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PATH Intl. Receives Multi-Year Grant to Fund Development and Delivery of Innovation Circles – an Initiative to Support and Advance Leadership at PATH Intl. Therapeutic Horsemanship Centers

PATH Intl. Receives Multi-Year Grant to Fund Development and Delivery of Innovation Circles – an Initiative to Support and Advance Leadership at PATH Intl. Therapeutic Horsemanship Centers

DENVER, CO (March 12, 2024) ­— The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) has received an industry-elevating, multi-year grant to dramatically expand its education and leadership development training programs for member organizations. PATH Intl. leads the advancement of professional equine-assisted services by offering its members and credentialed professionals rigorously developed standards, credentialing and education programs.


The Suzanne McGraw Foundation, Inc. has awarded a $825,000 grant over three years to PATH Intl. to substantially expand its Innovation Circles program, which provides valuable training to leaders of therapeutic horsemanship centers nationwide. PATH Intl. Innovation Circles is a business-skill-development program focused on fundraising, board development and best business practices for member centers of all sizes. With this grant, the program will be greatly expanded and include six months of one-to-one coaching for center administrators after each course is completed.


“The Suzanne McGraw Foundation, through its significant financial investment and partnership, has demonstrated its deep commitment to providing the training and skill development required for equine-assisted service providers to flourish and offer exemplary and safe services”, said Kathy Alm, CEO of PATH Intl. “This grant will make it possible for PATH Intl. Member Center and Premier Accredited Center leaders to expand their knowledge of best-business practices bolstering their financial, organizational and mission success.”  


The foundation has worked closely with PATH Intl. to create the outline and timeline of the program. Program development will begin in April 2024. A search has begun for a full-time Program Manager of the expanded Innovations Circle program.


PATH Intl. is incredibly grateful to the Suzanne McGraw Foundation, Inc. for its forward-thinking partnership and support. Please watch for continued updates on the program and to learn how to be a part of this industry-bolstering center-sustainability initiative.

Contact: Sara Conant, Communications & Marketing Coordinator,
, (800) 369-7433 ext. 123

About PATH Intl.:

The Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International® (PATH Intl.), formed in 1969, advances professional equine-assisted services (EAS) by empowering its members, credentialed professionals, partners and the public through rigorously developed standards, credentials and education that recognize the power of the equine-human relationship. At 721 member centers, more than 71,000 children and adults with special needs, including 8,000 veterans, may find improved health, wellness, a sense of pride, independence and fun through involvement with horses. PATH Intl. members, credentialed professionals and member centers uphold the PATH Intl. Standards, developed and adopted by the PATH Intl. membership, to ensure centers and professionals follow procedures essential to providing safe, humane, gold-standard-quality EAS programming to the public, in the broad areas of horsemanship, therapy and learning. Among its multiple EAS certification programs, PATH Intl. proudly offers the Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor certification (the PATH Intl. CTRI®); the first and only independently accredited certification program in EAS.