HARRISBURG, Pa. (September 10) – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is requesting proposals from interested parties seeking funding through the Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program.
BIG is a federal grant program administered in Pennsylvania by the PFBC in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The BIG program provides funds for tie-up facilities and support facilities for transient vessels greater than 26 feet in length for stays of up to 15 days.
BIG grants are economic engines for local communities that benefit traveling boaters by offering safe overnight dockage and easy access to towns and waterfronts. Grants may be made to public and private operators of open-to-the-public boating facilities, including municipal agencies (cities, townships, counties, etc.), state agencies, and other government entities.
The deadline for submitting proposals is October 3, 2025.
Eligible 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, and dockside utilities including electric, water, and pumpout stations.
The grant program will reimburse recipients for up to 75 percent of the costs for project design and engineering, development, expansion, and major rehabilitation. Successful applicants must agree to provide a minimum 25 percent grant match and be willing to enter into a long-term agreement to keep the facility open to the public for its useful life.
The program is a reimbursable grant program. Grant funds will be disbursed to the recipient only after the project sponsor certifies expenditures have been made. Grant funds 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.
For more information about the Boating Infrastructure Grant program, please contact Mark Morrison, Statewide Public Access Program Manager, at (717) 346-8196. Inquiries can also be emailed to RA-BoatGrants@pa.gov