As communities across the Commonwealth continue to realize the positive social and economic impacts of providing convenient boating access along their local waterways, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is offering the next round of Boating Facility Grants to help communities capitalize on the surge in new boating activity.
The Boating Facility Grant Program provides grants for planning, acquisition, development, expansion, and rehabilitation of public boating facilities located on the waters of the Commonwealth.
The PFBC encourages townships, boroughs, and municipal and county governments to apply. Nonprofit groups (501c3) including land trusts, conservancies, and watershed associations are also eligible to apply. Private businesses and service clubs are not eligible for direct funding but are encouraged to partner with their local county or municipality.
“There is no slowing down the interest in boating among families and individuals looking to get outdoors,” said Tim Schaeffer, PFBC Executive Director. “Through our Boating Facilities Grant Program, Pennsylvania has become a leader in providing public access to the water, and there are still endless opportunities to help communities improve existing access areas or develop something new to serve local residents and attract recreational boaters to their region.”
Applicants can seek grants for site acquisition, development, expansion, prevention of the spread of aquatic invasive species, and rehabilitation of recreational boat access facilities. Eligible construction projects may include boat ramps, courtesy floats, restrooms, access roads, parking areas and signs. Funds may also be used to make facilities ADA compliant.
Funding requests require a 50% match.
While the PFBC will accept applications from anywhere in the Commonwealth during the 2023 round of grants, special consideration will be given to projects that provide public boating access in the Delaware River watershed thanks to the availability of additional funding through the Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund.
The Fund, created in 2018, is funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to achieve the goals of the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act. The Act guides and supports federal, state, regional, and local partners to collaboratively identify, prioritize, and implement habitat restoration and conservation activities within the watershed.
“Investing in impactful projects that connect people to the Delaware River and its many natural benefits is what collaborative conservation is all about,” said Kyla Hastie, Acting Regional Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region. “The Service has a long history of working with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and this successful effort is yet another example of how we can have a greater conservation impact when we work together.”
The deadline for Boating Facility Grant Program applications is December 30, 2023.
For more information about the Boating Facility Grant Program and application materials, visit the PFBC website (Fishandboat.com).