R2 Sport Fish Restoration Grant Program FOR STATE FISH AND GAME AGENCIES | F17AS00022

Opportunity Information: Apply for F17AS00022

The R2 Sport Fish Restoration Grant Program is a federal grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 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 law was designed as a counterpart to the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, creating a dedicated national program focused specifically on sport fisheries. The central idea is to support long-term, science-based management, conservation, and restoration of sport fishery resources, while also improving the public benefits people receive from healthy aquatic ecosystems and accessible waters.

A defining feature of this program is how it is funded. Rather than relying solely on general tax revenue, the Sport Fish Restoration (SFR) program is financed by user- and industry-linked revenue streams: excise taxes on sport fishing equipment, electric motors and sonar, import duties on fishing tackle and certain recreational vessels (including yachts and pleasure craft), and a portion of federal gasoline taxes attributable to motorboats and small engines. These revenues flow into the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, which is then appropriated to support eligible activities. In practical terms, the program channels money generated by recreational fishing and boating back into on-the-ground fishery and boating-access improvements.

The program’s purpose is broad but clearly centered on tangible conservation and public-use outcomes. Funding can be used to restore, conserve, manage, or enhance sport fish populations, and to increase the public use and benefits associated with these resources. That includes efforts that improve fish habitat, strengthen fish populations, and improve the quality and sustainability of recreational fisheries. It also supports public education about aquatic resources, which can include outreach and learning initiatives aimed at improving stewardship, compliance, and informed participation in fishing and boating. In addition, a major emphasis is on boating access to public waters, recognizing that access infrastructure is a key part of delivering recreational and economic benefits tied to sport fisheries.

Eligibility is limited to state governments, specifically state fish and game agencies or equivalent state-level natural resource agencies that manage fisheries and boating access programs. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and uses the grant funding instrument type. The funding activity areas listed for this opportunity include education and natural resources, reflecting both the resource management side (fish and aquatic habitats) and the public engagement side (education and access).

Key opportunity identifiers and administrative details include the Funding Opportunity Title, "R2 Sport Fish Restoration Grant Program FOR STATE FISH AND GAME AGENCIES," and the Funding Opportunity Number F17AS00022. The associated CFDA number is 15.605, which is commonly used for Sport Fish Restoration-related federal assistance listings. The opportunity record shows a creation date of November 16, 2016, and an original closing date of August 31, 2018. The listed award ceiling is $4,000,000. The record also lists "ExpectedAwards: 0," which often reflects how the posting was configured or reported in the source system rather than serving as a definitive statement about program-wide funding availability, since SFR funding is commonly distributed through state allocations and approved projects under established program rules.

Overall, this grant opportunity represents a long-standing federal-state partnership model in which excise-tax and boating-fuel-tax related revenues are reinvested into fisheries conservation, public education, and boating access. The practical goal is to keep sport fisheries healthy and sustainable, maintain and improve the places people fish and boat, and ensure the public continues to receive recreational, ecological, and community benefits from aquatic resources.

• The Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service in the education, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "R2 Sport Fish Restoration Grant Program FOR STATE FISH AND GAME AGENCIES" 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 Nov 16, 2016.
• 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 $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

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