R2 Sport Fish Restoration Grant Program (TO STATE FISH AND GAME AGENCIES ONLY) | F16AS00048

Opportunity Information: Apply for F16AS00048

The R2 Sport Fish Restoration Grant Program is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) grant opportunity that supports state-led work to restore, conserve, manage, and enhance sport fish resources and the public benefits tied to those fisheries. It is rooted in the Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950, also known as the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777-777m). The program was designed as a fisheries counterpart to the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, creating a long-term funding structure to help states sustain and improve fishery resources and recreational opportunities.

A defining feature of this program is how it is funded. Instead of relying on general taxpayer appropriations, the Sport Fish Restoration Grant Program is supported by excise tax revenues collected on sport fishing equipment. Manufacturers of items such as fishing rods, reels, creels, lures, flies, and artificial baits pay these taxes into the U.S. Treasury, and those receipts are then used to fund restoration and access projects through the grant program. In 1984, the Wallop-Breaux Amendment expanded the law by extending the excise tax to additional sport fishing equipment that had not previously been taxed, strengthening and broadening the revenue base that supports fisheries and boating-related conservation work.

The main purpose of the funding is to help states carry out projects that improve sport fish populations and the habitats and systems that support them, while also improving the public's ability to use and enjoy these resources. In practice, that can include activities that rebuild or maintain healthy fish stocks, protect or enhance habitat, support fisheries management and conservation measures, and improve recreational fishing outcomes. The program also specifically emphasizes boating access to public waters, recognizing that access infrastructure is a core part of enabling public recreation and ensuring the public can benefit from fisheries resources.

This particular opportunity is labeled as a discretionary grant under FWS, with the funding activity category listed as Environment and Natural Resources and the CFDA number identified as 15.605. Eligibility is restricted to state governments, and the title explicitly notes that it is for state fish and game agencies only. The funding opportunity number is F16AS00048, and the opportunity listing shows an original closing date of 2016-09-30, with a creation date of 2015-12-09. The award ceiling is shown as 0 in the listing, which typically indicates that a single fixed maximum award amount is not specified in that field and that awards are likely determined through program formulas, allocations, or other program-specific criteria rather than a single capped competitive award amount.

More program background and context is referenced through the FWS Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) program pages, with the opportunity pointing to http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/GrantPrograms/SFR/SFR.htm for additional information about how the Sport Fish Restoration program operates and what it supports.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the environment, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "R2 Sport Fish Restoration Grant Program (TO STATE FISH AND GAME AGENCIES ONLY)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.605.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-12-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-09-30. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

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