R1 Enhanced Hunter Education - For State Fish & Wildlife Agencies Only | F19AS00147

Opportunity Information: Apply for F19AS00147

The R1 Enhanced Hunter Education grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F19AS00147) is a discretionary grant offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, aimed specifically at strengthening hunter education efforts run by state fish and wildlife agencies. It sits within a long-standing federal funding framework tied to wildlife conservation and responsible hunting, and it is meant to help states improve and expand the quality, reach, and effectiveness of their existing hunter education and safety programs, including related shooting sports infrastructure where applicable.

This opportunity is grounded in the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (originally passed in 1937 and codified at 16 U.S.C. 669-669k), a landmark law created to fund wildlife habitat work, wildlife management research, and the distribution of information produced by those conservation projects. While the original focus was habitat and research, Congress later recognized that hunter safety and access to safe, well-managed places to practice shooting were also essential to the future of hunting and conservation funding. As a result, the law was amended in 1970 to explicitly include support for hunter safety programs and for the development, operation, and maintenance of firearm and archery ranges.

The specific emphasis on "enhancing" hunter education and shooting range programs was reinforced by the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000. Congressional discussions leading up to that law reflected concerns raised by sportsmen's organizations that some states were not fully using the funds potentially available to them for these purposes, or that state-level effort was uneven at a time when hunting participation and safety expectations were evolving. In response, Congress established the Firearm and Bowhunter Education and Safety Program (often referred to as "Section 10") to provide a dedicated set-aside specifically intended to boost, modernize, and strengthen existing programs rather than simply maintain the status quo. The set-aside described in the notice established $7.5 million for fiscal years 2001 and 2002 and $8 million annually thereafter to support these enhancement goals.

Administratively, the grant is categorized under the education funding activity area and is associated with CFDA number 15.626. Eligibility is limited to state governments, which in practice means state fish and wildlife agencies are the intended applicants and beneficiaries. The posting lists an award ceiling of $241,440, with the opportunity originally created on March 15, 2019 and carrying an original closing date of August 31, 2019. Even though the notice shows "ExpectedAwards: 0" in the provided data extract, the core purpose remains clear: provide targeted federal support so states can improve hunter education and safety efforts, and by doing so help sustain safe hunting participation and the broader conservation system that relies on it.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "R1 Enhanced Hunter Education - For State Fish & Wildlife Agencies Only" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.626.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 15, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 31, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $241,440.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F19AS00147

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