Wildlife, shooting, fraternal and nonprofit civic organizations can submit an application for the Encouraging Tomorrow’s Hunters program, a North Dakota Game and Fish Department grant program developed to assist in the recruitment, retention and reactivation of hunters. Application deadline is May 1 and the maximum grant allowed is $3,000.
The program supports projects and events that provide a positive environment to develop the skills and confidence needed to create lifelong, conservation-minded hunting and shooting-sports participants. The program currently helps fund approximately 40 club and organization events and projects each year, with an average grant of $1,550.
Funds help cover event expenses, including promotional printing; event memorabilia such as shirts, caps or vests; ammunition and targets; and eye and ear protection. Past funding has enabled groups to conduct learn-to-hunt events, or sponsor trap and other shooting events, including archery and rifle shooting. Game and Fish has separate grant programs that support National Archery in the Schools Program and high school trapshooting teams.
Clubs or organizations interested in applying should note the grant process, application, and records requirements. For more information, including a grant application [PDF], visit the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, or contact Cayla Bendel, department R3 coordinator, by calling 701-220-3461.
In the Southeast
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable’s (ORR) Rebuilding and Recovery Micro-Grant Program to support outdoor recreation in communities recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene is now open for applications. The micro-grant program will award $5,000 to $10,000 grants to fund organizations and volunteer groups working to clean up and repair recreation sites impacted by the storm and help alleviate the lingering economic burden of recovery efforts felt by local communities in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia.
“Outdoor recreation is a cornerstone of our nation’s quality of life, and when natural disasters like Hurricane Helene strike, it’s our communities that are left to pick up the pieces,” said Jessica Wahl Turner, president of Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. “These micro-grants are designed to support local organizations and volunteers that are leading the way in restoring and revitalizing the outdoor spaces that are vital to the local economies and health, well-being and connection to nature.”
According to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation generated $14.6 billion and accounted for 147,000 jobs in North Carolina in 2022, $11.9 billion and 110,000 jobs in Tennessee, $13.4 billion and 122,405 jobs in Virginia, $8.6 billion and 86,211 jobs in South Carolina, $57.8 billion and 469,357 jobs in Florida, and $18.5 billion and 161,816 jobs in Georgia.
“These micro-grants provided by the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable are a great example of how our larger outdoor recreation community is showing up to support our recovery efforts,” said Amy Allison, director of the North Carolina Outdoor Economy Office. “The health of our local communities and residents is directly related to the health of our public lands, and these grants will greatly help our most impacted communities as we work toward a revival of our outdoor recreation assets.”
“Parks and outdoor recreation are crucial to disaster recovery and rebuilding a healthy community,” said Brian Clifford, director of the Tennessee Office of Outdoor Recreation. “This becomes increasingly important when a disaster takes quality of life to a low point. We appreciate the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable stepping up to help our communities recover their outdoor recreation assets.”
Full details to apply for a grant are available online. The application period began March 5 and runs until April 2 at 11:59 PST. ORR anticipates awarding grants by the end of April.
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