Grants to Colorado Local Agencies and Private Ranges to Improve Shooting Range Facilities

Shooting Range Small Grant

Agency

State

GrantWatch ID#

145904

Funding Source

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW)

Geographic Focus

USA: Colorado

Important Dates

Deadline: 09/29/23 5:00 PM Receipt

Grant Description

Grants of up to $5,000 to Colorado local government agencies, shooting associations, and private shooting ranges to improve shooting range facilities. Applicants must contact staff prior to submitting an application. Funding is intended to enhance facilities that allow for hunter education classes, public sight-in days, and youth and family participation in shooting sports. Proposed grant activities should produce improvements at shooting ranges that are readily available for public use (though some private use is allowed).

Projects should benefit hunter education, hunter sight-in and practice, and youth participation in shooting sports. A project will be ranked primarily in terms of new and/or improved shooting range opportunities for the greatest number of users. In the selection process, additional weight will be given to projects that foster substantial increases in public shooting range use and/or open up new shooting ranges.

The Shooting Range Small Grant Program is designed to improve shooting ranges across Colorado. The following are general requirements of all projects:

The project will assist Colorado Parks and Wildlife in reaching its Strategic Plan goals of an increase in hunter recreation days and hunter satisfaction.
Proposed improvements are substantial in nature.
The project will improve access and/or amenities at a shooting range that is available for public use.
Public access to the shooting range resource is assured for hunter education classes and use by hunters for sight-in and practice.
The project is determined to be a cost-effective investment.
The grant-funded activities will be maintained for the life of the project for shooting range purposes, which is normally considered to be 15 years if major construction work is involved.

Examples of eligible projects that meet the above goals, as well as the federal regulations for the use of this funding, include targets, benches, shelters, storage, parking lot and access road improvements, etc. Please call your local CPW Wildlife Officer (DWM) or the Hunter Education Office to discuss any other creative ideas.

Examples of Recent Projects

Road base to improve access
Concrete walkway for ADA compliance
Compressed bales and 3D targets for an archery range
Shade and rain canopy
Concrete shooting benches
ADA-compliant restroom

Recipient

Additional Eligibility Criteria

Local government agencies, parks, and recreation departments, private shooting ranges that allow use by hunter education classes and allow public sight-in days, shooting associations, or any other shooting facility that is open to the public may apply for a small shooting range grant.

Separate chapters or units of statewide organizations are considered separate applicants. Two or more local agencies may form a partnership to conduct a project. It is important to note, however, that fund management is best facilitated when a county or municipality is the lead agency.

Ineligible

These grant funds are not meant for CPW shooting ranges. Commercial, for-profit ranges are not eligible.

Grants will not be awarded for:
- Overhead, program administration, project planning, or project research
- BBQ pits, community picnic areas, and other non-shooting-related amenities
- Any projects that are not available to the general public or offer limited public access
- Contingency funds or unanticipated overages.

Pre-Application Information

Timeline:
- May 25, 2023: Program guidelines and applications available online.
- September 29, 2023: Applications are due, by 5:00 PM.
- December 10, 2023: Proposal review and ranking, which may require discussions with the applicant.
- January 31, 2024: Letters will be sent to applicants with the results of the review panel, either accepting or rejecting the proposal.

Begin the application process by contacting your CPW Area staff (local office or wildlife officer) at least 3 weeks prior to the application deadline to discuss the details of your proposed project. If you don’t know who to contact call the Hunter Education Office or your CPW area office.

Accepting a Hunter Education Small Shooting Range Grant from Colorado Parks and Wildlife/US Fish and Wildlife implies that for the defined life expectancy of the specific range grant project, the range will be available for hunter education classes, hunter sight-in, and youth event use without restrictions or requirements that the hunter education instructors, hunters, or youth participants be members of that facility.

Applicants must match a Small Shooting Range Grant award with non-state cash or in-kind services (donated labor and/or supplies and equipment use). While the maximum contribution CPW can contribute to a project is 75 percent of the total project cost, the actual percentage for each project is dependent on how well the project results would meet the grant program goals. A higher ranking will be received in the selection process for projects that provide more than 25 percent of the cost share.

Funds will be distributed on a reimbursement basis.

Applicants with open grants must demonstrate that the current project is significantly underway before another grant will be considered.

Number of Grants

CPW plans that approximately five to eight projects will be selected annually.

Estimated Size of Grant

Each project request should not be less than $500 or more than $5,000.

Term of Contract

The project should be completed no later than December 31, 2024. If a situation arises where additional time is needed to complete a project the grant can be amended. Contact the Hunter Education office well before the grant expires.

Contact Information

Applicants may mail or email the completed application to:

- By mail:
Hunter Education
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
6060 Broadway
Denver, CO 80216

- By email: jordan.likes@state.co.us

Direct questions to Jordan Likes, Hunter Education Coordinator, at the email address above.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Shooting Range Small Grant Program
Hunter Education
6060 Broadway
Denver, CO 80216
303-291-7470

Grants to Colorado Local Agencies and Private Ranges to Improve Shooting Range Facilities

Shooting Range Small Grant

We have foundations for

We have grants for

Cookies