The Elmina B. Sewall Foundation is seeking applications for its Animal Welfare Grants.
Donor Name: Elmina B. Sewall Foundation
State: Maine
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/25/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
The Sewall Foundation’s support for animal well-being is rooted in the interests of its founder and recognition that the health and well-being of animals, people and environment are inextricably linked. A just, healthy, and sustainable Maine requires that all life is recognized for its inherent value. They will fund organizations working to reduce barriers to equitable pet ownership, keep pets with their owners, and humanely control pet populations. The focus of this funding is on cats and dogs.
Priorities
The focus is on supporting organizations and efforts that are working on at least one of the following:
- Provide humane sheltering and rehoming services primarily for cats and dogs (animal shelters)
- Provide supports to keep pets with their owners (animal shelters or social service agencies)
- Provide access to affordable veterinary care
- Advocacy and field building
- Humanely controlling pet population
The foundation will prioritize organizations that:
- Are under-resourced and serve under-resourced communities
- Provide (or seek to) community supports designed to keep animals in homes and out of shelters (e.g. access to affordable neutering services, pet food pantries, veterinary assistance programs, training and humane-education, crisis management assistance such as temporary sheltering)
- Work collaboratively to meet animal and community needs
Funding Information
- Available funding: $320,000.
Generally, grant funding levels in this program area are:
- Animal Shelters: $10,000 to $50,000 per year
- 1–3-year proposals will be considered
- Field Building $25,000 to $75,000 per year
- 1–4-year proposals will be considered
- Social Services: $10,000 to $50,000 per year
- 1–3-year proposals will be considered
- Pet Population Control: $10,000 to $50,000 per year
- 1–3-year proposals will be considered
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be eligible to accept tax-deductible donations as outlined in Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code. This includes 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt organizations, public schools, public agencies working for the State of Maine, or Indian tribal governments (and their political subdivisions) recognized by the Department of the Interior.
- The Sewall Foundation accepts applications from organizations and groups who work through a fiscal sponsor. A fiscally sponsored organization cannot have a pre-existing tax status and needs to have a clear not-for-profit purpose that serves the public. They require a fiscal sponsorship agreement submitted with the application that is signed by authorized signatories from both parties (the fiscal sponsor and the fiscally sponsored entity).
- The Sewall Foundation accepts applications from collaboratives of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. One of the partner organizations will need to serve as the fiscal host or fiscal sponsor for the proposal, depending on how your collaborative is structured. They do require a memorandum of understanding submitted with the application that is signed by authorized signatories from all partner organizations in the collaborative, OR a fiscal sponsorship agreement, depending on the collaborative structure.
- The Sewall Foundation has funded 501(C)(4) organizations in the past for specific nonpartisan and charitable work, however it requires additional considerations and expenditure responsibility. They ask that any 501(c)(4) organization contact program staff to explore potential grant support. Organizations with 501(C)(4) status should not start or submit a grant application before speaking with program staff.
- The Sewall Foundation does not provide grant funding to private for-profit enterprises, cooperatives, or individuals. Such entities might explore potential partnership through Impact Investing. Nonprofits with 501 (C)(3) status may apply for funding that includes paying for-profits, cooperatives, or individuals/contractors for services, but the nonprofit organization needs to be the entity that applies for, receives, and reports on funding. It should also be noted that funds received by for-profits, cooperatives, and individuals/contractors through a grant or contract services with a nonprofit may have income tax consequences for the entity or individual.
- Organizations may submit an application one time per calendar year. Some exceptions may be made in the case of fiscal sponsorships and multi-organization collaborations. Organizations with active multi-year grants must wait to apply for additional funding until the year in which the current grant-term ends.
For more information, visit EBSF.
