2022 Flood Emergency Wildlife Response Grant Guidelines

1. What is the 2022 Flood Emergency Wildlife Response Grant?

The 2022 Flood Emergency Wildlife Response Grant program supports authorised wildlife shelter operators and foster carers who are rehabilitating wildlife prior to flood and taking on additional sick or injured wildlife impacted by the recent floods in Victoria.

A total pool of $243,000 is available to support authorised Wildlife shelter operators and foster carers in the 59 local government areas.   This grant is to address the immediate needs and basic supplies and services in response to the current flooding emergencies.

2. Who can apply?

To be eligible for this Flood Emergency Wildlife Grant,

• You must be an authorised wildlife shelter operator and foster carer caring and rehabilitating wildlife.
• Not hold any convictions for fraud, convictions under the Wildlife Act 1975 or the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 during the past ten years.
• You are living in the flood affected local government areas (see Appendix A).
• Your shelter or operation have been impacted by the 2022 Floods in Victoria or
• You have taken on additional sick and injured wildlife during the significant floods in October – November 2022.

3. How much can I apply for?

A one-off payment of up to $750 per shelter operator or foster carer as long as they meet the eligibility.

Funds for this round are intended to be spent during the 2022-23 financial year.

4. What might be funded?

This funding is to support authorised wildlife shelter operators and foster carers to enable them to address the immediate needs and basic supplies in response to flood emergencies. The eligible items are consumables (See Appendix B for the eligible items and Appendix C for ineligible Items).

5. When is the application open and close?

This grant will open in mid-December 2022 and operate as a rolling fund, with each application assessed as they are received until the funds are exhausted.

Early applications are strongly encouraged.

6. What supporting documents will need to be provided?

You need to provide a record of animals in the application form that you were rehabilitating prior to the floods and additional wildlife that you have taken into care because of the 2022 floods (see Appendix D for an example).

7. What are the funding conditions?

7.1    Funding agreements

Successful applicants must enter into a funding agreement with the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DEECA). The Victorian Common Funding Agreement (short form) will be used for this funding. Information is available on https://www.vic.gov.au/victorian-common-funding-agreement. DEECA will send the agreement via Adobe Sign to you to sign electronically.

A single upfront payment will be paid into your nominated bank account within 2-3 weeks of the signing of the agreement by both parties. DEECA will provide supplier details form for you to complete prior to payment.

The activity does not include using the Funding for political campaigning or advocacy activities for political parties.

7.2     Legislative and regulatory requirements

In delivering the activity grant recipients are required to comply with all relevant Commonwealth and state/territory legislations and regulations, including but not limited to:

• The Privacy Act 1988 (Commonwealth)
• The Freedom of Information Act 1982 (Vic)
• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004  
• Wildlife Act 1975
• Wildlife Regulations 2013
• Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986.
• Firearm Act 1996
• Wildlife Shelter and Foster Carer Authorisation Guide, 2019-20, DEECA.

All recipients are expected to abide by their authorisation conditions

7.3     Tax implications

Applicants should consult the Australian Taxation Office or seek professional advice on any taxation implications that may arise from this grant funding.

Successful applicants without an ABN will need to provide a completed Australian Taxation Office form ‘Statement by a Supplier” so that no withholding tax is required from the grant payment.

7.4     Acknowledging the Victorian Government’s support

Successful applicants are expected to acknowledge the Victorian Government’s support and promotional guidelines (https://www2.delwp.vic.gov.au/grants) will form part of the funding agreement. Successful applicants must liaise with the departmental program area to coordinate any public events or announcements related to the project.

7.5     Payments

Payments will be made as long as:

• The funding agreement has been signed by both parties.
• Other terms and conditions of funding continue to be met.

7.6     Privacy

Any personal information about you or a third party in your application will be collected by the department for the purposes of administering your grant application and informing Members of Parliament of successful applications. Personal information may also be disclosed to external experts, such as members of assessment panels, or other Government Departments for assessment, reporting, advice, comment or for discussions regarding alternative or collaborative grant funding opportunities. If you intend to include personal information about third parties in your application, please ensure that they are aware of the contents of this privacy statement.

Any personal information about you or a third party in your correspondence will be collected, held, managed, used, disclosed or transferred in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 and other applicable laws.

DEECA is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information. You can find the DEECA Privacy Policy online at www.delwp.vic.gov.au/privacy.

Requests for access to information about you held by DEECA should be sent to the Manager Privacy, P.O. Box 500 East Melbourne 8002 or contact by emailing Foi.unit@delwp.vic.gov.au.

8. How to apply for the grant?

Applications are submitted online using the Grants Online portal.

From this web page, click on the ‘Start New Application’ button.

You will be asked to enter your username. if you don’t have one, click on the “Create an Account” button.

Keep a record of your username (email) and password for future reference. Try to choose an email that will not change in the future because over time your account will record your grant history.

To return to a saved draft application, click on the “Access Saved Application’ button.

You will receive an application number when you submit an application online. Please quote this number in all communications with the department relating to your application.

Note: No hard copy applications will be accepted. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

9. Where to find help?

You can contact the DEECA Customer Contact Centre on 136 186.

10. What happens after I submit my application?

DEECA will assess each application as they are submitted.

The team will notify the outcome of your application.

If successful, the team will forward a simple contract via Adobe Sign for you to sign.

We will also provide supplier (banking) details form for you to complete to facilitate payment.

11. Do I need to provide a progress or final report?

No. You do not need to submit a final report to DEECA.

12. Key dates

13. Checklist

Read these guidelines and the information about this grant program at wildlife.vic.gov.au/grants/flood-emergency-wildlife-response-grant before applying and complete the following checklist.

Have you:

• Read these guidelines carefully?
• Checked if you are, or your organisation is, eligible for this grant funding?
• Checked that you would be able to comply with all relevant laws and regulations in delivery of your activity?
• Prepared the appropriate supporting data or documents?