R2Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education-State Game and Fish Agencies Only | F20AS00009

Opportunity Information: Apply for F20AS00009

The R2 Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number F20AS00009) is a mandatory federal grant program administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service under the Wildlife Restoration Grant Program authorized by the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. Originally enacted in 1937 and operational beginning in 1938, this law was designed to support core, long-term wildlife conservation work in the United States by providing dedicated funding to select, restore, rehabilitate, and improve wildlife habitat, to conduct wildlife management research, and to share and distribute information developed through funded projects. In practice, this means the program is aimed at strengthening the scientific and on-the-ground capacity of state wildlife agencies to manage wildlife populations and the habitats they depend on, and to communicate results and best practices to the public and partners.

A central feature of this opportunity is that it is specifically limited to state governments, with the title making clear that it is intended for state game and fish agencies only. The funded activities align with the program's listed activity categories of natural resources and education, reflecting the Act's conservation mission as well as its later expansions into hunter education. The program was amended in 1970 to explicitly allow funding for hunter safety programs and for the development, operation, and maintenance of firearm and archery ranges. That expansion is important because it recognizes hunter education and safe, well-managed shooting facilities as part of the broader wildlife restoration framework, both by supporting responsible hunting practices and by providing controlled venues that can reduce unsafe or environmentally damaging informal shooting.

The opportunity also reflects a more recent statutory change: the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act (Public Law 116-17), passed on May 10, 2019, which further facilitated the use of these funds to acquire land for, expand, or construct public target ranges, including ranges located on federal land. This update is meant to reduce barriers that can make it difficult for states to develop safe public shooting infrastructure, especially in areas where land access and permitting can be complicated. By allowing greater flexibility around land acquisition and development for public target ranges, the amendment supports both hunter education goals and broader public marksmanship training needs, while still operating within the conservation-focused structure of Pittman-Robertson.

From the posted source details, this is a grant instrument (not a contract), with an award ceiling listed as $10,000,000. The listing shows an expected awards field of 0, which often indicates that awards are not projected in the same way as competitive discretionary opportunities, or that award forecasting is not provided in the posting, especially for mandatory/apportionment-style programs. The opportunity was created on October 3, 2019, and the original closing date is shown as August 31, 2021. The CFDA (now commonly referenced as Assistance Listing) number associated with this program is 15.611, which corresponds to Wildlife Restoration, a long-standing federal assistance program category used by states for eligible wildlife restoration and related activities.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a key funding pathway for state fish and wildlife agencies to carry out habitat and wildlife restoration work, wildlife research and management activities, and the education and infrastructure elements tied to hunter safety and public target shooting ranges. It is rooted in a durable federal-state conservation framework that has evolved over time to include not just habitat and wildlife science, but also the practical education and facilities that support safe, ethical hunting and shooting sports in ways that align with wildlife management and public benefit.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the education, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "R2Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education-State Game and Fish Agencies Only" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.611.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 03, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 31, 2021. (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 $10,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F20AS00009

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