The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting Letter of Intnent for its Indiana Shooting Range Grant Program.
Donor Name: Indiana Department of Natural Resources
State: Indiana
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/01/2024
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Funding for the Department of Natural Resources Shooting Range grant program comes from the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Program which is commonly called the Pittman Robertson (P-R) Program, and from a federal excise tax on rifles, shotguns, handguns, ammunition, and archery equipment. Funds are apportioned to state fish and wildlife agencies based on the number of hunting license holders and each state’s size in relation to the other states. Because of the need for local shooting opportunities in Indiana, the Division of Fish & Wildlife has made some of these funds available to local units of government and not-for-profit corporations for shooting range development.
The Department of Natural Resources Shooting Range grant program is an assistance program for the development of rifle, handgun, shotgun, and archery facilities. The program has two main objectives:
Funding Priorities
Indiana DNR receives multiple grant requests each year; therefore, the following funding priorities were established to focus funding efforts:
- Projects that engage with new partners and serve new and diverse user groups
- Range development or construction where there are no similar amenities within 20 miles
- Projects that actively encourage the recruitment, retention and reactivation of hunters and sport shooters
- Shooting ranges that emphasize education and safety.
Type of Projects
Projects will be eligible for funding if they develop rifle, handgun, shotgun firing, or archery opportunities for public use.
Eligible types of development facilities include:
- backstops
- berms
- target holders
- baffles
- gun racks
- signage
- field courses
- benches
- trap and skeet houses
- platforms
- sanitary facilities
- classrooms
- protective fencing
- storage areas
- shelters
- parking lots
- accessible pathways
- support facilities.
Eligible Projects
Eligible program costs may include but are not limited to:
- Archery range construction or improvement
- Backstops and berms
- Target holders and reusable targets, such as archery targets
- Shooting benches and other shooting lane improvements
- Trap throwing equipment
- Improvement to indoor range facilities
- New construction of archery or firearms ranges
- Restroom facilities
- Parking areas
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements for funding consideration:
- The shooting range must be open to the public a minimum of 20 hours per month. Shooting ranges that offer memberships are still eligible if they meet the public access requirements.
- Shooting ranges on land owned by governmental bodies (such as city/county/state parks) and shooting ranges on land owned by a private entity or group are both eligible to apply. Organizations applying for shooting range grants must be registered as nonprofit entities with the State of Indiana.
- All repairs or new construction, whether indoors or outdoors, must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
- Examples of eligible applicants include but are not limited to:
- Indiana counties, towns, villages, and cities
- Nonprofit colleges and universities
- Other Indiana governmental units
- Conservation organizations or associations
Ineligibility
- Funds in pass-through grant arrangements may not be used for acquiring land
- Operating expenses, such as salaries, maintenance of range (mowing, cleaning, trash removal), and similar expenses
- Law enforcement activities
- Activities conducted for the primary purpose of producing income
- Activities, projects, or programs that encourage opposition to regulated taking of fish, hunting, or
- trapping of wildlife
- Funds in pass-through grant arrangements may not be used for acquiring land
- Operating expenses, such as salaries, maintenance of range (mowing, cleaning, trash removal), and similar expenses
- Law enforcement activities
- Activities conducted for the primary purpose of producing income
- Activities, projects, or programs that encourage opposition to regulated taking of fish, hunting, or trapping of wildlife.
For more information, visit Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
