Animal Welfare Fund Grants Program
Grants are available to not-for-profit and community organisations who:
- rehome pets
- provide low-cost veterinary services
- provide free or low-cost desexing programs.
About the Grant Program
The Animal Welfare Fund Grants Program was established to support improvement of companion animal welfare in the Victorian community.
These grants recognise that companion animals play a significant role in the lives of Victorians.
The Victorian Government delivered on our commitment to provide $3 million in Animal Welfare Grants and continues to pursue important reforms to Victorian animal welfare laws. The funding commitment included:
- $1 million for animal shelters and foster carers to purchase equipment or upgrade or expand their services
- $2 million for not-for profit and community vet clinics to maintain and expand their services, and allow new low-cost clinics to be set up in areas of need around Victoria.
The Victorian Government is currently delivering the following commitments made in the 2020–21 State Budget.
- $5 million over four years to support animal rehoming services to meet the costs of veterinary treatments, purchase of specific equipment and/or services to deliver training or rehabilitation for an animal
- $1.5 million over three years to enable delivery of free or low-cost desexing programs for cats and dogs owned by vulnerable and disadvantaged Victorians
- $1 million over three years to support horse and pony rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming.
Current grants
Pet Desexing and Equine Rehabilitation grants
Online applications for round 3 Pet Desexing and Equine Rehabilitation grant funding will open on 5 May 2023 and close at midnight on 7 June 2023.
Round 3 of the Pet Desexing and Equine Rehabilitation grants offers financial support to organisations that:
- provide free or low-cost de-sexing programs for cats and dogs owned by vulnerable and/or disadvantaged Victorians, or
- rescue, rehabilitate and rehome horses, ponies or other eligible equine species (refer to Glossary/definitions in the program guidelines).
Funding available in round 3 includes:
- a total of $500,000 to support local government councils and not-for-profit organisations that will provide free or low-cost desexing for cats and dogs owned by vulnerable and/or disadvantaged Victorians
- a total of $330,000 to support not-for-profit equine rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming organisations.
Only one application will be permitted per organisation.
For more information contact awvgrants@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Grant guidelines
Applicants are encouraged to read the program guidelines before commencing an application.
- Pet Desexing and Equine Rehabilitation program guidelines (PDF - 342.3 KB)
- Pet Desexing and Equine Rehabilitation program guidelines – accessible (WORD - 223.7 KB)
Apply for a grant
Eligible organisations wishing to apply for round 3 Pet Desexing and Equine Rehabilitation funding can do so online from 5 May 2023 until midnight on 7 June 2023.
Secure online application forms can be accessed via the following links:
Individual Pet Rehoming grants
Online applications for round 3 of the Individual Pet Rehoming grants are now closed, as applications amounting to the full $1.25 million allocation have now been submitted. Submitted applications are being processed in the order of receipt and applicants will be notified of the outcome of the application process via email upon completion.
Grants totalling more than $2.47 million were awarded in rounds 1 and 2 of the Individual Pet Rehoming grants, to support costs associated with preparing cats and dogs for rehoming.
Round 3 of the Individual Pet Rehoming grants offered a further $1.25 million to pet rescue and rehoming organisations to support the rehoming of dogs and cats.
Online applications for round 3 grant funding commenced on 10 April 2023.
Eligible organisations were able to apply to be reimbursed for $500 per dog and $200 per cat on costs incurred for:
- veterinary treatment, including desexing, microchipping, vaccinations and any other medical treatments, and/or
- the purchase of specific equipment, supplied to the new owner as part of the rehoming process (e.g. crate, bedding, lead), and/or
- services to deliver training or rehabilitation for a dog or cat.
For more information contact awvgrants@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Future Animal Welfare Fund grants will be offered. To receive an email alert upon commencement of each new round, please register for Animal Welfare Victoria’s news alerts.
Subscribe to our news alertsLatest grants awarded
Round 2 Pet Desexing and Equine Rehabilitation grants
The Minister for Agriculture, on behalf of the government, offered round 2 Pet Desexing and Equine Rehabilitation grants to organisations that:
- provide free or low-cost desexing programs for cats and dogs owned by vulnerable and/or disadvantaged Victorians, or
- rescue, rehabilitate and rehome horses, ponies or other eligible equine species.
These are the details of the successful round 2 Pet Desexing and Equine Rehabilitation applicants and their projects.
