Logo for Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937

Wildlife Funding

Wildlife conservation in Texas is funded by the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, (US Code Title 16 Conservation, Ch. 5B: Wildlife Restoration). Pittman-Robertson Act funds allow TPWD's Wildlife Division to offer many services, including:

Most of the work done by the Wildlife Division is eligible for reimbursement under the Pittman-Robertson Act. For every dollar spent by the Wildlife Division on approved Pittman-Robertson projects, about 75 cents is returned to the Department for wildlife conservation. This amounts to approximately $9 million annually. By law, funding is limited to wildlife management, related public use, and hunter education. Pittman-Robertson funds collected from federal excise taxes paid by manufacturers (an 11% excise tax on sporting rifles, shotguns, ammunition, and archery equipment and a 10% tax on handguns) are distributed to states based on number of hunters and land area. Texas receives the maximum distribution allowable under the program.

Funding Cycle

graphic showing the funding cycle in 4 steps