Frankie’s Friends National Fund provides financial assistance grants to family owned pets in need of lifesaving emergency or specialty veterinary care whose caregivers cannot afford the full cost of treatment.

This program is designed to help with the TREATMENT of emergency and specialty ophthalmic conditions where the pet would otherwise suffer, be euthanized, or relinquished without proper veterinary care, as seen by a veterinary ophthalmologist.

BEFORE APPLYING: you must have a clear diagnosis, treatment plan, and an estimate of the cost of care from a veterinarian for emergency or specialty care only.

If your pet has not been seen by a veterinarian yet, do not apply for assistance as your application will be denied. 

If the vet hospital has their own financial assistance program or fund, their funds will need to first be utilized before we can consider assisting with your pet's care, including, but not limited to BluePearl, VCA, Banfield, Veterinary Emergency Group, and Planned Pethood.

Grants are not guaranteed, and will not exceed $2000.00 per pet, per household. Due to the large volume of applications we receive, the program is unable to help everyone who applies.

Frankie's Friends can only assist families that have a proven financial need as determined by receiving government assistance, or the household income falling below 250% of the federal poverty guidelines.

If you do not receive government benefits or your income exceeds these thresholds listed below, unfortunately you will not qualify for assistance through our programs. 

RULES FOR APPLYING

• The Bond Fund sends funding directly to the treating veterinarians ONLY IF your application is approved and treatment is scheduled.
• No contributions are EVER given directly to individuals.
• The Bond's Fund will not reimburse for "paid invoices” and will not consider reimbursement situations of any kind. If you have already paid your veterinarian for services, please seek other arrangements for assistance.
• Incomplete requests will be automatically denied, specifically if any piece of required information is left blank or any of the required documentation is not included, we will not be able to assist. All fields are required on the application, including the clinic's email address. 
• The Bond's Fund does not discriminate on the basis of the pet parents’ age, sex, or race and reserves the right to deny funding to anyone for any reason.
• You must be on a low or limited income and show documentation of substantial financial need to qualify for assistance.
• Grants will only be awarded to one pet per household. Exceptions will only be considered in the event of natural disasters or extraordinary circumstances.
• The application must be filled out completely and legibly. Incomplete applications or those that we cannot read will not be considered or processed.
• Make sure you leave a valid and working phone number and email so we may respond to your request with any updates.
• If your application is submitted Monday through Friday, it is our goal to notify you by email within two (2) days of receipt. Applications submitted on holidays or weekends will not be processed until the following business day.
• If you do not hear back regarding the status of your application within two business days, you may follow up at helprequests@frankiesfriends.com.
• Once the application is approved, you must seek treatment within the allotted time period as our funds do expire. This expiration date will be communicated directly to you and your veterinarian at the time of approval.
• Please understand that while the Bond's Fund makes every effort to respond to each application, it is still your responsibility to seek treatment for your pet.
• No application for funding will be considered without a complete, signed application and all required documentation previously listed.

ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES

• Assistance is only provided to family owned pets.
• Grants are only awarded for one pet, per household, per lifetime.
• Pet must already have a clear diagnosis and treatment plan from a licensed veterinary ophthalmologist.
• The Bond's Fund does not pay for office exams or diagnostic testing.
• Pet must have a good or favorable outcome/prognosis with treatment, as determined by a licensed veterinary ophthalmologist.
• Both the applicant and the animal must live in the United States.
• Proof of substantial financial hardship must be provided.
• Applicant must show proof of application and denial for Care Credit, or approval of an amount that is less than the remaining cost of care needed to treat the pet.
• The applicant must attempt to find funding through their own means, personal contacts, and other assistance programs before applying. See our suggestions for fundraising.
• If a grant is awarded, the grant recipient must be willing to provide updates and photos to the Bond Fund.

WHAT WE DO NOT FUND

• Basic or preventative veterinary care
• Routine veterinary care: annual exams, checkups, etc
• Monthly medications
• Single treatment of a chronic disease
• Ongoing, long term treatments of a chronic disease
• Experimental treatments
• Treatment of strays, foster animals, or animals that are part of a rescue
• Treatment of farm animals, animals owned by breeders, or animals used for research or commercial purposes of any kind
• Any bills already paid or procedures already in progress. The Bond Fund cannot reimburse anyone for veterinary expenses already paid.
• The cost of vet visits for animals who have not yet been seen by a veterinarian.

(Applicants must already have taken their animals to a veterinarian for diagnosis and must have a written estimate for the needed procedures.)

