ASPCA Launches $100,000 In New Grant Funding To Support An End To Factory Farming In The U.S.; Submission Deadline Is July 18th

The ASPCA has announced a $100,000 grant that will be available to U.S. organizations and institutions this year through the new ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming.

Building on over a decade of grant making dedicated to improving the lives of farmed animals, this grant initiative aims to generate new formal or informal research, evidence, reports, and narratives that further substantiate the urgent need to move away from conventional, confinement-based animal agriculture.

Grants will range from $15,000–$25,000 to support projects that bring attention to reducing the overall consumption of animal products in favor of more plant-based foods.

At any given moment, there are over 1.6 billion chickens, pigs, cattle, and other land animals being raised for food across the United States, and approximately 10 billion farmed animals are slaughtered each year for their meat. These animals are overwhelmingly raised on what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the agriculture industry refer to as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), also known as “factory farms,” which may hold tens or even hundreds of thousands of animals in extremely crowded conditions. In addition to being inhumane, factory farming is a major contributor to climate change and harms the health and wellbeing of workers, farmers, and local communities. Despite this, only a network of loose laws and regulations governs these facilities.

“The lack of transparency around industrial animal agriculture’s harms has allowed this cruel form of animal production to dominate our food system,” Daisy Freund, Vice President of farm animal welfare at the ASPCA, said in a statement. “To activate policymakers, food companies, and individuals, we need to shine a light on how destructive the status quo really is and quantify the benefits of more compassionate, sustainable farming practices. The ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming will support the broad community of researchers, advocates, and businesses that are proving there is a better way forward for animals, people and the environment.”

Eligible projects must support the transition of farmers, consumers, lawmakers, corporations or institutional buyers from conventional animal agriculture to more humane, equitable, and sustainable alternatives. Among other themes, the ASPCA is seeking projects that quantify the financial burden that factory farming places on individuals or communities. The organization also aims to reveal new benefits of more humane and sustainable food production, such as higher-welfare farming methods or plant-based products, to the environment, public health, local economies, and worker or farmer wellbeing. Projects that explore new strategies to assist farmers in transitioning from conventional animal agriculture to plant-based farming practices are also needed.

Applications for the ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming will be accepted now through July 18th. For more information about the eligibility requirements or to submit a proposal for consideration, please visit ASPCApro.org/FarmRFP.