Funding Frequently Asked Questions

Science for Animal Welfare funds research and other activities, which help to understand and/or ameliorate challenges to the welfare of animals. We are interested in the welfare of all animal species where they are affected by humankind including farm, zoo, companion, laboratory and wild or feral animals. Please see below (section 2: what won’t Science for Animal Welfare fund?) for more information on our approach to the welfare of wild animals.  
  
We will also consider funding projects to improve understanding of animal welfare through education, training or travel to scientific meetings etc. Please see section 3 below for details of individual schemes.  
  
For all applications, costs should be reasonable and justifiable. In the case of travel, the most economical class of travel or accommodation should normally be used, and for research we will only pay the primary costs of the research – we do not usually fund overheads or infrastructure costs etc.

Our sister charity, the Humane Slaughter Association, funds research into the transport and slaughter of livestock species and any research proposals in these areas may be best directed to the HSA.      

Although we think species conservation is admirable, we do not fund work where the sole aim is conservation. Science for Animal Welfare is concerned with the welfare of animals when it is affected by humankind, so work which reduces animal suffering whilst also addressing conservation issues may be supported but a clear case for how the work benefits animal welfare must be made.   

We do not fund work where the main focus is animal productivity or improvement of livestock yield or product quality.   

We do not generally fund work which has already taken place or is already wholly funded by another body. We do not fund Travel, Training and Other Events Grants for non-members and we are unlikely to fund travel to attend scientific or other meetings where the applicant is not actively participating (by giving a presentation, for example).  

Where a project forms part of a student’s compulsory coursework, we would normally expect the host institution to support such projects in their entirety and any application to fund such work would need to clearly justify why this was not possible and indicate what contribution the institution is making.  

The following schemes are open throughout the year and can be applied for at any time (although applications forms must be submitted at least two months before the start date of the project/date of travel).   

 The schemes below are opened periodically and have specific application deadlines and criteria which will be advertised when calls are announced. Applications for these schemes are not accepted outside these dates.  

Animal Welfare Student Scholarships Annual award, open September/October each year, with a closing date of 28 February the following year.  

Other, occasional grants may be advertised from time to time, and the information will be posted on the Science for Animal Welfare website. 

Grant applications are assessed on their importance for animal welfare, their scientific and other merits, and value for money. To assist us in our assessment, it is very helpful if applications include an estimate of the number of animals affected by the welfare issue investigated, and the severity of the impacts upon their welfare which the project addresses. Applications are also assessed in relation to other applications received in the same time period. Science for Animal Welfare also endeavours to promote long-term capacity building in science-based animal welfare around the world.    

Consideration will be given to any banking or fiscal restrictions that could impede the transfer of a grant.   

Science for Animal Welfare’s Small Research Grant and Large Research Grant are open to any applicant, worldwide. The Travel, Training and Other Events Grant is only open to members of Science for Animal Welfare. The Animal Welfare Student Scholarships are open only to scholar candidates from academic institutions which are members of the Science for Animal Welfare LINK scheme. 

Science for Animal Welfare is an international charity and will fund work anywhere in the world where useful animal welfare research can be carried out – applications are welcome from individuals or organisations based in any country. However, the Animal Welfare Student Scholarships are open only to scholar candidates from academic institutions which are members of the Science for Animal Welfare LINK scheme  for a current list.  

The funds available vary and are limited. It is therefore rare that Science for Animal Welfare can fund very large projects, and typically when such funds are available this will be announced in separate funding calls. However, we do not set limits on what can be applied for under the large research grant scheme.  

Sometimes, we will offer an amount less than that requested. In such cases, we may stipulate that our funding is contingent upon the applicant finding the rest of the money required to fund the project from another source.  

For open application schemes such as the Small Research Grant, Large Research Grants and the Travel Training and Other Events Grant, we try to consider applications as quickly as possible upon receipt (and usually within 4 to 8 weeks). 

Although these grant schemes are open throughout the year, we do ask that applications are submitted at least two months before the scheduled start of the work to allow us time to consider your application.   

For applications with a deadline such as the Student Scholarships, we will publish an estimated timeline for responses.  

Although we fully appreciate how useful feedback can be for applicants, we do not have the capacity to provide detailed feedback or reasons for rejection of applications.  

Funds are normally paid by bank transfer (any costs associated with a bank transfer must be met by the recipients).    

Please note that funds can only be transferred into an account bearing the applicant’s name (in the case of student scholarships/travel awards etc) or the name of the institution which will administer the award.  Payment cannot be issued to third parties.  

Additionally, for reasons beyond our control such as international sanctions, Science for Animal Welfare may not be able to make certain awards.