If you have read these guidelines and feel your pet's clinical situation and your family's financial situation meet the criteria for assistance, please enter your name below to continue with the application process. 

Please sign to proceed to the next page. You will need to enter your name on each page of the application before proceeding. 

BEFORE YOU START

You will need to have the required documentation available to upload into the application to complete the process.  

COLLECT THE FOLLOWING REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

FINANCIAL information

1. Proof of income: 
   1. Check stubs or recent tax forms from the last 6 months for all adults in the home.
   2. OR proof of receiving government assistance: a Social Security Statement, food stamp card, disability or unemployment benefits for the pet-owner.
2. Proof of application for Care Credit or Scratch Pay showing denial for funding, or being approved for an amount that is less than the remaining cost of treatment needed.
3. Documentation of any payments already made to the treating veterinary clinic towards the cost of care, including the cost of the initial exam and any diagnostics prior to treatment for the pet's current condition and care needed.

CLINICAL information:

1. Written cost/estimate for the proposed treatment that's needed with a detailed list of all potential charges.
2. Prognosis: documentation of a good prognosis with treatment, as determined by a licensed veterinary professional at the treating facility.
3. Medical notes: A detailed statement of the pet’s clinical condition including the medical notes from your veterinarian from the most recent exam and any details explaining the treatment being recommended.

IF YOU NEED TO SAVE YOUR FORM AND CONTINUE LATER

Click the "SAVE" button at the bottom of the page. You will be redirected to a screen where you can save your progress by either: signing up for Jotform using Google, Facebook or Email, or click on the "Skip Create an Account" text at the bottom of the screen. Clicking this will open a window where you can copy the session link, or you can have it sent to your email.

Please sign to proceed to the next page. You will need to enter your name on each page of the application before proceeding.  

If you answered no to any of these questions, you will not meet the criteria for financial assistance from the Frankie's Friends National Fund. Do not continue with the application, and seek additional resources here instead.

Please check each box that applies to your current situation (if TRUE, check the box):

ATTACH THE FOLLOWING REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

All of the following documents must be uploaded and attached to this application to proceed. Applications without these documents will not be considered completed and therefore will not be processed or approved for assistance. There are no exceptions.

 

FINANCIAL Information

CLINICAL Information

If you are approved for assistance, we ask you for three things:

1. To let our donors know what their support means to your family: attach 3 photos of your pet plus a note of thanks. Describe what it means to you to have this financial assistance from the Bond's Fund.
2. Pets helped by the Bond's Fund are featured on our website as “Happy Tails.” Please share the link to let your friends and family know just how much Frankie’s Friends has meant to you and your pet.
3. When your financial circumstances change, we hope you will “pay it forward” by helping the next family in need by donating to the Bond's Fund.

 

Please attach two photos of your pet.

I UNDERSTAND AND AGREE that all of the information I have provided in this application is accurate. I agree that if the treatment plan, estimate, or prognosis for my pet's care changes for any reason, that I will notify Frankie's Friends as it could alter the determination for assistance and my application will need to be reconsidered. I understand that if I am approved for assistance, I am responsible for any costs beyond what Frankie's Friends has agreed to pay towards the cost of my pet's care and that payment will only be made directly to the veterinary clinic, prior to my pet being discharged from care. I understand assistance is not guaranteed and that Frankie's Friends is not responsible for the medical outcome of my pet's condition. I agree to follow the after care instructions provided from my veterinarian to ensure the best possible outcome for my pet.

I have attached all of the required documentation and I agree to the terms of the application.

This agreement and waiver must be signed by the person(s) seeking funds in order to receive funds from the Bond's Fund.

All recipients and applicants of the Bond's Fund agree that the Bond's Fund is in no way responsible for the outcome of any medical procedure funded in whole or in part by the Bond's Fund, nor is the Bond's Fund responsible for the outcome of funding being denied in whole or in part to the applicant(s).

Applicants for the Bond's Fund funding agree that the Bond's Fund will not be liable for any damages or losses as a result of either being denied funding or because of the outcome of any diagnosis or treatment funded in whole or in part by the Bond's Fund.

Funding resources are limited, and the Bond's Fund makes every effort to use limited funds in the most responsible way. The Bond's Fund does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, religious affiliation, or race. The Bond's Fund reserves the right to deny funding to anyone for any reason.

This is the entire contract, and no applicant for funding can modify it. This contract is not assignable. Applicants for funding to the Bond's Fund waive all laws in conflict with the above agreement.

If you have any questions about your pet’s funding, please contact Frankie’s Friends at 888.465.PETS or helprequests@frankiesfriends.com.

Best of luck to you and your pet!