. Applications will not be reviewed for completion until after you have hit “submit.”

• Déterminez votre catégorie. Grant applications may focus on any of the four areas of the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program’s pet-friendly cities model: Shelters, Homes, Parks and Businesses. If your program touches on several areas, choose the one where the majority of your program’s budget/impact will focus. While examples have been provided within the application and the Grant Guidelines and FAQs, we encourage you to get inspired and learn more about BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ pillar areas here.

• Provide a clear summary. A good, concise summary showcases what is most important to your proposal and helps give a quick, high-level description that makes it easy for you to communicate and easy for others to understand.

• Consider your impact. How does your proposed program:
  – Address a fundamental issue that is keeping people and pets apart?
  – Help keep people and pets together?
  – Create lasting change versus a one-time or short-term effect?

• Ask ahead for your letter of support from your mayor’s office. It is required for submission. Reminder, the letter must be signed and be on city letterhead.

• Soyez précis sur le budget. Bien que la demande de subvention ne nécessite qu'un budget principal, soyez précis sur ce qu'une subvention $20,000 financerait ou soutiendrait entièrement (ou en grande partie). Par exemple:
  – Ne convient pas à cette demande de subvention : Financement général de l'infrastructure dans le cadre d'une grande campagne de financement comme un nouveau bâtiment, l'achat d'espaces verts ou d'équipements de parcs sans programmation dans le cadre de la proposition.
  – Droit pour cette demande de subvention : Propositions basées sur des programmes qui aident à financer la totalité ou une partie importante des travaux qui aident à garder les gens et les animaux de compagnie ensemble et rendent votre ville plus accueillante pour les animaux de compagnie.

• To supplement or not to supplement? Be thoughtful when considering which, if any, optional supplemental materials to upload. Ensure they enhance your application in a meaningful way. While everyone loves to look at pictures of pups, if it’s only a cute photo and doesn’t indicate anything about your program, it will not add value to your submission.

• Gather all your notes, required documents and optional materials in one spot so you are ready to simply copy/paste and upload documents into the online system.

DON’T FORGET YOUR CITY ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT:

• Vérifier that you are either a currently certified city or have submitted an assessment for certification prior to the grant deadline on August 16, 2024. If you are unsure of your certification status, contact info@bettercitiesforpets.com. Achieving certification is not required for a grant, but you must have submitted an assessment within the last two years.

• If your city hasn’t yet completed a city assessment, you’ll need to add that step into your timeline to be eligible for a grant. Make sure your application planning includes time to complete both the assessment and the grant application by August 16, 2024.
  – The online city certification assessment does not have to be completed in one sitting. To begin, click this link.
  – Want to learn more? Here are tips for completing the city assessment.

Questions?

Nous sommes ravis que vous envisagiez de postuler pour une subvention du programme BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™. N'hésitez pas à nous contacter si vous avez des questions sur le processus de demande de subvention ou sur l'évaluation de la ville.

• Start your application here.
• Pour les questions de demande de subvention : woof@civicdesigncenter.org
• Pour les questions de certification de la ville : info@bettercitiesforpets.com

Inspirez-vous et apprenez-en plus

• Découvrez les récipiendaires des subventions de l'année précédente ici
• En savoir plus sur le programme BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ ici
• En savoir plus sur Mars Petcare