Maryland Department of Agriculture Distributes Spay and Neuter Grant Funding

ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 6, 2023) – The Maryland Department of Agriculture today announced the recipients of the Spay and Neuter Grants Program funding. Recipients will receive funds to help support projects that efficiently and effectively facilitate, promote, and increase spay and neuter services for cats and dogs in Maryland. 

“We are thrilled to see the impact that this program has made in its 10th year,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “We are seeing fewer pets coming into shelters and the drop in the euthanasia rate is both impressive and heartwarming.” 

Now in its 10th year, the Spay and Neuter Program was launched with the purpose of reducing intake and euthanasia in Maryland shelters. As of December 31, 2022, annual data reported to the program indicates a decrease of 27% in dog and cat shelter intakes, and a decrease of 62% in shelter euthanasia rates.

The 32 grant recipients will receive a total of $902,958 in funding to provide 14,590 spay and neuter surgeries for pets of low-income families and free-roaming unowned cats.  Recipients include government animal shelters and 501(c)3 nonprofit animal welfare organizations. Projects are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024. 

The Program is funded through fees collected from the pet food industry for products registered to sell within the state. To date, the Spay and Neuter Program has funded 281 grant projects that collectively have completed over 110,617 spay and neuter procedures. A seven-member advisory board, appointed by the Maryland Secretary of Agriculture, reviews all grant applications and provides funding recommendations to the Secretary. 

A full list of grant awardees for this year, and prior years, can be found is available on the Spay and Neuter Grants Program website, as well as lists of all active owned pet projects and feral cat projects.

More information about the Spay and Neuter Grants Program is available on the department’s website. For questions about the program, please contact Jen Swanson, Program Coordinator, at (410) 841-5766 or jen.swanson@maryland.gov.

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