Funder: Animal Welfare Institute
Due Dates (Anticipated): October 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to US$8,000; implementation expected within 12 months of receiving the grant
Summary: Supports practical refinements that improve the welfare of animals used in research beyond meeting their basic needs.
Key Information: Applicants must reside in the United States or Canada, and projects must be conducted in either country.
Description
The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) supports the implementation of refinements that improve the lives of animals used in research beyond meeting their basic needs. Grants can support equipment purchases, staff training, and salaries or stipends needed to put a refinement into practice. Requests for routine husbandry or medical care that an institution should already provide are not eligible.
Supported projects have expanded and enriched housing, introduced less stressful handling, reduced transport stress, and increased opportunities for exercise, exploration, play, and natural behaviors. Examples include socialization tunnels for macaques, larger and more complex rat housing, nesting boxes for woodchucks, and handling tunnels for mice. Selection emphasizes the magnitude of welfare improvement, the number of animals affected, feasibility, overall merit, and alignment with AWI’s mission and priorities.
