Division of Boating and Waterways Offers Boating Infrastructure Grants for Marina Operators
BIG funds assist marina operators with the construction or renovation of facilities used by transient recreational vessels of 26 feet or longer. Left: San Pedro Public Market Dock, completed in 2022. Right: West Sacramento Etenesh Zeleke Public Dock, completed in 2021. Photos from the Division of Boating and Waterways.
SACRAMENTO - California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) is now accepting letters of intent (LOI) from public and private entities 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. Only the most competitive projects will be invited to submit full proposals. LOIs are being accepted through Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, at 10 a.m.
Funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Trust Fund, BIG is a competitive program 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.
Eligible grant projects:
- Enhance access to recreational, historic, cultural and scenic resources.
- Strengthen community ties to waterfront and increase economic benefits.
- Promote public/private partnerships.
- Provide continuity of recreational public boating access for larger vessels 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 regional need, public 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 awarded a USFWS grant, DBW will manage the project through completion to ensure it meets federal requirements.
Applicants can find additional details on the program’s webpage. For more information, contact Ethan Tratner at ethan.tratner@parks.ca.gov or call (916) 902-8823.
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