ABOUT THE MINISTER’S SPECIAL LICENCE (MSL) PROGRAM
The Minister’s Special Licence (MSL) auction permits are a great success story for Alberta, the auctioned permits alone having generated over $7.5 million into supporting the conservation of Alberta’s wildlife resources over their lifetime. Various organizations have dedicated their time and resources to the administration of the special licences over the past 25 years.
The Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS) became the administrator for the auction licences in 2022, with the resident draws remaining under an organization selected by the Minister. (For more on the Alberta resident MSL draws, please visit mywildalberta.ca. The grants issued through the funds generated from the MSL draws are administered by the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)
2025-26 MSLA GRANTS
Funds generated through the auctioned special licences are distributed through Minister’s Special Licence Auction (MSLA) Grants, which are reviewed by the multi-stakeholder MSLA Grants Adjudication Committee which includes representatives from the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA), Alberta Wildlife Federation (AWF), Alberta Hunter Education Instructors' Association (AHEIA), APOS, Alberta Trappers Association (ATA), Safari Club International (SCI) Canada, Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta (WSFAB), as well as Indigenous and post-secondary representatives. The Government of Alberta also participates in the adjudication process.
For 2025-26 the MSLA Grants Adjudication Committee sought projects making an important contribution in Alberta to:
- Enhancing and sustaining wildlife populations and their habitats,
- Addressing identified knowledge gaps concerning wildlife populations and their habitats,
- Generating information that has practical applications for wildlife management, and/or
- Applying innovative approaches to increase the efficacy of wildlife management.
Additionally, the MSLA Stakeholder Advisory Committee has indicated several focus areas for the 2025-26 funding year:
- Identifying and enhancing habitat that supports target wildlife.
- Developing techniques and capacity to assess population size, wildlife demography, and vulnerability to anthropogenic threats.
- Advancing understanding and prevention of wildlife disease, with a particular interest in M. ovi.
Guidelines with further details on the rubric for review and grantee/project eligibility are available HERE.
Camps, hunter training, and community-oriented projects are no longer eligible under the MSLA. Five percent (5%) of the annual net proceeds of the MSLA are dedicated to the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)’s Conservation, Community, Education Grants
2025-26 MSLA GRANT RECIPIENTS (show)
The 2025-26 recipients of the MSLA were:
- Pronghorn Antelope Migration Corridor Enhancement - $29,511
Alberta Wildlife Federation (AWF)
- ABHuntLog: A Tool for Hunters to Contribute to Wildlife Conservation - $20,000
Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)
- Multisar West Habitat Stewardship Project - $30,000
Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)
- Assessing and Improving CWD Surveillance as a Component of Big Game Management in Alberta - $34,000
Uniservity of Alberta
- Next-Generation Wildlife Management AI to Streamline Age Analysis - $61,000
Lethbridge Polytechnic, Wildlife Analytics Lab (WAL)
- Turkey Distribution and Population Augmentation - $50,000
Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)
- Pronghorn Winter Survival and Migration - $110,000
Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)
- Operation Grassland Community: Enhancing Habitat for Wildlife and Sustainable Hunting - $51,000
Alberta Wildlife Federation (AWF)
- Connectivity Project - Corridors - $30,000
Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)
- Efficacy of Aversive Conditioning as a Tool to Increase Coexistence with and Population Sizes of Grizzly Bears in Protected Areas - $47,255
University of Alberta
- Alberta Mule Deer Collaring Project - $250,000
Alberta Professional Outfitters Society (APOS)
- Using Citizen Science to Monitor Mountain Ungulate Herd Health and Population Trend to Inform Disease and Habitat Management - $132,500
Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta (WSFAB)
- Managing Disease Risk for Bighorn Sheep - M. ovi Testing and Evaluation - $51,395
Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta (WSFAB)
- Grotto Mountain Habitat Enhancement - $150,000
Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta (WSFAB)
- Ungulate Enhancement Program - $15,000
Wild Sheep Foundation of Alberta (WSFAB)
2024-25 MSLA GRANT RECIPIENTS (show)
The 2024-25 recipients of the MSLA were:
- ABHuntLog: A Tool for Hunters to Contribute to Wildlife Conservation- $40,000
Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)
- Pronghorn Winter Survival and Migration - $100,000
Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)
- Restoring Habitat for Mule Deer, Pronghorn, and Greater Sage Grouse in Southeastern Alberta - $36,480.69
Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)
- National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) - $15,000
Alberta Hunter Education Instructor Association (AHEIA)
- Outdoor Women's Program (OWP) - $15,000
Alberta Hunter Education Instructor Association (AHEIA)
- Youth Hunter Education Camp (YHEC) - $15,000
Alberta Hunter Education Instructor Association (AHEIA)
- Youth Camp and Winter Youth Mentoring - $15,000
Alberta Trappers Association (ATA)
- Pronghorn Antelope Migration Corridor Enhancement - $20,120
Alberta Wildlife Federation (AWF)
- Operation Grassland Community-Conserving and Enhancing Wildlife Habitat in Alberta's Grasslands - $48,000
Alberta Wildlife Federation (AWF)
- Population Ecology and Demography of Mountain Goats in Alberta - $44,444
Laval University
- Introduction to Hunting - Level 1 - $15,000
Sherwood Park Fish and Game Association (SPFGA)
- Habitat Selection of Feral Horses and Cattle in Alberta's Foothills: Implications for Biodiversity - $46,000
University of Alberta
- One Health Approaches for Coexistence with Urban Coyotes - $42,815.50
University of Alberta
- Effects of Winter Severity of White-Tailed and Mule Deer Hunter Success in Alberta - $32,760
University of Alberta
- Bighorn Habitat Use, Movement Ecology and Disease Risk - $59,190
University of Alberta
- Optimizing Invasive Wild Pig Control and Disease Prevention through Movement and Behavioural Patterns - $115,000
University of Calgary
- Assessing the Effects of Disease on Western Alberta Elk - $77,849
University of Montana
- WSFAB Youth Camps - Hinton and Kananaskis - $15,000
Wild Sheep Foundation Alberta (WSFAB)
- Managing Disease Risk for Bighorn Sheep - M.Ovi Testing and Education - $62,500
Wild Sheep Foundation Alberta (WSFAB)
- Bow Valley Mechanical Habitat Enhancement - $150,000
Wild Sheep Foundation Alberta (WSFAB)
To view our 2024-25 Alberta Minister's Special Licence Interim Grants Report, containing updates on all 20 projects funded by the 2024 MSL auctions proceeds, click here
FORMS
The current application period is now closed.
If you have questions, please call 780-414-0249 or email grants@apos.ab.ca.