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Small game targets at a shooting range with many holes in the back of the target board.

Small game targets at a shooting range with many holes in the back of the target board.

About The Grants

Shooting Range Development Grants

Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Shooting Range Development (SRDG) Program focuses on establishing new shooting ranges and expanding or improving existing ranges across Colorado. Established in 2009, the SRDG will make available an estimated $750,000 in 2025 in matching grants for shooting ranges large and small. To date, the SRDG has supported more than 75 projects on the eastern plains, along the Front Range and on the Western Slope, including projects to develop entirely new shooting ranges, improve safety conditions, upgrade berms, replace shooting positions, install target holders, expand handicapped access and add new shooting lanes to existing ranges. 

Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s (CPW) Shooting Range Development Program is one of the largest programs of its kind in the nation, reflecting CPW’s commitment to support safe, accessible ranges for recreational shooters, hunters and archers, and to help pass important outdoor recreational traditions on to future generations.

Grants will be for a minimum of $5,000 and a maximum to be determined by the review and approval process. Funding can come from a variety of sources, including Hunter Education and Wildlife Restoration Program funds from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife funds from license revenues.

Currently Open: The grant program is accepting applications until March 21st, 2025.

$750k

Awarded Annually

125 +

Projects Funded Since 2009

$865k

Awarded in 2024

8

Range Projects in 2024

GRANT CYCLE 2025

How to Apply

    Step 1: Check Eligibility

    Eligible Applicants

    Applicants have included county and local governments, existing shooting ranges, recreational shooting organizations, police departments, educational groups, park and recreation departments, archery clubs, landowners, school districts, and others.

    Eligible Ranges 

    Ranges limited solely and exclusively to private membership use are not eligible for SRDG grants.

    Step 2: Choose a Project

    Choose a Project

    New and improved shooting range elements eligible for funding include:

    • Berms
    • Sound baffles
    • Shooting benches and covers
    • Trap and skeet houses
    • Walkways
    • Signage
    • Fencing
    • Other capital items necessary to the operation of a shooting range

    Grants for general operating expenses, promotional or advertising  activities, improvements considered not directly linked to the recreational shooting opportunity,  ammunition, expendable items (e.g. targets) or improvements considered in excess of basic facilities required for the range will not be approved.

    Project Requirements

    • The shooting range must provide substantial public benefits, e.g. public access to the range.
    • Project applicants must provide non-federal matching funds, donated materials or volunteer labor to cover at least 25 percent of the project costs. Match in excess of the 25 percent minimum will likely help a project be more competitive in the grant review and ranking process.
    • Projects will be expected to finish within two years of the grant award year.
    • Funds are provided on a reimbursement basis. No up-front funding is provided.
    • Established guidelines for the construction of shooting ranges must be followed.
    • Applicants must provide evidence that the range is or will be approved by the appropriate local government or land-owning agency.
    • An Environmental Stewardship Plan must be developed before final funding is awarded.
    • Ranges that receive funding will need to post public hours at the range and on their website. 
    • Project sponsors are responsible for maintenance of range improvements for their useful life, generally 15 years. If a project is on property the sponsor does not own, such as a local government or shooting organization constructing a project on county or federally-owned land, either the property owner must accept financial responsibility for
    • Project sponsors are required to have liability and, in some cases, worker compensation insurance and to include Colorado Parks and Wildlife as “additional insured”.

    Public Access Requirements

    • Some degree of public access is a requirement. While there is no hard and fast formula for public access, it should provide a good value to sportsmen and the program. The total amount of public access provided should be commensurate with the grant funding provided. 
    • A private or membership range receiving funding must be open to the general public for a portion of its operating times. In general, public access is viewed as times when a range is open to members of the general public for recreational shooting. 
    • Public access should be allowed at times and days when the public would be likely to use the range. 
    • Other range access can include 
      • hunter education training and programs
      • hunter sight-in days
      • youth and adult shooting competitions
      • non -member opportunities
      • introduction and skills development course through programs run by organizations such as 4-H, the Boy Scouts and the NRA.

    Contact Us First

    Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to contact their local Colorado Parks and Wildlife office, or the grant program coordinator Travis Long ([email protected]​) as soon as possible to discuss your project.​

    Step 3: Compile Application

    Compile Your Application

    The main sections in the application form request information on the current use of the range, the condition the proposed project seeks to address, how the work will be done, and the  planned budget for the project. Additional information that will be part of the application include project sponsor and contacts, the project site, descriptions and drawings of the proposed improvements, landownership information, and any letters of support from financial and local community partners. 

