Battersea is offering grants to support medium-sized companion animal welfare charities to develop infrastructure, organisational capability and operational capacity.

The award is part of Battersea’s wider portfolio of grants across the animal welfare sector. It is intended to strengthen professionalism and sustainability in organisations working with cats and dogs, with a focus on improving welfare outcomes, supporting collaboration across the sector and helping charities plan for future challenges, including delivering more preventative work.

Grants of up to £200,000 are available over two years, with up to five awards expected per funding round. Battersea aims to fund no more than one third of an applicant’s most recent annual expenditure.

Eligible applicants must be registered charities based in, and delivering work in, the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. Organisations must be members of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes (ADCH) or intend to apply for ADCH membership. In Scotland, applicants must instead hold, or be working towards, the relevant Scottish animal welfare licence and comply with The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations.

Applicants must have animal throughput, a clear euthanasia policy and allocate spending to both cats and dogs.

Projects must cover at least two of three focus areas and explain how these support progress towards attaining or maintaining ADCH membership, ADCH standards or relevant Scottish licensing standards.

Eligible costs include capital development such as kennel and cattery improvements, transport vehicles and disease prevention equipment, operational infrastructure such as record-keeping systems, SOP development and staff training, and operational staff posts including veterinary nurses, welfare assistants, foster coordinators and operations managers.

Successful applicants are expected to begin delivery in January 2027.