Care Knows No Boundaries

Program Overview

As part of the Banfield Foundation's belief that all pets deserve access to veterinary care, our Care Knows No Boundaries (CKNB) grant relieves the financial burden for our Associates who participate in domestic or international volunteer trips dedicated to delivering care to needy populations of animals. This grant reimburses credentialed veterinarians or veterinary technicians for reasonable travel expenses up to $3,000. The amount awarded through this grant will be determined by location and duration of the volunteer opportunity. 

Eligible Associates must be approved for the volunteer trip by the hosting 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, and must use PTO and pay upfront for any travel expenses such as airfare, accommodations, meals, and mileage. While the Banfield Foundation is not in a position to help cover PTO, we are able to reimburse for travel expenses which we believe will help open up opportunities for Associates to use their time and talents in areas of great need. 
Eligibility

Associates must meet the following criteria to qualify for this grant:
  • Associates must be based in North America and employed by a Mars, Inc. company such as Banfield Pet Hospital, VCA Animal Hospitals, Blue Pearl.
  • Associates must already be approved for the volunteer trip by the hosting 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
  • Associates must be credentialed veterinarians or veterinary technicians who will volunteer time and talent to deliver veterinary care, education, or other skilled services to a population of animals in need. 

Eligible expenses:

The following are some common examples of expenses eligible for up to $3,000 reimbursement through the CKNB Grant:
  • Airfare
  • Accommodation
  • Meals
  • Mileage

Ineligible expenses:

The following are examples of expenses that will not be reimbursed, and for which Associates will be personally responsible for:
  • Spouse/Significant other travel
  • Entertainment
  • Child, adult, or pet care costs
  • Parking tickets or traffic fines
  • Cost of immunizations required for travel
Please refer to the Volunteer Travel Reimbursement Guidelines document on Fetch, which provides additional information including a full list of eligible and ineligible expenses. Email Grants@banfieldfoundation.org for a copy of this document if you do not have access. 
Application Process

Associates must complete this online application and receive approval before incurring any expenses. To proceed, you must have evidence of your acceptance on the volunteer trip from the hosting 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Once your application is submitted, the Banfield Foundation will approve eligible applications and award a grant amount based on the IRS per diem guidelines for the location of the volunteer trip. Associates can expect to be notified of the status of their application within 5 business days.

If approval has been granted, the Associate may then arrange travel. The Banfield Foundation will provide an award letter with grant number and approved amount, as well as the Volunteer Travel Reimbursement Guidelines and an expense reimbursement form. Any travel expenses over the award amount will be incurred at the Associate's expense. 
Reimbursement Process

Following the volunteer trip, the approved Associate must submit an expense report for reimbursement no later than 5 days after the end of the month the volunteer event occurred. For example, if the event took place on August 15, the expense report must be submitted no later than September 5.

Expense reports must be submitted to Lacey.Frame@banfieldfoundation.org and must include:
  • Original and itemized receipts for every expense
  • Signed expense reimbursement form which includes the dates, descriptions, and amounts of all expenses submitted for reimbursement.
The Volunteer Travel Reimbursement Guidelines provide an in-depth description of which expenses are eligible. 
Associate Information








Travel Information








 
Program Information




Volunteer Acceptance Document

Upload evidence of acceptance to this volunteer trip from the hosting 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. 

All files attached to this application must total less than 20 MB. Please compress your PDF files at a free resource such as smallpdf.com.
Associate Release Form

Please sign and upload your Travel Release Form, available on Fetch. If you do not have access, email Grants@banfieldfoundation.org for a copy. 

All files attached to this application must total less than 20 MB. Please compress your PDF files at a free resource such as smallpdf.com.
 
Thank you for your passion for volunteering your time and talent to help underserved pets in need. Please contact Lacey.Frame@banfieldfoundation.org with any questions. We will notify you through the work email address you provided of the status of this application within 5 business days.

Contact Information