Established in 1968 by The Cat Fanciers’ Association, EveryCat Health Foundation was created to provide a source of funding for medical studies to improve the health and well-being of cats and to disseminate the resulting information through educational resources.

EveryCat Health Foundation is the world’s only nonprofit focused solely on funding feline health research. We award grants for cutting-edge research in feline medicine, ranging from clinically applicable proposals to long-shot investigations with game-changing potential.

Since 1968, EveryCat has funded over $11 million in grants representing groundbreaking health research that improves the lives of cats. EveryCat Health Foundation Board of Directors selects projects for funding based on the recommendations of the EveryCat Scientific Review Committee. The Scientific Review Committee consists of veterinarians, scientific researchers, academicians, and industry advisors who are selected based on their skills and expertise in various areas of research (e.g., medicine, surgery, cancer therapy, molecular biology, statistics, and diagnostics).

 To learn about the Request for Grant Proposals, visit the Grant Process page on EveryCat. All inquiries regarding the Grant process can be directed to grants@everycat.org.

EveryCat Grant Awards

EveryCat Health Foundation offers two (2) grant cycles per year, Spring and Fall. These cycles are open to all proposals. Grant proposals are selected for funding based on strict criteria, including scientific merit, value to feline health, clinical relevance, budgetary soundness, and adherence to EveryCat’s Humane Guidelines.

The maximum grant amount is $50,000 for 1- to 2-year projects. Projects must demonstrate relevance or benefit to improving domestic feline health and/or be applicable to domestic companion cats.

Applicants may be researchers in the field of veterinary medicine, faculty veterinarians, postdoctoral fellows, practicing veterinarians, or veterinary students. PhDs in other scientific and medical specialties are eligible to apply for EveryCat grants; however, it is recommended that they collaborate with researchers and clinical scientists in the veterinary medical field.

EveryCat has dedicated research funds for various medical conditions and specific breeds. For more information, visit the Special Funds page on the EveryCat website. Additionally, EveryCat holds funds which are available for grants to researchers at specific universities (The George Sydney and Phyllis Redmond Miller Trust). Questions about the Miller Trust Funds can be directed to grants@everycat.org.

Dedicated funds are also available to encourage new and innovative researchers with an interest in feline health and medicine to submit grant proposals. The Joan Miller New Investigator Grant Award will be awarded to qualified investigators in the maximum amount of $25,000, with $23,000 available for research and $2,000 available for travel expenses to present the study results at a major veterinary conference. For additional information about the Joan Miller New Investigator Award, direct inquiries to grants@everycat.org

Important areas of research EveryCat has been involved with include:

• Identification of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and investigation of PCR as a diagnostic tool
• Development of in-clinic screening tests for FeLV-infected cats
• Evaluation of the feasibility and safety of early spay and neutering
• Discovery of the link between taurine deficiency and feline dilated cardiomyopathy
• Investigation of the biology of feline coronavirus and the epidemiology of feline infectious peritonitis as well as advances in diagnostics
• Determination of the inheritance of feline blood groups and characterization of feline neonatal isoerythrolysis
• Discovery of the gene causing feline polycystic kidney disease
• Characterization of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and identification of HCM as a heritable disease in Maine Coon cats and Ragdoll cats
• Development of techniques to measure feline blood pressure
• Determination of how to safely administer oral medications to cats
• Determination of the need for a high protein/low carbohydrate canned diet for cats, especially in controlling diabetes mellitus in cats
• Determination that aerosolized medications are efficacious in the treatment of asthma in cats
• Discovery of the gene causing hypokalemia in Burmese cats
• Discover of the mutation at the spike protein cleavage site and pathogenesis of feline coronavirus