ABOUT THE MINISTER’S SPECIAL LICENCE (MSL) PROGRAM
The Minister’s Special Licence (MSL) Grants are a great success story for Alberta, the auctioned permits alone having generated over $7 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) - more information is available on the ACA website HERE
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. Individuals who are not affiliated with a group but wish to participate in the Adjudication Committee may consider participating as a Hunter at Large; more information and application forms are available below.
Hunter at Large Application Form
The MSLA Grants Adjudication Committee is seeking projects that make 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. Although applications will be accepted beyond these areas, the Committee has a special interest in projects aimed at:
- 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.
Please Note: Camps, hunter training, and community-oriented projects are no longer eligible under the MSLA. To continue community-oriented work previously supported under the MSLA, 5% of the annual net proceeds of the MSLA will be dedicated to the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA)’s Conservation, Community, Education Grants to support non-research projects relating to outdoor education and other conservation activities that benefit Alberta’s wildlife, fish, and their habitats.
For a list of the 2024 MSLA Grants funding recipients,click HERE.
FORMS
APOS is now accepting applications for the 2025-26 MSLA Grant Program.
MSLA Grant Application Form
MSLA Grant Budget Template Form
The deadline for applications is Tuesday, December 10,2024 and decisions will be rendered by the Grants Adjudication Committee in early 2025. Applications can be sent by email to
grants@apos.ab.ca.
If you have questions, please call 780-414-0249 or email grants@apos.ab.ca.