The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is asking taxpayers to help protect the state’s most vulnerable wildlife.
Hoosiers can help by donating to the Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund when filing their state taxes.
The fund supports Indiana’s nongame and endangered wildlife. “Nongame” means species that are not hunted, trapped, or fished for. Endangered wildlife are those in danger of disappearing from the state. No state tax dollars are used to manage these types of wildlife.
You can donate all or a portion of your state tax refund to the Nongame Wildlife Fund by marking the appropriate boxes on your 2020 Indiana tax forms, or when filing electronically.
To donate, fill out Line 1 of Schedule 5/Schedule IN-DONATE form with “Indiana Nongame Wildlife Fund,” enter the three-digit code “200”, and then enter a donation amount on Line 17 of the main IT-40 form.
Direct donations can also be made at any time online or by mail. For more information, visit on.IN.gov/nongamewildlifefund.
For every $5 donation, Indiana is eligible to receive an additional $9 in federal funds.
Habitat management and conservation efforts for these types of wildlife are only supported through the generosity of Hoosiers and supplemental grants from the federal government. Donations have funded recent projects to provide nesting habitat for loggerhead shrikes, identify previously unknown populations of green salamanders, and track lake sturgeon movements.
To learn more about Indiana’s nongame and endangered wildlife, visit wildlife.IN.gov/2356.
