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
2024-25 MSLA GRANTS
The 2024-25 recipients of the MSLA were:
Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)
- ABHuntLog: A Tool for Hunters to Contribute to Wildlife Conservation- $40,000
- Pronghorn Winter Survival and Migration - $100,000
- Restoring Habitat for Mule Deer, Pronghorn, and Greater Sage Grouse in Southeastern Alberta - $36,480.69
Alberta Hunter Education Instructor Association (AHEIA)
- National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) - $15,000
- Outdoor Women's Program (OWP) - $15,000
- Youth Hunter Education Camp (YHEC) - $15,000
Alberta Trappers Association (ATA)
- Youth Camp and Winter Youth Mentoring - $15,000
Alberta Wildlife Federation (AWF)
- Pronghorn Antelope Migration Corridor Enhancement - $20,120
- Operation Grassland Community-Conserving and Enhancing Wildlife Habitat in Alberta's Grasslands - $48,000
Laval University
- Population Ecology and Demography of Mountain Goats in Alberta - $44,444
Sherwood Park Fish and Game Association (SPFGA)
- Introduction to Hunting - Level 1 - $15,000
University of Alberta
- Habitat Selection of Feral Horses and Cattle in Alberta's Foothills: Implications for Biodiversity - $46,000
- One Health Approaches for Coexistence with Urban Coyotes - $42,815.50
- Effects of Winter Severity of White-Tailed and Mule Deer Hunter Success in Alberta - $32,760
- Bighorn Habitat Use, Movement Ecology and Disease Risk - $59,190
University of Calgary
- Optimizing Invasive Wild Pig Control and Disease Prevention through Movement and Behavioural Patterns - $115,000
University of Montana
- Assessing the Effects of Disease on Western Alberta Elk - $77,849
Wild Sheep Foundation Alberta (WSFAB)
- WSFAB Youth Camps - Hinton and Kananaskis - $15,000
- Managing Disease Risk for Bighorn Sheep - M.Ovi Testing and Education - $62,500
- Bow Valley Mechanical Habitat Enhancement - $150,000
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 2025-26 application period is now closed. Decisions will be announced mid-March 2025.
If you have questions, please call 780-414-0249 or email grants@apos.ab.ca.