Mission
The Animal-Assisted Therapy Fund promotes and provides animal-assisted therapy for people of all ages with mental, emotional and psychological challenges. The fund supports this work in the memory of Cordelia Anne Brinton. The fund prioritizes work in which animals are nourished and cared for in therapeutic healing processes versus companion animals.
Examples
The following are representative but not exclusive examples of projects that could receive a grant from this fund:
- Teaching people to interact with animals in a way that fosters emotional growth and learning to improve emotional, behavioral and mental health
- Broadening dimensions or understanding of an individual’s life challenges through interaction with animals
- Impactful programs that meet the emotional and developmental needs of individuals
The following are representative but not exclusive examples of services provided by organizations that could receive a grant from this fund:
- Programs that provide mental health therapy inclusive of animal-assisted therapy
- Services to clients with mental health issues, including those that may arise with physical health challenges
- Animal-assisted therapy programs focused on safe, therapeutically sound, goal-oriented sessions in cooperation with physicians, therapists, educators, instructors and volunteers
- Programs to rescue abused and neglected animals to train and restore them to health for facilitating therapeutic healing.
The following are representative but not exclusive examples of organizations that could receive a grant from this fund:
- North Country R.I.D.E.
- Forget-Me-Not Foundation
- Seeds of Hope Youth Ranch
- Unbridled Hope Equine Assisted Learning Center
- Solvay Hospice House
- Can Do Canines
- Reins of Inspiration
- Amberwing’s Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Programs
- Changing Gaits
- Giant Steps
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for funding, an organization must:
Be classified as one of the following:
- Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (i.e., traditional nonprofit)
- Section 170(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code (e.g., governmental entities and schools)
- Section 7871 Tribal government
- Church
- Organization with a fiscal agent that is classified as one of the above
- Be located in or provide service to residents within: Bayfield, Douglas and Ashland Counties in northwest Wisconsin; or Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake and St. Louis Counties in northeast Minnesota; or the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa/Mashkiiziibii, the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa/Atisokanigamig, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa/Nah-Gah-Chi-Wa-Nong, the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa/Gichi Onigaming, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe or the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa/Gaa-Miskwaabikaang
Grant range
Grants generally range from $300 to $2,000.
Application timeline
Spring 2025 Grant Cycle
- Open: January 3, 2025
- Close: March 3, 2025 at 5pm
- Project Start Date: June 1, 2025, or later
- Project End Date: No more than 12 months from the project start date
- Notifications: By May 21, 2025
- Funding Awarded: May 30, 2025
