Disaster Response Grants for Hurricane Idalia

The Disaster Response grant program supports animal welfare and human service organizations in responding to the needs of companion animals affected by major natural disasters in the United States. Administered by PetSmart Charities, the program offers direct cash grants to eligible organizations to alleviate the burden of urgent post-disaster animal care needs. PetSmart Charities is a private foundation focused on improving animal welfare and ensuring that pets are supported during times of crisis, particularly when communities face catastrophic weather events such as floods, hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and related winter storms. This funding opportunity targets short-term response activities within the initial recovery window after a disaster. Grant funds may be used for critical shelter supplies, veterinary care for injured or ill pets, temporary repairs necessary to continue safe shelter operations, and expenses related to staffing and volunteer support during emergency response. Covered items include kennels, crates, food, bowls, leashes, waste management tools, and medications necessary to prevent the spread of disease among affected animal populations. Urgent structural repairs—such as fence repairs or temporary enclosures—are allowable if essential to restoring shelter operations. However, funds may not be used for permanent structural repairs, infrastructure, new construction, or non-disaster-related services such as spay/neuter or grooming. The grant specifically supports the care of shelter, foster, and owned companion animals, with a particular emphasis on responses that assist owned pets. This includes temporary boarding, pet food distribution, and outreach efforts to keep people and their pets together during displacement. Applicants addressing the needs of owned pets will be given priority consideration. Requests to support equine, livestock, or wildlife are ineligible, as are requests for personal property repairs, or for incidents not formally declared as a state or federally recognized disaster. Eligible applicants must be either (a) designated as authorized disaster responders by the agency having jurisdiction—typically a city, county, state, or federal emergency management office—or (b) nonprofit or municipal pet shelters, veterinary clinics, or human service organizations with existing pet programs that have been directly affected by the disaster. Self-deploying organizations without official designation, or those outside the impacted areas, will not be considered. Grant applications must be submitted within 90 days of the disaster, and funding covers costs incurred during the first 30 to 45 days of response. In exceptional cases, support for up to 60 days may be approved. The application process is direct, with no pre-application or LOI stage required. There is no set application window; rather, applications are accepted on a rolling basis following eligible disaster events. Organizations must submit timely documentation to demonstrate the disaster’s impact and the necessity of the requested support. Inquiries should be directed to emergencyrelief@petsmartcharities.org for clarification or additional guidance on the application process. This grant is not part of a recurring cycle but is instead available opportunistically following qualifying natural disasters. Applicants should monitor their local emergency declarations and act quickly to submit within the designated 90-day period post-disaster to remain eligible for consideration.