Purina Betterwithpets Prize

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: £170,000-£175,000 (€200,000) distributed biennially
• Success Rate: Approximately 2-3% (3 winners from 110+ applicants in 2023)
• Decision Time: Approximately 3-4 months from application deadline to announcement
• Grant Range: £18,000 - £90,000 (over 2 years)
• Geographic Focus: Europe-wide (UK organizations eligible)
• Application Method: Fixed deadline (applications typically close September)

Contact Details

BetterwithPets Prize Application Contact:

• Email: Betterwithpets@redconsultancy.com
• Website: https://www.purina.co.uk/our-impact/better-with-pets
• European Website: https://www.purina.eu/our-impact/better-with-pets

General Purina UK:

• Website: https://www.purina.co.uk
• General enquiries: https://www.purina.co.uk/contact-us

Overview

The Purina BetterwithPets Prize, launched in 2018 by Nestlé Purina Petcare, is a biennial European grant competition supporting organizations that harness the power of the pet-human bond to improve health and wellbeing. The Prize is part of Purina's commitment to help 1,000,000 people in vulnerable situations improve their health and wellbeing through the pet-human bond by 2030. Since inception, the Prize has supported initiatives including UK charities StreetVet, Pets As Therapy, and Medical Detection Dogs, as well as European organizations. The programme provides not only financial support (€200,000/£170,000-£175,000 distributed over two years) but also access to a collaborative network of past winners, expertise sharing, and opportunities to participate in webinars and conferences. Applications typically open in July and close in September, with winners selected by an expert panel based on mission, innovation, impact, and organizational structures.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

BetterwithPets Prize (Main Programme)

• Total award: €200,000 (approximately £170,000-£175,000) over 2 years
• May be awarded to one organization or shared between multiple winners
• Application method: Fixed deadline application (typically July-September)
• Awards distributed over two-year period as annual grants

2023 Distribution Example:

• 1st Prize: Pets As Therapy - £45,000 per year (£90,000 total)
• 2nd Prize: CTAC (Spain) - €30,000 per year (€60,000 total)
• 3rd Prize: StreetVet - £18,000 per year (£36,000 total)

2020 Distribution Example:

• Winner (Piloted Innovation): StreetVet - £40,000
• Runner-up + 3 Highly Commended (Piloted): 4 organizations
• Winner (Idea-stage) + 2 Highly Commended: 3 organizations

Priority Areas

2025 Focus Areas:

• Assistance Dogs for people with physical or mental health conditions
• Animal-Assisted Therapies
• Pet companionship for the elderly

General Eligibility:

• Organizations supporting people in vulnerable situations through the pet-human bond
• Social entrepreneurs exploring how pet-human bonds can support their mission
• Projects demonstrating positive societal impact through pet-human relationships
• Innovative approaches to supporting vulnerable populations

Examples of Previously Funded Work:

• StreetVet: Free veterinary care for pets of people experiencing homelessness
• Pets As Therapy: Therapeutic pet visits to care homes, hospitals, hospices, schools, and prisons
• Medical Detection Dogs: Training dogs to detect human disease for early diagnosis
• CTAC (Spain): Canine-assisted therapies for hospital patients

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented, but the Prize focuses exclusively on organizations demonstrating impact on human health and wellbeing through the pet-human bond. Organizations must work with people in vulnerable situations.

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Governance and Leadership

The BetterwithPets Prize is administered by Nestlé Purina Petcare Europe. Applications are judged by an expert panel (specific panel members not publicly disclosed), evaluating against criteria including mission, innovation, impact, and organizational structures.

The Prize forms part of Purina's broader corporate social responsibility commitments and is aligned with their goal to impact 1,000,000 people in vulnerable situations by 2030.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Application Method:

1. Request application form by emailing: Betterwithpets@redconsultancy.com
2. Forms available in multiple European languages
3. Submit completed application before deadline (typically mid-September)
4. Only one entry per organization permitted
5. Previous entrants and winners may reapply

Eligibility Requirements:

• Organization or social enterprise based in Europe
• Working to improve health/wellbeing of people in vulnerable situations
• Utilizing the pet-human bond in their work
• Alignment with Purina's mission to demonstrate positive impact through pet-human relationships

Application Platform:

Applications are managed through an online system. Contact Betterwithpets@redconsultancy.com to receive application materials.

Decision Timeline

Typical Timeline:

• July: Applications open (e.g., July 7, 2025)
• September: Applications close (e.g., September 12, 2025 at 23:59 CET)
• Autumn/Winter: Expert panel review period (estimated 2-3 months)
• Winter/Early Spring: Winners announced

Successful applicants receive grant funding distributed over a two-year period as annual payments.

Success Rates

2020 Edition:

• 150+ applications from 23 countries across Europe, Middle East, and North Africa
• 8 finalists selected (approximately 5% finalist rate)
• Multiple prize categories with 8 total awards

2023 Edition:

• 110+ applicants
• 3 winners selected (approximately 2-3% success rate)

The Prize is highly competitive, with success rates in the low single digits. However, all participants (successful or not) are invited to join the broader BetterwithPets community for collaboration and networking.

Reapplication Policy

Previous entrants and winners are permitted to reapply in subsequent editions of the Prize. There is no waiting period restriction for unsuccessful applicants.

