F23AS00377 - FY 2023 - Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act - BIG Tier 1 | F23AS00377

Opportunity Information: Apply for F23AS00377

F23AS00377 is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) discretionary grant opportunity under CFDA 15.622 that supports the Boating Infrastructure Grants (BIG) Program created by the Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998 (16 U.S.C. 777g-1). The program is designed to help states and territories improve facilities that serve transient recreational boaters, especially owners and operators of larger pleasure vessels. The underlying rationale is that recreational boating is widespread in the United States (about 11.8 million registered motorboats), with a substantial number of boats that are 26 feet or longer (roughly 584,000), which often need more specialized docking and support infrastructure when traveling from place to place.

The core purpose of BIG Tier 1 funding is to pay for the construction, renovation, and maintenance of boating infrastructure that accommodates transient recreational vessels at least 26 feet long that are operated, leased, rented, or chartered primarily for pleasure. In this context, "boating infrastructure" is defined broadly and can include the kinds of structures, equipment, accessories, and services that are necessary or desirable for a facility to safely and effectively host eligible boats. Another key term is "transient," which the notice describes as vessels that are passing through or by a location and typically stay no more than 15 days. Projects funded through this program must provide public access, even if the facility itself is privately owned, meaning the improvements cannot be reserved for a closed membership or strictly private use.

Eligibility is limited to government entities at the state or equivalent level. Specifically, the only eligible applicants are the Governor-designated state agencies in the 50 states, plus the Mayor-designated agency in the District of Columbia, and the designated agencies for Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Individual marinas, local governments, nonprofits, or private businesses cannot apply directly under this notice; instead, they would typically work through their designated state agency if the state chooses to sponsor or include their project in an application.

Administratively, this opportunity is listed as a grant with an award ceiling of $200,000. The notice indicates an original closing date of 2022-09-22 and a creation date of 2022-06-15. While the title references FY 2023, the description text notes this package as the NOFO for FY 2022 BIG Tier 1 state grants, which is a detail applicants would want to clarify with FWS if there is any confusion about the applicable fiscal year or cycle.

For guidance on eligibility questions and application coordination, the notice points applicants to FWS Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) regional contacts assigned by geography. Examples include contacts for American Samoa and Hawaii, the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, Alaska, California and Nevada, and multi-state regions throughout the continental U.S. The intent is that each state or territory works with its appropriate WSFR office to confirm eligibility, align project proposals with program rules (including the 26-foot minimum vessel focus and the 15-day transient definition), and ensure the application is submitted by the correct designated agency.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "F23AS00377 - FY 2023 - Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act - BIG Tier 1" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.622.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-06-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-09-22. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F23AS00377

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