Student-Focused Course Development Program

The student-focused grant program is designed to hone primary practice skills prior to a student's graduation from veterinary school. Completion of these courses should empower the students, particularly during their first few years of private practice, to provide a spectrum of care, ranging from "gold standard" medicine to quality, low-cost interventions.

Eligibility

To be eligible for funding, an applicant must:

• Be a tenured or tenure-track faculty member at an accredited university; or
• Be a clinical faculty member at an accredited university with a multi-year appointment or an annual appointment with a history of regular renewal; or
• Have vast medical knowledge and some experience in private practice.

The Foundation will not claim any ownership rights to materials, but will ask to post a course syllabus on its website.

Additionally, the proposed course must be:

• Aimed at improving canine health, understanding that many techniques or treatments may be applicable to multiple companion animal species.
• Focused on building primary care skills and outcomes-based assessments without the use of high-cost diagnostics or treatments;
• Taught in-person at an accredited institution (no online or remote offerings will be supported);
• Held at least three times as long as it is justified by student enrollment and evaluations.

Courses addressing common canine conditions are preferred. The strongest applications will provide specific course objectives and evidence (which may be practice-based) of the effectiveness of the suggested approach.

Please note that students interested in working in primary care at for-profit veterinary offices serving local communities are the primary audience for these courses. Applications to support shelter medicine initiatives or the like are beyond the scope of this grant program.

Finances

Grants will provide up to $50,000 to cover released faculty time, research assistance, materials, and other typical course preparation costs. Overhead costs charged by all levels (university division, department) may not exceed 10% and will count toward the $50,000 maximum award. A maximum of $40,000 may be allocated to the first year.

Timeline

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Successful applicants will be notified as promptly as possible but in no case later than one month after applying. Upon approval, the Foundation will engage the applicant's university to execute a grant agreement. Fund disbursement will be highly dependent on how quickly the agreement is executed by the university.