Firearm and Bow Hunter Safety and Education Program (Section 10) - Northeast Region (R5) | F18AS00026

Opportunity Information: Apply for F18AS00026

The Firearm and Bow Hunter Safety and Education Program (Section 10) - Northeast Region (R5) is a mandatory federal grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act framework. This program traces back to the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937 (commonly called the Pittman-Robertson Act), which was designed to fund core wildlife conservation priorities such as selecting, restoring, rehabilitating, and improving wildlife habitat, supporting wildlife management research, and sharing information produced by those efforts. Over time, Congress expanded the scope of the act to reflect changing needs in the hunting and conservation community, recognizing that safe, well-run hunter education systems and access to appropriate training facilities are essential to sustaining hunting participation and responsible firearms and archery use.

A major turning point highlighted in this opportunity is the 1970 amendment to the Pittman-Robertson Act, which explicitly added support for hunter safety programs and for the development, operation, and maintenance of firearm and archery ranges. The grant description emphasizes that Congress believed states needed additional resources to keep hunter education and shooting range programs strong and relevant, especially as they faced modern challenges such as growing demand for certified hunter education, higher expectations for safety and instruction quality, and the ongoing need for safe places to practice shooting skills. According to the narrative included with the opportunity, sportsmen's organizations and other stakeholders expressed concern that some states were not fully using the funding available to them or were not maintaining a consistent level of effort to support hunter education and range development, which raised longer-term concerns about safety, recruitment, and retention of hunters.

To address these issues, Congress passed the Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Programs Improvement Act of 2000, which created the Firearm and Bowhunter Education and Safety Program, often referred to as "Section 10." The central purpose of Section 10 is to enhance existing hunter education and shooting range programs by providing a dedicated set-aside of funds. The description notes that Section 10 set aside $7.5 million in 2001 and 2002, and $8 million each year thereafter, specifically to strengthen these efforts. In practical terms, that means the program is geared toward improving the reach, quality, and capacity of hunter safety education (including firearm and archery safety) and supporting shooting range-related needs that align with the program's objectives.

For this specific posting, the funding opportunity title is "Firearm and Bow Hunter Safety and Education Program (Section 10) - Northeast Region (R5)," with funding opportunity number F18AS00026 and CFDA number 15.626. It is categorized as a grant and listed as a mandatory opportunity, meaning it is tied to statutory funding and formula-driven or otherwise required allocations rather than a purely discretionary competition. Eligibility is limited to state governments, reflecting the program's design as a state-focused support mechanism for statewide hunter education systems and related safety and training infrastructure. The opportunity was created on November 15, 2017, and the original closing date was August 31, 2018. The posting indicates an award ceiling of $240,000 and anticipates 13 awards, suggesting multiple state-level awards within the Northeast region, with award sizes capped at the listed ceiling for this opportunity cycle.

Overall, the program is best understood as part of a long-standing conservation funding model where federal resources, authorized by Congress, are directed to states to support public benefits tied to wildlife conservation and responsible hunting. In this case, the emphasis is on hunter and bowhunter education, safety, and the kinds of facilities and program improvements that help ensure hunting remains safe, sustainable, and accessible for future generations.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Firearm and Bow Hunter Safety and Education Program (Section 10) - Northeast Region (R5)" 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 Nov 15, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 31, 2018. (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 $240,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 13 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F18AS00026

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: