The Veterinary Services Grant Program is offering funding to mitigate U.S. veterinary service shortages, particularly in food animal medicine.

Applications may only be submitted by the entities listed below if they carry out programs or activities that will: 1) substantially relieve veterinary shortage situations; and 2) support or facilitate private veterinary practices engaged in the care of food animals and address food safety and public health concerns for the community.
Eligible Applicants for EET
1. State, national, allied, regional, or professional food animal veterinary organization recognized by the American Veterinary Medical Association,
2. College or school of veterinary medicine accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association,
3. University research foundation or veterinary medical foundation,
4. Department of veterinary science or department of comparative medicine accredited by the U.S. Department of Education,
5. State agricultural experiment station or Research Farm (1890 institutions),
6. State, local, or tribal government agency.

Eligible Applicants for RPE
1. For-profit or non-profit entity located in the United States, such as a veterinary clinic or hospital, that provides mixed/large animal veterinary services in a rural area, as defined in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)), within a current VMLRP shortage area. FY2023 shortage situation areas are found here.
2. Clinic or hospital that employs a current VMLRP awardee from any qualifying year (i.e., those with a current service obligation at the time of this application) and applies with reference to the single shortage area to which they are obligated to serve;
3. RPE awards are made to clinics, not individuals. Therefore, only a clinic, not an individual practitioner, may apply for and be awarded an RPE grant.

The Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP) is designed to support education and extension activities and practice enhancement initiatives that will enable veterinarians, veterinary students, veterinary technicians, and veterinary technician students to gain specialized skills and provide practices with additional resources (e.g., equipment, personnel) needed to more effectively mitigate veterinary service shortages in the U.S. Ultimately, this program will bolster the capacity of private practitioners to provide food animal veterinary services in designated rural veterinarian shortage situations. The purpose of VSGP is to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services and relieve veterinarian shortage situations in the U.S., which includes insular areas (see Part VIII, D of this RFA for a definition of “insular area”). Grants will be made available on a competitive basis to: 1. 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. 2. 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 and public health. 3. Cover travel and living expenses of veterinary students, veterinary interns, externs, fellows, and residents, and veterinary technicians. 4. To expose students in grades 11 and 12 to education and career opportunities in food animal medicine.