    Guidance for range designs is available through several organizations, including the National Rifle Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Archery Trade Association and others.  

    The application should strive to make the best and clearest case possible on why the proposed project is a good one, the benefits that will result and to show that the project is well-thought through. 

    Applications are to be submitted to Program Coordinator Travis Long by email – [email protected].

    Application Documents

    Having trouble downloading Excel or Word files? Right-click on the link, chose 'Save link as' and download to your desktop or​ designated ​folder.

    Step 4: Review and Approval
    An archer takes aim at a paper target.

    Review Panel

    Grant Application Review Process

    Projects are reviewed by local CPW District and Area Wildlife Managers. Feedback and suggested improvements to the project may be provided at that time, if earlier pre-application discussions have not taken place. Each of the four CPW regions ranks projects in their region and provide the rankings and any comments on projects to the SRDG program coordinator. Copies of the applications are also forwarded to members of the SRDG review panel.

    Proposals are assessed by the "project requirements" outlined above, as well as the amount of public access including: youth education and Hunter Education program access, range fees for public access, partner support, local match, population served, lack of alternative ranges, and degree of expansion of recreational shooting opportunities.

    The SRDG review panel is comprised of representatives from outside groups with a strong interest in recreational shooting and hunting, along with CPW and US Fish and Wildlife Service representatives. 

    Learn more about the review process

    Conditional Funding

    Prior to the final awarding of a grant, successful applicants will also need to provide final designs and budget (if there are any changes from the application package) and any permits required for the project construction. In addition, a legal agreement with the state, most commonly in the form of a purchase order, must be fully approved before work can begin. For larger projects, generally those awarded funding above $100,000, a grant with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and a state contract, must be fully executed before work can begin. Starting construction prior to receipt of a fully signed state contract or purchase order will very likely void the grant award and make it impossible for CPW to reimburse project sponsors for project costs. Examples of standard contract language for both governmental (i.e.; local or county governments) and non-governmental (e.g.; local shooting clubs) are available on the main page of the SRDG program on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website.

    Please review these documents prior to submitting a grant application to ensure the project sponsor can comply with listed contractual requirements. Contact the SRDG program coordinator with any questions about contract requirements. 

    Sponsors of projects that receive SRDG funding must also commit to maintaining the project improvements for their useful life, generally considered to be 15 years. Failure to maintain the project or to allow public access during the useful life may require the project sponsor to repay a prorated portion of the grant. 

    The majority of SRDG funding comes from federal funds, but state sourced funds—primarily revenue from annual registrations from the “wildlife sporting” specialty license plate -- may be used on projects. When federal funds are applied to a project, federal rules, procedures and requirements must be met.

    Grant Deadlines

    Application Opens

    January, 2025

    Applications Due

    Applications are due to the program coordinator.

    March 21, 2025

    5:00 p.m. MT.

    Applications Reviewed

    Applications are reviewed by regional CPW personnel, which may include discussions with applicant and suggested improvements to project proposal.

    March 21, 2025 to April 18, 2025

    Presentation Time Slot Notification

    Applicants are notified of their time slot on the schedule for their presentation to the review panel.

    Mid-April, 2025

    Review Panel Recommendations

    Review panel meets at CPW headquarters in Denver and creates a list of funding recommendations for the CPW Director.

    Early May, 2025

    Successful Applicants Notified

    The CPW Director's funding decision is sent out with letters to successful applicants with conditional project approval.

    Late May, 2025

    Approved Projects Finalized

    The final project design and financing is secured, and the scope of work is defined. Purchase orders or state contracts are put in place. If federal funds are used, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will review the project, and any National Environmental Policy Act compliance issues and external compliance issues must be completed.

    June 2025 to March 2026

    Contact

    Please email any questions about shooting range development grants to:

    Shooting Range Grants

    Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers additional shooting range grants to apply for. 

    Shooting grants.

    Small Range Maintenance Grants

    For projects involving grants $5,000 or less or for expendable items such as targets, interested applicants should apply through the Small Shooting Range Grants Program, which emphasizes smaller upgrades to existing shooting ranges and has separate guidelines and funding cycles.

    About Small Range Maintenance Grants