Organisation | Project title | Grant amount |
|---|---|---|
Beyond Racing Limited | Subsidy for rehabilitating and retraining horses post racing | $80,000 |
Forever Friends Animal Rescue | Equine Facilities Improvement and Upgrade | $63,900 |
Horse Shepherd Equine Sanctuary | Horse Shepherd Specialist Equine Ambulance Service | $110,000 |
Mountain Brumby Sanctuary Inc. | Equipment and training | $29,600 |
Project Hope Horse Welfare Victoria | Hope for Horses – improved equine welfare services and education | $88,000 |
R.A.C.E.D – Racehorses After Care Education Diversity Limited | Retired Racehorse Rehabilitation and Rehoming Expansion Project | $60,000 |
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Victoria) | Peninsula Hay Shed | $40,000 |
Organisation | Project title | Grant amount |
|---|---|---|
Bendigo Animal Relief Centre | Bendigo Community Cat Program – Round 2 | $75,000 |
Central Goldfields Shire Council | Central Goldfields Low Cost Cat & Dog De-Sexing | $14,500 |
City of Greater Dandenong | Subsidised Cat Desexing Initiative | $15,000 |
City of Port Phillip | Pets of Port Phillip (PoPP) Free Desexing Clinic | $32,973 |
East Gippsland Shire Council | Desexing & microchipping program | $87,440 |
Gannawarra Shire Council | Gannawarra Shire Council 2022-23 dog and cat desexing program | $10,000 |
Hindmarsh Shire Council | Hindmarsh Cat Desexing Subsidisation Program | $8,000 |
Lort Smith | Lort Smith De-sexing Program for Little Paws of the North | $80,000 |
Mansfield Shire Council | Mansfield Community Pet Support Package | $32,500 |
Moonee Valley City Council | Moonee Valley De-sexing Subsidy Pilot 2022-23 | $20,000 |
Pets of the Homeless Ltd | Fix-A-Friend Community Desexing | $30,000 |
Second Chance Animal Rescue | SCAR Cat Desexing Program | $68,495 |
Shepparton Animal Rescue and Rehoming | Please don’t litter 2! A desexing program for vulnerable and disadvantaged pet owners | $22,500 |
Starting Over Dog Rescue | No cost desexing program | $51,745 |
Yarriambiack Shire Council | Yarriambiack Desexing Program | $10,000 |
Round 10 grants
The Minister for Agriculture, on behalf of the government, offered round 10 grants to not-for-profit and community organisations that improve the welfare of animals.
These included:
- organisations wishing to establish new low-cost veterinary clinics in areas of need in Victoria
- animal shelters and rescue groups
- organisations promoting responsible animal ownership education
- community foster care networks.
These are the details of the successful round 10 (2022) applicants and their projects.
Organisation | Project title | Grant amount |
|---|---|---|
Cat People of Melbourne | Cat People of Melbourne Foster Carer Development Program | $10,000 |
Happy Huskies Victoria Inc. | Equipment, Safety & Knowledge for Happy Huskies and its Volunteers | $9,984 |
Squishies Flat Faced Animal | Saving Victoria’s Neonates | $8,415 |
The Lost Dogs’ Home | Replacement Cleaning Trolleys | $10,000 |
Organisation | Project title | Grant amount |
|---|---|---|
Australian Animal Protection Society | Meet and Greet Building – The BIG Kennel | $100,000 |
Bendigo Animal Welfare & Community Services | Community Pets Support Program | $27,500 |
Cherished Pets Foundation | Emergency Pet Care for Owners in Crisis | $100,000 |
Sunny Days Rescue & Rehab | Upgrade of Stray Cat Rehabilitation Centre | $93,200 |
The Royal Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Victoria) | New Exercise/Play Yards for Kennels at Burwood East | $87,790 |
Victorian Animal Aid | Shelter Kennels Redevelopment | $100,000 |
Organisation | Project title | Grant amount |
|---|---|---|
Give a Kitty a Home | Wyndham Community Vet | $154,000 |
Regional Community Vet Clinic | Low Cost Community Veterinary Clinic | $200,000 |
Right Vet Pty Ltd | Whitfield Veterinary Clinic | $200,000 |
Westside Community Desexing Inc. | Consolidating the Establishment of Westside Community Desexing | $50,000 |
Organisation | Project title | Grant amount |
|---|---|---|
Forever Friends Animal Rescue | Forever Friends Headquarters – Onsite Vet Clinic | $45,000 |
Lort Smith | Acquisition of Surgical Equipment | $49,217 |
Lort Smith | Acquisition of X-ray Generator and Table | $30,495 |
Lort Smith | Customised Cat Condos | $50,000 |
Lort Smith | Dog Housing Cages for Hospital | $50,000 |
Lort Smith | New X-ray Direct Image Acquisition System | $50,000 |
Project Underdog Rescue Inc. | Fit out of Mobile Vet Clinic and Animal Rescue Transport Van | $50,000 |
Project Underdog Rescue Inc. | Purchase of Mobile Vet Clinic and Animal Rescue Transport Van | $50,000 |
The Lost Dogs’ Home | Essential Veterinary Equipment | $49,248 |
The Lost Dogs’ Home | Replacement Veterinary Equipment | $13,380 |
Previously successful grant applicants
View details of applicants that have previously been awarded grants.