This grant seeks to support approved companion animal rehoming organisations and eligible non-government organisations by assisting them to cover the costs associated with caring for and rehoming companion animals and improve companion animal welfare outcomes across the State.

An organisation can apply for a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $100,000. One application per organisation, per round will be considered.

For a grant activity to be eligible it must be for one of the following activities:

• Improve the rates of reuniting companion animals to their owners and rehoming of companion animals.
• Training, services, systems or equipment that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of companion animal rehoming.
• Provision of animal relief services during an emergency or crisis.
• Veterinary treatment, including desexing, microchipping, vaccinations and any other medical treatments.
• The provision of services to deliver training or rehabilitation for a dog or cat to enable future rehoming opportunities.
• Education programs on responsible ownership of animals, including consideration of ethics, sentience and duty of care.
• Upgrade or extension of current facilities to improve the welfare of companion animals.

To be eligible you must:

• Have an Australian Business Number (ABN) or Australian Company Number (ACN) for an entity that is registered and based in NSW.
• Have a bank account with an Australian financial institution.
• Be seeking a minimum funding amount of $10,000.
• Operate animal welfare or rehoming services within the State of NSW.
• Currently hold $10 million in public liability insurance cover and provide a copy of the certificate of currency for this with your application, or be willing to attain cover prior to entering into a funding agreement.
• Have acquitted any funding previously received under the 2023 Competitive Companion Animal Welfare and Rehoming Grant program, or have an approved extension in place.

You must be one of the following non-government organisations:

• A designated rehoming organisation under section 88B of the Companion Animals Act 1998.
• A rehoming organisation or approved animal welfare organisation as defined under section 5 of the Companion Animals Act 1998 (except for a council or any other operator of a council pound) and which is actively involved in companion animal rehoming activities.
• A registered charity predominantly involved in companion animal welfare or rehoming activities, including work that assists in preventing companion animals entering the rehoming system or providing support in an emergency or crisis.
• A registered charity or not-for-profit that provides low-cost veterinary services, including free or low-cost desexing.
• A registered charity or not-for-profit that promotes responsible pet ownership education and awareness-raising.
• A registered charity or not-for-profit involved in building and maintaining community foster care networks.

For the avoidance of doubt, a registered charity or not-for-profit refers to specifically to an organisation registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC).

Projects should seek to address the below grant objectives:

• Achieve value for money.
• Improve animal welfare outcomes in NSW.
• Sustainable delivery of companion animal rehoming services.
• Support eligible organisations to build capability and capacity for companion animal rehoming in NSW.

The below assessment criteria will be used to review eligible applications:

• Consistency of the proposal with the policy principles, objectives and outcomes of the grant program.
• How value for money will be achieved.
• Capability, experience and skills of the applicant organisation in the rehoming and animal welfare space.
• Feasibility and deliverability of the project, including demonstrating capacity and expertise to deliver the project within budget and timeframes.

This grant program is open AND competitive. This means that applications that satisfy stated eligibility, adequately satisfy assessment criteria as determined by an Assessment Panel, and are ranked as the most competitive applicant(s) will be recommended for funding. All applications will be assessed through a staged process where they need to satisfy the eligibility criteria first. If they satisfy the eligibility criteria, they will proceed to the assessment stage where an assessment panel will undertake a review against the assessment criteria.

All successful applicants will be announced on 27 October 2025. All successful applicants will be listed on the NSW Grant and Funding Finder within 45 days of the funding determination.

OLG can be emailed at grants@olg.nsw.gov.au or contact (02) 4428 4100 and ask for Alex Bellamy from the Companion Animal Grants Team.