£80K funding available from the Animal Welfare Foundation for research projects thanks to legacy donations

The charity has been able to make an additional £50,000 available for research projects this year thanks to generous legacy donations.

Whilst there is no specified maximum or minimum funding grant request, AWF aims to fund a number of projects on animal welfare from the total £80,000 funding pot. Projects should be relevant to veterinary and allied professionals in the UK, begin in 2026 and should be of no more than 36 months duration. 

Funding scientific research to support animal welfare has been at the heart of AWF since it was founded in 1983, and there have been a range of successful research projects over the years which have been invaluable in building an evidence base to help tackle a large range of welfare issues. 

A previous funding recipient, Dr Charlotte Burn, received £26,139 for her investigation into whether rabbits with lop-ears – ears that droop rather than stand erect – are predisposed to ear and dental disease. Researchers examined over 400 pedigree rabbits (comprising 49 different breeds), finding that lop-eared rabbits were more likely to have clinical signs associated with ear disease.  The results of this study indicate that certain rabbit conformation types are associated with conditions that have adverse welfare effects and assisted the British Rabbit Council to develop targeted breeding strategies to improve rabbit welfare. 

Commenting on how AWF funding supported her work, Dr. Burn said: “AWF values research that goes beyond health alone and explicitly considers animal welfare. Being able to gather evidence helps us make genuinely effective decisions about how to solve animal welfare problems. It’s a way of helping make the world a better place.”

Chair of AWF, Julian Kupfer, said: “High-quality research is the cornerstone to improving animal welfare, providing the evidence needed to successfully push for innovation and change. The Animal Welfare Foundation’s research grant programme has been at the forefront of this movement, supporting the best and the brightest professionals to deliver projects that are making a tangible difference. This year we’re excited to be able to increase this funding significantly to help continue to build a valuable evidence base for improving animal welfare.”

Chair of AWF’s Grants committee Nicola Gladden added: “We have a fantastic amount of funding to be able to offer to one or more research projects this year and it really is thanks to the generous legacy donation we received last year. Legacies, no matter how large or how small, are so important to AWF, they enable us to continue supporting much needed research as well as education into the field of animal welfare. If you are thinking about leaving a legacy in your will, please do consider AWF to help us continue helping to improve animal welfare in the UK.” 

Full criteria is available here. The deadline for submissions is midnight on Sunday 10 May 2026. 

Visit https://www.animalwelfarefoundation.org.uk/research/research-grants/

To find out more about leaving a legacy, please visit https://www.animalwelfarefoundation.org.uk/support-awf/leave-a-legacy/