Application Success Factors

Selection Criteria

Applications are judged by an expert panel against four key criteria:

1. Mission: Alignment with improving health and wellbeing through the pet-human bond
2. Innovation: Creative or novel approaches to leveraging pet-human relationships
3. Impact: Demonstrated or potential positive effect on vulnerable populations
4. Organizational Structures: Capability to deliver and scale the proposed work

Insights from Past Winners

StreetVet (2023 3rd Prize winner, 2020 Piloted Innovation winner):

• Co-Director Jade Statt noted: “Being recognised by the BetterWithPets Prize gave real credibility to what we do and also opened up amazing opportunities to connect and collaborate with inspiring organisations across Europe.”
• StreetVet emphasized the value beyond funding: "The Prize also gives you access to a community of like-minded organisations and Purina's valuable expertise."
• Impact achieved: After winning, StreetVet expanded from an idea to a fully-fledged operation. The hostel scheme now has 60 hostels accepting pets with 50 more being onboarded.

Pets As Therapy (2023 1st Prize winner - £90,000 over 2 years):

• The organization stated: “If Pets As Therapy were an unpolished diamond, winning the BetterwithPets award will help it to shine by widening our reach and helping us refine our training and support, enabling us to address our growing waiting list and provide more PAT teams into the places which need us.”
• Emphasized immediate, tangible impact: "We know PAT visits can't fix the world, but each and every day our volunteers and their pets are making a difference to people's lives."
• Over 400,000 individuals benefit from PAT visits each year

Medical Detection Dogs (2018 Finalist - £12,000):

• Used funding to expand training programmes and raise awareness of groundbreaking work in early disease detection
• Demonstrates that even smaller finalist awards can provide meaningful support

What Makes Applications Stand Out

Based on analysis of past winners:

1. Clear demonstration of the pet-human bond: All winning projects explicitly leverage the unique relationship between pets and people to achieve health/wellbeing outcomes

1. Focus on vulnerable populations: Successful applicants work with specific vulnerable groups (homeless people, elderly, hospital patients, people with disabilities, those with PTSD)

1. Measurable impact: Winners articulate specific outcomes (e.g., “400,000 people benefit annually,” “60 hostels now accept pets”)

1. Innovation in approach: Projects show creative solutions (e.g., StreetVet's mobile veterinary care, Medical Detection Dogs' disease detection methods)

1. Scalability potential: Organizations demonstrate how funding will expand reach or refine operations to help more people

1. Alignment with Purina's 2030 goal: Applications should connect to the broader mission of improving health/wellbeing for people in vulnerable situations

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Highly competitive: With 2-3% success rates, applications must be exceptional and clearly demonstrate all four selection criteria (mission, innovation, impact, organizational structures)

• Think beyond funding: The Prize offers valuable networking, credibility, and community access - emphasize how your organization would leverage these non-financial benefits

• Quantify your impact: Use specific numbers and examples to demonstrate how many people you help and the tangible outcomes achieved through the pet-human bond

• Target vulnerable populations: Ensure your work explicitly focuses on people in vulnerable situations - this is a core eligibility requirement

• Emphasize the 2025 priority: If your work involves assistance dogs for people with physical or mental health conditions, make this prominent in your application

• Show scalability: Explain how the two-year grant will enable growth, expansion, or refinement that increases your impact on vulnerable populations

• Previous applicants welcome: Don't be discouraged from reapplying if unsuccessful - there are no restrictions on reapplication

• All applicants benefit: Even unsuccessful applicants gain access to the BetterwithPets community for collaboration and knowledge-sharing

References

1. Purina UK - BetterwithPets Prize. https://www.purina.co.uk/our-impact/better-with-pets

1. Purina Europe - BetterwithPets Prize. https://www.purina.eu/our-impact/better-with-pets

1. UK Fundraising - "Purina's BetterwithPets Prize opens for applications". https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/07/08/purinas-betterwithpets-prize-opens-for-applications/

1. Nestlé UK & Ireland - “Grant Available for UK Pet Organisations.” https://www.nestle.co.uk/en-gb/media/pressreleases/allpressreleases/uk-pet-organisations-can-apply-%C2%A3170000-grant-today

1. Nestlé UK & Ireland - “UK Charities Pets as Therapy and StreetVet win Purina BetterWithPets Prize 2023.” https://www.purina.co.uk/news/communities/uk-charities-win-betterwithpets-prize-2023

1. Ashoka - “Purina BetterwithPets Prize 2020.” https://www.ashoka.org/en-us/program/PurinaBetterwithPetsPrize

1. Veterinary Practice - "Application open for Purina Europe's BetterwithPets grant of €200,000" (2025). https://www.veterinary-practice.com/2025/application-open-for-purina-europes-betterwithpets-grant-of-e200000

1. Nestlé UK & Ireland - “Purina BetterwithPets Prize returns offering social innovators who harness the power of the pet-human bond the chance to win over £90,000.” https://www.nestle.co.uk/en-gb/media/pressreleases/allpressreleases/purina-betterwithpets-prize-returns

1. Purina UK - “Better Together Fund.” https://www.purina.co.uk/our-impact/better-together-fund

1. Purina UK - “Charity Partnerships.” https://www.purina.co.uk/our-impact/partners