AUSTIN – The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is currently accepting applications for target range development grants through April 28, 2018. The funds are available to qualifying applicants from both private and public sectors.

TPWD, with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), administers the target range program to provide funding for qualifying applicants from both the private and public sectors that open their shooting facilities to the public and offer hunter education.

Construction or enhancements of public ranges are eligible for these competitive grants, made available through funding from the USFWS. Nonprofit organizations, commercial target range operators, shooting clubs and local governmental agencies and municipalities are eligible to apply. Applicants must provide target range access to the general public for recreational shooting and hunter education classes and programs.

Criteria for rating the applications were revised in February 2018, to include a scoring rubric meant to support several possibilities in scoring potential from applicants.

“Our goal is to increase visibility within individual criteria so applicants can better gauge their projects as they work through the application,” said Renan Zambrano, TPWD target range coordinator. “We are eager to be able to assist applicants to better understand what information is critical to form the highest possible scores for their projects.”

Applicants must provide 25 percent of the total project cost, and the federal grant funds the remaining 75 percent. The grants allow recipients to enhance their existing ranges or to build new facilities, including infrastructure, new ranges, storage units and hunter-education classrooms.

For more information, visit https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/hunter-education/shooting-sports-opportunities/targetrangegrants.