Companion Animal Fund

MVMA veterinary hospitals are eligible to receive up to $500 per client and a total of up to $500 per clinic/hospital. Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The Michigan Animal Health Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a Companion Animal Fund to assist low-income pet owners by subsidizing the non-elective/emergency veterinary medical care of their beloved pets. MVMA members may choose to apply for funding on behalf of clients when the pet owner is unable to pay for necessary treatment (pet owners who do not have any other means with which to pay for treatment). An existing veterinary-client-patient-relationship (VCPR) is required.

The Companion Animal Fund is a service to MVMA members that subsidizes non-elective treatment to a select group of pet owners. In order to qualify for funding, pet owners must:

• Be otherwise unable to pay for treatment
• Be a current client of a veterinary hospital with an animal being treated by a member of the Michigan Veterinary Medical Association
• Be under the federal poverty level, on Medicaid or on WIC (Women Infants & Children)

MVMA member veterinarians and their staff may apply for funding on behalf of their clients with an application sent directly to the MAHF Board of Trustees for consideration.

Donations are processed via PayPal

Grants for research projects are made to individuals of the rank of instructor or above. Either the principal investigator or a co-investigator must be in the tenure stream. If the principal investigator is not in the tenure stream, the co-investigator must agree to complete the research should the principal investigator leave the university. These rules do not apply to grants for educational projects.

Humane Care of Animals In making funding decisions for research projects, the MAHF will consider the humane care of animals being used in the investigations. The facility that houses the animals must be under the control and supervision of a veterinarian and follow the laboratory animal housing standards as stated in the Animal Welfare Act of August 1966, Public Law 9-544 as amended. The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee must approve the project prior to submission of the proposal to MAHF and provide a copy of the application and approval letter. Any infraction of and/or deviation from specified standards of care and humane treatment will result in immediate withdrawal of grant money.

Grants are offered once a year. Proposals must be submitted to the Michigan Animal Health Foundation using the appropriate application by June 1.

Proposals will be reviewed by the Board of Trustees for the relevance of the topic to clinical veterinary medicine. Successful applicants will be notified and presented with the grant monies in two installments.

50% of approved grant monies will be dispersed following grant approval. The remaining 50% will be dispersed once a progress report is received on the project. Upon completion of the research project, the investigator will present the written findings to for distribution in an MVMA publication.