Programs

  • K9 Unit Establishment Grants

    Canine units can be an important force multiplier for local police departments. The Stanton K9 Foundation provides funding to cover the start-up costs – including acquiring and training the dog – associated with establishing a K9 unit in a department that does not have one already. The second police K9 program is designed to cover the costs of adding a second canine to police departments with a history of success with an existing K9 unit. Both programs make awards to all qualifying departments.

    Currently only New England based municipal police departments are eligible for these grants. All training must occur at Stanton K9 Foundation approved facilities. Stanton approved training facilities are currently located in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

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  • Fallen K9 Replacement Grants

    To honor the lives of K9s lost in the line of duty, the Foundation offers grants of up to $15,000 to fund the purchase of a new K9 and a bulletproof vest. The Foundation makes a binding commitment to provide the funds when an application is accepted. The funds become available to the Department within two weeks of receiving an invoice for the purchase of the K9 and the vest.

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About the Foundation

Between 2013 and 2024, The Stanton Foundation operated the K9 Program, which provided grant funding to support the establishment and replacement of K9 units within police departments. The K9 program made grants totaling nearly $5 million to establish more than 100 K9 units in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, New York, and Vermont.

In 2024, The Stanton Foundation seeded the Stanton K9 Foundation with $5 million to continue its legacy of providing K9 unit establishment and Fallen K9 replacement grants.

Grants are non-competitive and, if eligible, police departments can apply for funding at any point in the year.