Mars Petcare will award $100,000 in grants for innovative city initiatives that help keep people and pets together

FRANKLIN, Tenn., August. 2, 2023 – For the sixth year in a row, Mars Petcare is offering grants to cities through its BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program. Today, the company announced it is extending the grant application window through September 1, 2023, to enable more cities to participate.

The company plans to award five $20,000 grants in 2023, for a total of $100,000. The grant program is designed to assist cities with innovative programs and policies that help keep people and pets together.

For example, cities that were awarded grants in 2022 are working to address issues that can separate people and pets, including:

• Houston, Texas is expanding the reach of its Healthy Pets, Healthy Streets initiative through translated program materials and marketing to more pet parents in underserved areas.
• Fort Wayne, Indiana is providing community education about pet body language and behavior to reduce dog bites and, as a result, also reduce surrenders.
• Phoenix, Arizona is expanding a program to help unhoused pet parents find housing, temporary boarding, pet supplies and other support to keep their pets.
• Bentonville, Arkansas is lessening the burden on shelters for pet reunification by expanding low-cost microchipping and empowering local organizations with chip scanners.

Grant applications may focus on any of the four areas of the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS program’s pet-friendly cities model: Shelters, Homes, Park and Businesses. The application is available here.

The grants are being administered by Civic Design Center and are available to cities or their designated NGO/non-profit partner. Cities that receive grants in 2023 will also receive up to $2,000 in optional consultation services from Civic Design Center to help implement their program.

To be eligible for a BETTER CITIES FOR PETS program grant, cities must be a Certified City or have completed the online City Assessment that is part of the city certification program. This program provides a national recognition platform for cities’ pet-friendly efforts, along with best practice research, policy advocacy, resources and toolkits.

Since 2018, Mars Petcare has awarded approximately a million dollars in food donations and nearly half a million dollars in grants that have helped cities create or expand pet-friendly initiatives.

Learn more about the grants and how to apply at BetterCitiesForPets.com/grants.

About Mars Petcare
Part of Mars, Incorporated, a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love, the 85,000 Associates across 50+ countries in Mars Petcare are dedicated to one purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS. With 85 years of experience, our portfolio of almost 50 brands serves the health and nutrition needs of the world’s pets – including brands PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, ROYAL CANIN®, NUTRO™, GREENIES™, SHEBA®, CESAR®, IAMS™ and EUKANUBA™ as well as the Waltham Petcare Science Institute which has advanced research in the nutrition and health of pets for over 50 years. Mars Petcare is also a leading veterinary health provider through an international network of over 2,000 pet hospitals and diagnostic services including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™,  Linnaeus, AniCura and Antech. We’re also active in innovation and technology for pets, with WISDOM PANEL™ genetic health screening and DNA testing for dogs, the WHISTLE™ GPS dog tracker, and LEAP VENTURE STUDIO accelerator and COMPANION FUND™ programs that drive innovation and disruption in the pet care industry. We’re also dedicated to providing a safe and fun place for dogs to stay and socialize at over 200 Camp Bow Wow® doggy day care and boarding facilities. As a family business and guided by our principles, we are privileged with the flexibility to fight for what we believe in – and we choose to fight for: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.