U.s. Fish And Wildlife Service, Interior, Department Of The
Sport Fish Restoration
Key facts
- Open right now
- No open notice at the moment
- Type of help
- Formula Grants
- Typical award
- Range is $900,000 to $14,700,000; Average $5,200,000.
- Deadlines
- Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines
How this money reaches Tennessee: this is a formula program — the federal government sends it to the state (or large cities/counties), and a Tennessee agency usually re-grants it locally. Ask the state agency that runs it, or your regional development district, when their next local round opens.
What it pays for
Sport Fish Restoration funds support activities designed to restore, conserve, manage, or enhance sport fish populations; the public use and benefits from these resources; and activities that provide boat access to public waters. Sport fisheries research and management activities; boating access development and maintenance; aquatic resource education activities; lake construction and maintenance; land acquisition; technical assistance; planning; habitat enhancement; administration; coordination; and hatchery construction are eligible under the Act.
Who can apply
State governments, U.S. Territories, and Commonwealths and the four interstate Marine Commissions
How applications are judged
The State, Commonwealth, or Territorial agency having lead responsibility for the management of their fish and wildlife resources must submit the projects. The Regional Office approves projects submitted for funding under the program that meet the basic criteria outlined in the regulations and the Fish and Wildlife Service Manual.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula.
Eligible State agencies (including Puerto Rico) may be paid up to seventy five percent (75%) of project costs through the program. States are required to provide the remaining twenty-five percent (25%) of the project costs from a non-Federal source, which can include license fees. In accordance with an October 12, 2022 Policy Advisory Notice from the Department of the Interior (Reference No. 2023-001) and 48 U.S.C. 1469(a), Amendment of Subsection (d), the Service's Regional Directors shall waive cost sharing requirements described in this announcement in any grant to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Territories of American Samoa, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands. Matching and cost-share requirements are discussed in 50 CFR 80.84, 50 CFR 80.85, and 2 CFR 200.306.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Examples of funded projects
Fiscal Year2025: The program funds projects to restore, conserve, manage, or enhance sport fish populations and the public use and benefits from these resources; to educate the public about aquatic resources; and to provide boating access to public waters. Eligible activities include land acquisition, boating access development, research, operations and maintenance of public fishing areas, hatchery and lake construction and maintenance, sport fish population management, fishing habitat improvements, coordination, and aquatic resource education.Fiscal Year2026: The Program has not selected projects for funding. The Program anticipates funding projects to restore, conserve, manage, or enhance sport fish populations and the public use and benefits from these resources; to educate the public about aquatic resources; and to provide boating access to public waters.