SACRAMENTO – California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) is now accepting letters of intent (LOI) from public and private marina owners interested in applying for the federal Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program. These grants can fund up to 75% of total project costs, with a maximum grant award of $1.5 million. Once potential projects are identified, applicants will be invited to submit full proposals. LOIs will be accepted starting today, May 23, through Friday, June 13, 2025.

Funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Trust Fund, BIG is a competitive program open to both publicly and privately owned marinas to renovate or construct visitor docks, restrooms, gangways, and dockside utility hook-ups to serve recreational boaters with vessels 26 feet or greater in length, with stays of fewer than 15 days.

The recreational boating community would benefit from approved grant projects as they would:

Enhance access to recreational, historic, cultural and scenic resources.
Strengthen community ties to waterfront and increase economic benefits.
Promote public/private partnerships and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Provide continuity of public access to the shore.
Promote awareness of transient boating opportunities.
Interested applicants should first review the program guidelines to determine if they meet the necessary requirements. Grants are available to qualifying projects on a competitive basis. The USFWS ranks and scores grant requests according to need, access, cost efficiency, matching funds, and innovations that improve user access to the waterways.

DBW, as the pass-through entity for the grant application process, reviews each application and submits the most eligible projects to the USFWS to compete against applicants from other states and territories. If DBW does not receive federal funding, the award of BIG grants to local agencies may be affected. If awarded a USFWS grant, DBW will manage the project through completion to ensure it meets federal requirements.

Marina operators eligible to compete in this program can receive more information by contacting Ethan Tratner at [email protected] or (916) 902-8823.BIG funds assist marina operators with the construction or renovation of facilities used by recreational vessels 26 feet or longer. Recent BIG projects include the San Pedro Public Market Dock (left) and the West Sacramento Etenesh Zeleke Public Dock (right). Photos from the Division of Boating and Waterways.

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