Grants up to £10,000 are available to provide urgent, life-changing support for vulnerable dogs and their owners across the UK.
The Kennel Club’s Chelsea & Mr French Welfare Fund is named after two beloved dogs who gave comfort and support to Ms Seymour, a generous supporter of the Kennel Club Charitable Trust. She established the Fund in honour of Chelsea, a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and Mr French, a Bichon Frise, so that their legacy of love and companionship could continue.
The Chelsea & Mr French Fund is open to all small dog health and welfare charities who support dog owners in times of personal struggle, and in particular to those owners that fear the separation of their beloved dogs due to hardship of crisis.
A grant from the Fund is intended to transform a challenging situation into support that’s more caring, compassionate and practical. This can include a range of activities, from providing emergency veterinary treatment to sourcing excellent temporary foster-care for their pets.
The Fund wishes to support small dog health and welfare charities which work with individuals and their pets in vulnerable or threatening situations, or where dogs provide support to their vulnerable owner. Examples might include (please note this is not an exclusive list):
• Homeless persons and their support dogs.
• People in domestic violence circumstances, and
• Persons suddenly incapacitated or unable to care for their beloved dog.
Applicants must be a registered charity in the UK and should have an annual income of not more than £500,000. If the charity’s most recent annual accounts show income above this figure, they may still be considered, but only if any anomalies can be satisfactorily explained.
The recommended maximum grant amount for application is £10,000. However, if a charity feels they have extenuating circumstances to request a larger amount, they would welcome an explanation. There is no minimum grant amount.
Further information, guidance and an online application form is available on the Kennel Club Charitable Trust website.
The Trust also considers grant applications for science, welfare, and education projects that benefit dogs and their owners or companions. Details can be found on the Trust’s website.
Applications may be made at any time and are considered every three months.