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 is delivering 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 includes:
- $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 allocated a further $7.5 million boost to animal welfare grants in the 2020–21 State Budget. This targeted funding commitment includes:
- $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 2 Pet Desexing and Equine Rehabilitation grant funding closed at midnight on 1 May 2022. Successful grant recipients will be announced soon.
Round 2 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 2 included:
- 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 $471,500 to support not-for-profit equine rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming organisations.
For more information contact awvgrants@agriculture.vic.gov.au
Grant guidelines
Applicants are encouraged to read the program guidelines before commencing an application.
Individual Pet Rehoming grants
Round 1 of the Individual Pet Rehoming grants offered $1.25 million to pet rescue and rehoming organisations to support the rehoming of dogs and cats.
Online applications for round 1 grant funding commenced on 21 June 2021. Eligible organisations were able to apply to be reimbursed for up to $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 that is supplied to the new owner as part of the adoption process, and/or
- services to deliver training or rehabilitation for an animal.
Online applications for round 1 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 on the outcome of the assessment process via email upon completion.
Future rounds of the Individual Pet Rehoming 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
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.
Successful rehoming pets small grant applicants for round 10 (2022)
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 |
Successful rehoming pets large grant applications for round 10 (2022)
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 |
Successful new low-cost vet clinic grant applicants for round 10 (2022)
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 |
Successful vet equipment upgrades and expansions grant applications for round 10 (2022)
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.