Please review these Terms and the FAQs on our website before applying.

1. Grant Purpose

• Pets in the Classroom grants support classroom pets or aquariums that help students bond with and care for pets responsibly
• Animal welfare is a top priority. Grant funds may not be used for research or experiments of any kind.
• Grant approval is at the sole discretion of the Pet Care Trust.

2. Grant Definitions and Amounts

• A Pet in the Classroom is a pet that resides in the classroom (e.g., guinea pig, lizard), not a visiting animal (e.g., dog or cat).
• Grants help offset the cost of establishing a classroom pet but do not cover all setup or lifetime expenses.
• Teachers should be prepared for out-of-pocket costs.

Grant Limits

• One grant per teacher per school year

• One initial grant per lifetime (store or rebate), even if teacher changes schools

• One $50 Sustaining Grant per school year after receiving an initial grant

Initial Grants

Rebate Grants

• Up to $125 for an aquarium, reptile, or amphibian
• Up to $75 for a small animal
• Up to $75 for a betta fish
• They have separate applications and teachers may apply for only one rebate grant
• Reimbursement issued via electronic payment or mailed check after receipt submission approval

Store Coupon Grants

• Available at Petco, PetSmart (US/Canada), Pet Supplies Plus, Petland (US/Canada), and Pet Supermarket
• One pet at one store per teacher
• Coupons are emailed
• All items are subject to availability and store policies

Sustaining Grant

• $50 reimbursement grant
• Available once per school year to teachers who received an initial grant in any prior year
• May support an existing pet or a new classroom pet

3. Grant Eligibility and Use

Eligibility

• Available to Pre-K–12 teachers in public and private schools
• Available in the US, Puerto Rico, and Canada
• Not available to home daycares, homeschool settings, or virtual schools
• Grants are awarded to individual teachers, not schools
• Classroom pets belong to the teacher, not the school

Permissible Use

• Eligible pets: small mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, arachnids, etc.
• Pets must reside in the classroom and support student bonding

Store Coupon Grants

• Teachers may redeem only the animals and products listed on the coupons
• No product substitutions are permitted
• All items subject to store availability and policies

Rebate & Sustaining Grants

• Eligible expenses include pets, habitats, food, bedding, lighting, filtration, toys, and required supplies
• Gift cards permitted only at pet specialty stores
• Gift cards may be used only for future live food or perishable supplies

Prohibited Use

• No dogs, cats, livestock, insects, caterpillar or butterfly kits, egg incubators, composting or worm environments
• No experiments of any kind
• No DIY or repurposed habitat materials
• No overhead or administrative expenses
• No store coupon substitutions
• No purchases restricted by local or state regulations (teachers are responsible for confirming legality prior to applying)

4. Account Creation

• Accounts must be created on the Pets in the Classroom website to apply for and manage grants
• One account per teacher is permitted
• Accounts must use a personal/home email address (not a school/work email)
• The same account is used each school year

• As of June 30, 2025, all applicants must create a new account due to a system update

5. Grant Fulfillment Schedule

Store Grants

• Approval emails sent within approximately 14 days (longer during high-volume periods) of applying
• Teachers should add noreply@yourcause.com and mail@grantapplication.com to safe senders
• Teachers should check spam, junk, and promotional folders before contacting support for updates
• Coupons must be redeemed by June 30, 2026

Rebate & Sustaining Grants

• Approval and reimbursement instructions emailed within approximately 14 days of applying
• Receipts must be uploaded within 90 days of approval
• Final receipt deadline: May 31, 2026 (no exceptions)

US & Puerto Rico

• Electronic reimbursement is available via Bill (www.bill.com)
• Enrollment required within 7 days of receiving invitation from Bill
• Electronic payments may take 8+ weeks after receipts are approved
• Paper checks mailed if enrollment is not completed (adds ~4 weeks)

Canada

• Reimbursement issued by mailed paper check only
• Checks typically mailed within 8 weeks of receipt approval
• Processing times may be longer during peak periods

6. Reimbursement Procedure (Rebate & Sustaining Grants Only)

Requirements

• Preferred retailers: local independent pet stores and pet specialty stores
• Authorized online retailers such as Amazon, Chewy, Dubia Roaches, etc. are accepted
• Receipts must be itemized
• Receipts must show total amount and method of payment
• Bank or credit card statements required if payment method is missing from receipt
• All receipts must be uploaded together in one single submission
• Only one reimbursement issued per school year
• No receipts accepted after May 31, 2026

Method

• Teachers in US & Puerto Rico receive an email invitation from Bill (www.bill.com) to enroll in electronic payments
• If preferred, ignoring the invitation results in a mailed paper check
• Canadian teachers automatically receive mailed checks (no ePayment option)

Prohibitions

• No receipts from grocery stores or mass retailers (e.g., Walmart, Target, Home Depot)
• No receipts for dog or cat items
• No DIY habitat materials

7. Modifications

Changing Animal Choice

• Allowed once per school year

Store Grants

• Must be requested before any portion of the grant is redeemed
• Teacher must request deletion by emailing info@petsintheclassroom.org
• Confirmation must be received before reapplying

Rebate & Sustaining Grants

• Change requested by emailing info@petsintheclassroom.org

• Confirmation sent once updated

Changing Grant Type

• Allowed once per lifetime
• Must be requested before any portion of the grant is redeemed

• Teacher must request deletion by emailing info@petsintheclassroom.org) and wait for confirmation before reapplying

Sustaining Grants

• Teacher may change only if they have never received an initial grant

8. Transfers

• Grants are not transferable
• Only the teacher listed on the application may redeem coupons or receive reimbursement

9. Termination and Withdrawal

• Termination allowed only if no portion of the grant has been redeemed

• Teacher must email termination request to info@petsintheclassroom.org
• Cancellation confirmation will be sent