Guidelines

1. What is the Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants Program?

The Victorian Government’s Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants (WRG) program provides funding to support authorised shelter operators and foster carers to rehabilitate sick, injured or orphaned wildlife with the goal of releasing these animals back to the wild.

The objectives of the WRG program aim to help wildlife rehabilitators to:

• improve the standard of wildlife care they can provide
• improve their facilities to treat, house and rehabilitate wildlife for release
• increase their knowledge/skills in the care of wildlife.

2. What are the funding details?

In 2024-25, the total funding allocation for wildlife rehabilitators is $300,000. Grants will be capped at $3,000 per eligible shelter operator and $2,000 per eligible foster carer applicant.

The difference in funding acknowledges that shelter operators take in a larger number of animals and also provide support to foster carers to learn how to assess and care for many species of wildlife that come into care.

Note: to ensure equitable access across rehabilitators funding, priority will be given to rehabilitators who have not received WRG or other Victorian Government funding support in the last 2 years.

3. Who can apply?

To be eligible for these Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants, individuals must:

• be a wildlife shelter operator or foster carer authorised under section 28A of the Wildlife Act 1975
• have the consent of the property owner if you are not the owner of premises
• have the landowner (public or private) consent for installation of nest boxes activities (if applicable)
• be actively caring for injured wildlife and keeping records.

Note: We accept one application per authorised location only.

4. Who cannot apply?

The following individuals are not eligible to apply:

• a person that has been convicted of any offence under the Wildlife Act 1975, Wildlife Regulations 2013, Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 or similar interstate or federal legislation during the last 10 years
• any person who does not hold a valid Wildlife Shelter Operator or Foster Carer authorisation under section 28A of the Wildlife Act 1975
• any person who has an outstanding/unresolved Improvement Notice from the Conservation Regulator
• any person who failed to complete the previous milestones in the agreement i.e. did not submit final completion reports or acquittal reports (WRG 2019 to 2023 rounds).

5. What might be funded?

The WRG program will fund the following activities and items:

• building new enclosures or extend/improve existing enclosures to meet recommended standards
• purchase of equipment or items to improve standard of wildlife care
• food and water for animals’ dietary and nutritional needs
• veterinary visits, treatment and medical care and supplies
• training courses and relevant educational materials for rehabilitators.

The full list of eligible items/activities are listed at Appendix A.

Note: Items must be purchased and paid for between 1 October 2024 and 30 September 2025.

Approved grant funding is not transferable to support another person’s project.

6. What will not be funded?

The WRG program will not fund the following activities and items:

• the purchase of land
• activities that are already funded through another organisation or program (example: WIRES, Wildlife Victoria, local Council or other Victorian Government’s initiatives)
• recurrent operating costs, for example rent and utility costs, and/or activities that establish expectation of ongoing funding.
• purchase of computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones
• expenses associated with other animals (i.e., domestic pets) or wildlife that is not covered by your authorisation
• marketing, advertising, fundraising or promotional activities and activities located outside the State of Victoria
• any other item or activity determined by the Assessors through the assessment process to be an inappropriate or unsuitable use of the funds
• any item that is in contravention of the conditions of the shelter authorisation
• any illegal activity
• use of fund for political campaigns or advocacy activities for political parties.

The full list of non-eligible items/activities are listed at Appendix B.

7. What are the assessment criteria?

First, applications will be checked for eligibility to make sure that the applicant and their activity are eligible for funding. After that, eligible applications will be assessed using the criteria listed below. Each criterion is given a percentage weighting to indicate its relative importance in the assessment process. Applications should address all relevant criteria.

8. What supporting documents or evidence are required?

The following documents must be attached to the application:

• copy of a valid shelter operator and foster carer authorisation
• Shelter Operators need to provide the most recent shelter records (one year) (Appendix C)
• Foster Carers need to provide the most recent shelter records from your supervising shelter (Appendix C)
• quote for any items that are valued equal to or greater than $500 from any category – failure to provide this will make your application ineligible.
• layout or design and dimensions of enclosures, if seeking funding for new infrastructure (must meet the DEECA requirements)
• photographs of an existing facility or equipment if seeking funding to replace/renew them
• list of training courses, refer to (Appendix D)
• written consent from the property owner to undertake the activity if renting
• written consent from the land or property owner to undertake nest box activities.

Supporting documents must be in an acceptable file type, such as Word, Excel, PDF, or JPEG. The maximum file size for each file is 10MB.

If you have documents to submit that cannot be attached to your online application, you can email them to enviro.grants@deeca.vic.gov.au quoting your unique GA-FRXXXX-XXXXX number on the subject line. Attach all documents to one email, zipping the files if required.

Note: all supporting, or evidence documents listed must be uploaded to the application before submission. No hard copy applications will be accepted.

9. What are the funding conditions?

Funding agreements

Successful applicants must enter into a funding agreement with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA). The Victorian Common Funding Agreement is used for funding agreements with individuals and not for profit organisations.

It is recommended that applicants review the terms and conditions before applying. Information about the Victorian Common Funding Agreement is available on Victorian Common Funding Agreement.

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:

• Wildlife Rehabilitator Authorisation Guide
• 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
• Guide to the Drugs Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations 2006.

All recipients are required to comply with their authorisation conditions.

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.

Acknowledging Victorian Government support

Successful applicants are expected to acknowledge Victorian Government support. Promotional guidelines on 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.

