ASPCA Announces $200,000 in Grant Funding for Second Year to Support the Movement to End Factory Farming in the United States

NEW YORK – In honor of National Farm Animals Day on April 10, the ASPCA^® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals^®) has announced $200,000 in new grant funding that will be available to U.S. or select Canadian organizations and institutions this year through the ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming. Building on over 10 years of grantmaking dedicated to improving the lives of farmed animals, these grants will generally range from $15,000-$30,000 to support projects that help to publicly establish, document or illustrate the negative intersections between factory farming practices and human well-being in the United States, or inversely, correlate improved outcomes for people and communities to less intensive farming practices.

“Factory farming poses a grave threat to the welfare of billions of animals, and this inhumane business model has devastating impacts on farmers, local communities, workers and consumers,” said Daisy Freund, vice president of farm animal welfare at the ASPCA. “This year, the ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming is offering funding for projects that ultimately expose how the fates of farmed animals and humans are intrinsically tied to support the movement toward a more compassionate and sustainable food system.”

At any given moment, over 1.6 billion chickens, pigs, cattle and other land animals are being raised for food across the U.S., and approximately 10 billion farmed animals are slaughtered annually. 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 threat to the climate, the health and safety of workers, the vitality of rural communities and the livelihood and well-being of farmers. Despite such devastating impacts, these facilities remain insufficiently governed by minimal laws and regulations.

To build more awareness around the impacts of industrial animal agriculture on people and communities versus higher welfare practices, the ASPCA is seeking proposals for projects that highlight the following:

• Worker Impact: The ways in which labor practices correlate to these different types of animal housing and farm management systems, including contract terms or working conditions.
• Local Community Impact: The impact of these different types of animal agriculture on individuals or communities located near farms.
• Consumer Impact: The impact on the general public of access to or consumption of these different types of animal products.
• Economic Impact: The economic ramifications for producers and brands of raising animals in these differing systems, such as return on investment, level of financial risk and market access.

Since 2001, the ASPCA has provided more than $200 million in grant funding to over 3,500 organizations and programs nationwide dedicated to helping vulnerable and victimized animals. In just the last 10 years, more than $5 million of this funding has gone to organizations and companies focused on protecting farmed animals through direct care, research, educational campaigns and supporting farmers’ adoption of more humane practices or transition to plant-based products. In conjunction with the ASPCA’s efforts helping to enact federal and state policies, corporate engagement and consumer outreach focused on preventing cruelty to farmed animals, the ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming was launched in 2022 to offer financial support for innovative projects that help to hasten our nation’s transition away from industrial animal agriculture. Last year, nearly $200,000 was distributed through this initiative to support farmers, trade groups, think tanks and organizations working on projects that benefit animals and the environment, food producers, consumers and the public.

"Industrial agriculture harms all aspects of life, including the farmers contracted to keep the system intact. There is a huge need for funding to help contract growers struggling in this destructive system to exit the industry and to prevent others from entering into contracts that are often exploitative and one-sided,” said Craig Watts, contract grower transition program director, SRAP. “Thanks to support from the ASPCA, SRAP’s Contract Grower Transition Program can help farmers escape industrial animal agriculture while equipping them to advocate for socially responsible farming systems that prioritize public health, the environment and animal welfare.”

“The factory farming system has greatly harmed the environment, animals and generations of communities. Burdened by a vicious cycle of debt, farmers often feel hopeless,” said Paula Boles, owner of JB Farms and former contract poultry grower. “The ASPCA’s funding is allowing us to continue converting our poultry houses into greenhouses to feed our community and serve as an example for others looking to repurpose their investment into a more humane, healthy and sustainable business model.”

Applications for the ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming will be accepted from April 10-May 30. The resulting materials from accepted projects must be made public and should present new evidence, narratives, ideas, solutions or approaches to researching this topic. Final materials may be written or audio/visual, and any research conducted is not required to be formal or academic; both field research and desk research are eligible. For more information about the eligibility requirements or to submit a proposal for consideration, please visit ASPCApro.org/FarmRFP.