Alexandria, VA – April 29, 2026 – Today, the American Sportfishing Association’s FishAmerica Foundation announced the awardees of the inaugural Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) Grant program. In this initial grantmaking round, 15 companies and non-profit organizations received a total of $100,000 to partner with local fishing tackle retailers in activities to engage anglers and community members in the sport of fishing.
The R3 Grant program was born out of ASA’s R3 Committee, comprising of representatives from across the sportfishing and conservation community. Projects were selected based on their capacity to build and strengthen the sportfishing community, grow retailer engagement and customer loyalty, and create new revenue opportunities for ASA members through participation-driven programs.
“Increasing participation in fishing is integral to the future of recreational fishing and the sportfishing industry,” said Mary Beth Long, VP of Communications and Strategy at the ASA. “It is incumbent on fishing equipment manufacturers, fishing tackle retailers, conservation organizations and ASA to take a leading role in recruiting, retaining and reactivating recreational anglers.”
“We are thrilled to offer this opportunity to ASA members so that they can grow meaningful recruitment, retention and reactivation programs in communities across the country,” added Dave Washburn, Vice President of Operations for Major League Fishing and ASA’s R3 Committee Chair. “When it comes to increasing fishing participation, there are countless innovative ideas that have the potential to move the needle, and we hope this program helps identify best practices that can be replicated and scaled to the benefit of the entire industry. ASA’s leadership in R3, through the FishAmerica Foundation, is more important than ever.”
he FishAmerica Foundation empowers ASA to unite the sportfishing industry with conservation groups, government natural resource agencies, corporations and foundations to make a significant impact on sportfish habitat conservation, fishing participation and fisheries research. Since 1983, the Foundation has awarded $12.1 million to 1,050 projects in all fifty states and Canada to improve sportfishing opportunities and help ensure recreational fishing’s future.
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