Large Animal Healthcare Enhancement Fund

The Large Animal Healthcare Enhancement Fund is a $130,000 recurring fund created by the N.C. General Assembly in 2023 and administered annually by the N.C. Agricultural Finance Authority. The funding opportunity is available to veterinarians who practice in one of the 70 North Carolina counties with a population of 100,000 or fewer and who spend 30% or more of their patient care on large animal veterinary care. These funds can be used for repayment of educational loans related to the recipient's veterinary degree, to purchase equipment or technology for use in their practice, or for any additional uses the advisory committee determines is appropriate to promote and develop large animal veterinarians to practice in the designated counties.

Veterinarians who practice in one of the 70 North Carolina counties with a population of 100,000 or fewer and who spend 30% or more of their patient care on large animal veterinary care.

"The maximum award available is $25,000, however the committee only has a pool of $123,500 annually to disperse to grantees" (program FAQ, dated 07/15/2026). The program page describes the underlying appropriation as a "$130,000 recurring fund" created by the General Assembly in 2023.

Use of funds (per G.S. 106-1073): repayment of educational loans related to the recipient's veterinary degree; purchase of equipment or technology for use in the recipient's large animal veterinary practice; or any additional uses the Advisory Committee determines appropriate.

Tax treatment: awards are taxable. Applicants must submit a W-9 with the application, and "you will be required to submit a 1099 form on your tax year that the grant is received."

Clawback: "There is 'clawback' language in legislation in the case your practice migrates away from the 30% large animal practice for any reason. Repayment of the grant is required pursuant to G.S. 106-1073."

Repeat limit: applicants may reapply annually "as long as they have not received two consecutive awards in the previous rounds of funding"; recipients funded in both prior rounds must wait one year to reapply.

Recent scale: $123,500 was awarded to large animal vets in May 2026, and since inception the fund has gone to 16 veterinarians totaling over $250,000.

Administered annually by the N.C. Agricultural Finance Authority. Submit the program Application (see the Application, FAQs, and Eligible Counties Map linked on the page). No specific application-window date is stated on the page; applications were most recently announced as opening in December.