The National Rifle Association has reopened its Public Range Fund. Established in 2009, the effort is a grant matching program that encourages city and county governments, along with state or federal agencies, to work with NRA to build and improve public ranges across the United States. With the record-setting number of people who became first-time firearm owners last year, providing easy access to shooting ranges is more important than ever before.
“Public ranges allow hundreds of thousands of hunters, competitive shooters and target shooters to work on their marksmanship under safe and responsible conditions," said Liz Bush, managing director of NRA Community Engagement. “More than 90 public ranges have been awarded funds to date and we look forward to assisting the next 90.”
In addition to physical improvements, NRA’s Public Range Fund allows qualifying agencies or local governments to improve community relations and address any range-related environmental issues. With grants awarded on a 50/50 matching basis, 50 percent of project costs are provided by the applicant and the remaining 50 percent are provided by the fund.
In-kind services such as labor, materials and equipment may be considered to provide the applicant’s 50 percent contribution. Projects including Pittman-Robertson Funds cover 90 percent of the applicant's share with the remaining 10 percent coming from the NRA Public Range Fund.
“Our grants provide financial stimulus and recreational facilities for entire communities,” Bush said. “We are incredibly happy to restart the program so we can begin making a positive impact once again." Bush said.,
More than $2 million has been award in NRA Public Range Fund since the program began. Applications can be initiated conveniently online by visiting this web page. For more information on the fund and others available, including NRA Foundation Range Grants and NRA-Affiliated Range Funding, visit the website.