Payments

Payments will be made when:

• the funding agreement has been signed by both parties (recipient and DEECA)
• grant recipients provide supporting documents, or any additional information requested by DEECA
• other terms and conditions of funding continue to be met by recipient.

Monitoring and reporting

Grant recipients are required to comply with project monitoring and reporting requirements as outlined in the funding agreement. This may include:

• progress reports and/or completion reports
• acquittal documentation and audit requirements
• site inspections.

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 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@deeca.vic.gov.au.

10. What is the application process?

Applications are submitted online using the Grants Online portal.

To apply, go to the grant program web page and click on the ‘start new application’ button. You will receive a unique GA-FRXXXX-XXXXX number (write it down for future reference). To return to a saved draft application, click on the ‘access saved application’ button in the form.

12. What is the notification process?

All applicants will be notified in writing of the outcome of their application once the assessment process is completed. All decisions are final and are not subject to further review. Unsuccessful applicants can ask for feedback on their application via email enviro.grants@deeca.vic.gov.au.

13. Key dates

Applications open: Tuesday 26 November 2024 (AEST)

Applications close: Wednesday 5 February 2025 3:00 pm (AEST)

Applications notified: March 2025

Activities commence: March 2025

Final reports and acquittals submitted: April 2026

14. Checklist

Read these guidelines and the information about this grant program at Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants before applying. Please complete the following checklist.

Have you:

☐ checked if you are, or your organisation is, eligible for this grant funding?

☐ checked if your activity is eligible for this grant funding?

☐ checked that will be able to comply with all relevant laws and regulations in the delivery of your activity?

☐ checked that you have fully completed the application form by answering all relevant questions asked?

☐ prepared and attached the appropriate supporting documents requested?

Appendix A – Eligible Items

¹ Please refer to DEECA Wildlife – Rehabilitation Authorisation Guide: Things you need to know, June 2023

² Wildlife tracking research permit is required if it is used to track animals.

³ Exclude PPE for Emergency Response.

⁴ Intensive Care Units (oxygen concentrator and advance unit are not eligible) (no Veterinary Grade)

⁵ A foggier is eligible for carers who keep birds in indoor rooms. It can be filled with a disinfectant like F10 and used to fumigate the room if they have had issues with chlamydia or beak and feather disease.

⁶ According to your level of authorisation (not Veterinarian manual)

⁷Capped at $300 per recipient for cost of registration fees. Flights, accommodation, and food are not eligible.

Appendix B – Non-eligible items

Please refer to DEECA Wildlife – Rehabilitation Authorisation Guide: Things you need to know, 2023.

¹Note: You must not acquire, receive, possess, destroy (euthanise) or dispose of the following wildlife: whales, dolphins, seals, marine turtles, platypus, fish, deer, non-indigenous quail, pheasants and partridges.

Appendix C – Shelter Records

Which Shelter records are required in this round?

• Shelter Operators – Records from Oct 2023 to Nov 2024
• Foster Carers to obtain records from your Shelter Operators

You can download a copy of the Wildlife shelter record sheets from Wildlife shelters and foster carers.

Appendix D – Training attendance record

This template was developed from applicant feedback from previous years.

Each year in the Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants application form, a question asks you to list training/course details you have completed over the years.

This template is for you to update once you complete training or attend conferences. Simply upload the template into the application form without having to re-type the information each year Wildlife Rehabilitator Grants.

Appendix E – Important Notice on Avian Influenza

High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) is a highly infectious disease that can cause severe illness and death in poultry. A new global strain of HPAI H5N1 differs from previous avian influenza strains, as it not only causes substantial mortality in poultry but also can cause the deaths of large numbers of wild birds and some mammals.

HPAI strain H5N1 has not been detected in animals in Australia to date.

What should I look for?

With the increased risk of HPAI H5N1 arriving in Australia, it is important that you are aware of HPAI. By being aware, you can take steps to minimise the risk of disease transfer to themselves and other animals. The most important sign to be aware of is sudden death. Other signs of H5N1 are:

• lack of coordination, tremors, swimming in circles
• twisted necks or other unusual posture
• inability to stand or fly
• diarrhoea
• depression, decreased food and water intake
• difficulty breathing, coughing or sneezing
• swelling around the head, neck and eyes
• cloudiness or change in colour of the eyes.

HPAI should be considered if a high proportion of your collection or group of birds or wildlife become ill very quickly – progressing from normal to severe illness or death within 24 to 48 hours.

If you find sick or dead wild birds or other wildlife, or notice symptoms in your collection:

• AVOID contact with sick or dead wild birds and other wildlife, and their environment. Do not touch or collect sick or dead wild birds and other wildlife
• RECORD what you see, the location the animal was found. Do not touch the animal
• REPORT to DEECA
• Please report clusters (5 or more) of sick or dead wild birds of any species, anywhere in Victoria
• Please report even one
• Sick or dead penguin or pelican
• Sick or dead bird of prey (e.g. hawks, owls, eagles)
• Sick or dead black swan
• Sick or dead marine mammal (e.g. seals, sealions, dolphins).

What do I do if I suspect Avian Influenza?

Avian Influenza is a notifiable exotic disease and any suspected or confirmed cases must be reported immediately to Agriculture Victoria on the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888 (24/7).

For more information, please visit the webpage on Agriculture Victoria or DEECA – Wildlife webpage High pathogenic avian influenza.

Page last updated: 26/11/24