Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety

The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act provides grants to State, Commonwealth, and territorial fish and wildlife agencies for projects to restore, conserve, manage, and enhance wild birds and mammals and their habitat. Projects also include providing public use and access to wildlife resources; hunter education and safety; the development and management of shooting ranges, and the promotion of hunting and recreational shooting.

State governments, U.S. Territories, and Commonwealths Participation is limited to State, Territory, or Commonwealth agencies (excluding the District of Columbia) with lead management responsibility for fish and wildlife resources in the United States of America. These entities must pass laws (assent legislation) for the conservation of fish and wildlife. The law(s) must require that revenue from hunting and fishing licenses be only used for the administration of the fish and wildlife agency.

The State, Commonwealth, or Territorial agency having lead responsibility for the management of their 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.

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.

Fiscal year 2025: The Program funds the selection of projects for restoration, rehabilitation, and improvement of wildlife habitat; wildlife management research; wildlife population surveys and inventories; land acquisition; coordinating, developing, operating, and maintaining facilities, acquiring land for, expanding, or constructing public target ranges (up to 10 percent); provisions for public use of wildlife resources, and public relations activities as well as provides training in the safe handling and use of firearms and archery equipment, hunter responsibilities, ethics, and survival; construction, operation, and maintenance of public target ranges; recruiting, retaining, and reactivating hunters and recreational shooters; and basic wildlife management and identification. Fiscal year 2026: Program has not selected projects for funding. The Program anticipates funding projects to restore, conserve, manage and enhance wild birds and mammals and their habitats; to provide hunter development and safety programs; and promote hunting and recreational shooting.