U.S. Department of Agriculture: Veterinary Services Grant Program

The Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) will provide support to organizations to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services and relieve veterinarian shortage situations in the United States and U.S. Insular Areas.

Grants will be used to:

• Establish or expand accredited veterinary education programs, veterinary residency and fellowship programs, or veterinary internship and externship programs carried out in coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary medicine
• Provide continuing education and extension, including veterinary telemedicine and other distance-based education, for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other health professionals needed to strengthen veterinary programs and enhance food safety
• Cover travel and living expenses of veterinary students, veterinary interns, externs, fellows, and residents, and veterinary technician students attending training programs in food safety or food animal medicine

Grants will also be used to establish, expand, and better equip for-profit or nonprofit veterinary practices or individuals operating a veterinary clinic or providing veterinary services in a certain veterinarian shortage situation, as designated through the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (https://nifa.usda.gov/vmlrp-shortage-situations), that is situated in a rural area, as defined in the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act. Refer to the solicitation for further details about eligible shortages.

Applications will be accepted for two project types: (1) Education, Extension, and Training; and (2) Rural Practice Enhancement. Education, Extension, and Training grants will support the following types of activities and programs, to relieve veterinary shortage situations, for any of the following purposes:

• To allow veterinary students, veterinary interns, externs, fellows, residents, and veterinary technician students to cover expenses (other than the types of expenses described in the rural practice enhancement program area) of attending training programs in food safety or food animal medicine
• To establish or expand accredited veterinary education programs (including faculty recruitment and retention), veterinary residency and fellowship programs, or veterinary internship and externship programs carried out in coordination with accredited colleges of veterinary medicine
• To provide continuing education and extension, including veterinary telemedicine and other distance-based education, for veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other health professionals needed to strengthen veterinary programs and enhance food safety

Rural Practice Enhancement grants will support the development and provision of veterinary services to substantially relieve designated rural veterinary shortage situations in the U.S. Funds may be used for one or more of the following:

• Equip veterinary offices
• Share in reasonable overhead costs of operating a qualifying veterinary practice
• Establish mobile veterinary facilities in which a portion of the mobile facilities will address education or extension needs

Amount: A total of $2,400,000 is available, of which approximately $1,600,000 will support Education, Extension, and Training grants and approximately $800,000 will support Rural Practice Enhancement grants. Grant ranges are dependent on each program, as follows:

• Education, Extension, and Training: Grant range from $75,000-$250,000 and have project periods of two to four years.
• Rural Practice Enhancement: Grants range from $75,000-$125,000 and have project periods of three to four years.

Eligibility: Applications may only be submitted by the entities listed below if they carry out programs or activities that will: 1) substantially relieve veterinarian shortage situations; or 2) support or facilitate private veterinary practices engaged in public health activities.

For Education, Extension, and Training Program Area:

• A State, national, allied, or regional veterinary organization or specialty board recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association
• A college or school of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association
• A university research foundation or veterinary medical foundation
• A department of veterinary science or department of comparative medicine accredited by the Department of Education
• A state agricultural experiment station
• A state, local, or tribal government agency

For Rural Practice Enhancement Program Area:

• A for-profit or nonprofit entity located in the United States that, or individual who, operates a veterinary clinic providing veterinary services, (i) in a rural area, as defined in the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act; and (ii) in a veterinarian shortage situation designated under the VMLRP in 2014, 2015, 2016, or 2017. VMLRP designated shortage situations in 2014, 2015 and 2016 are restricted to awarded areas (i.e., status appears as ‘awarded’ on the VMLRP shortage map webpage, available at: http://www.nifa.usda.gov/vmlrp-map). Shortage situations MT151, MT166, NE152, and UT165 are not eligible for a 2017 VSGP award.

For all program areas, award recipients may subcontract to organizations not eligible to apply provided such organizations are necessary for the conduct of the project.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=292953

Note: Visit the VSGP webpage for information on applicant webinars at: https://nifa.usda.gov/program/veterinary-services-grant-program

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