PA Boating Infrastructure Grant Program

The PA Boating Infrastructure Grant Program supports the development and maintenance of transient moorage for recreational motorboats 26 feet and longer. Administered by the PA Fish and Boat Commission, these grants aim to enhance public boating facilities. The program offers two funding tiers, with up to $100,000 available for small-scale projects and larger projects competing nationally for additional funding. Eligible recipients include municipal and state agencies, focusing on improving boating infrastructure.

The Boating Infrastructure Grant Program provides grants for transient moorage (tie-ups) serving recreational motorboats 26 feet and longer. Transient means passing through or by a place, staying 10 days or less. The program is administered in Pennsylvania by the PA Fish and Boat Commission, in cooperation with U.S. Department of Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The grants are awarded under the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program authorized by the Sportfishing and Boating Partnership Act of 1998 and funded by excise taxes on motorboat fuel. The Act authorizes a competitive grant program for states to develop and maintain facilities for transient non-trailerable boats.
Grant Coverage
In Pennsylvania, the program's goal is to provide funds to develop and maintain transient moorage (tie-ups) serving recreational boats 26 feet and larger.
There are two "tiers" of grant support.
Tier 1 provides funding for small-scale projects.Up to $100,000 is available annually to each state.Tier 2 is for projects that request more than $100,000.Tier 2 projects compete nationally in a process managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Eligibility

Grants may be made to public and private operators of open-to-the-public boating facilities:municipal agencies (cities, towns, counties, etc.),state agencies (State Parks, DNR, Fish & Wildlife, etc.), andother government entities.Eligible project activities include the construction, renovation and maintenance of transient tie up facilities.Boating infrastructure refers to features that provide stopover places for transient non-trailerable recreational vessels to tie up.These features include:transient slips,day docks,floating docks and fixed piers,navigational aids, anddockside utilities including electric, water, and pumpout stations.
Project sponsors must provide at least 25 percent of the resources needed to complete the project.You can charge for the use of the facility,however the commission encourages the free use of facilities constructed under this program.