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    Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission

    Apply for the Boating Facility Grant

    Provides grants for the planning, acquisition, development, expansion and rehabilitation of public boating facilities.

    Apply Here
    View Program Guidelines

    About the Grant

    The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) created the Boating Facility Grant Program to provide grants for the planning, acquisition, development, expansion and rehabilitation of public boating facilities located on the waters of the Commonwealth. The goal of the program is to ensure Pennsylvania’s recreational boaters have the highest quality boating facilities.

    How to Apply

    The PFBC periodically issues a call for projects. Instructions on how, when and where to apply will be included as part of this process. The deadline for grant applications is November 30, 2024.

    Apply for the Boating Facility Grant

    Apply Here

    View Procedure Guide for the Boating Facility Grant

    View Guide

    Additional Information

    Who is eligible?

    Boating Facility Grants are available to public entities, including townships, boroughs, municipal and county governments as well as to nonprofit groups (501c3) including land trusts, conservancies and watershed associations that have or will have the capability to provide boat access facilities that are open and available for general public use.

    What does the grant cover?

    Grants cover up to 50% of costs for land acquisition, project design and engineering, development, expansion, and construction of public recreational boat access facilities. Eligible activities include the rehabilitation, expansion or construction of new boat ramps, bulkheads, courtesy floats, access roads, parking areas, restrooms, signs and localized landscaping. All construction activities must benefit and directly support recreational boating. Eligible projects must occur on lands owned by the project sponsor, or where the sponsor has a long-term lease or agreement on the site. Grant funds are to be used for major site improvements and are not available for routine maintenance or operational activities.

    What will it cost?

    Grant recipients are responsible for at least 50% of the proposed project cost. This 50% match can be cash, the fair market value of any labor or materials, a combination thereof, or grants from other federal, state or local funding sources.

    Can you charge for the use of the facility?

    No, facilities developed with Boating Facility Grants must remain open to the public and free of charge for 25 years.

    Responsibilities under the grant program

    • Eligible projects must occur on public lands owned by the project sponsor, or where the sponsor has a long-term lease or agreement on the site.
    • Applicants must be willing to enter into a 25-year agreement to keep the facility open to public use.
    • All work must be completed within a two-year period.
    • Applicants must agree to provide for all costs for ordinary and routine maintenance of the facility for the term of the agreement.
    • Applicants must provide a sign that acknowledges that the facility was constructed or improved with funds from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.
    • Applicants must obtain all the necessary permits and local land use approvals required for the construction and operation of the proposed facility.

    Resources

      A new boat cleaning trailer parked at Lake Wallenpaupack.

      Mobile Boat Cleaning Station

      The Pennsylvania Lake Management Society (PALMS) purchased a mobile boat cleaning station to be used by statewide partners.  The statewide locations are frequented by day boaters and they represent the greatest risk of aquatic invasive species (AIS) spread into and out of the waterbodies of the commonwealth.

      Drawing of a new designed boat launch with a parking lot full of trucks with trailers, paved launch ramps and kayaks floating in the river off the ramps.

      Boat Launch Redesign

      Riverfront North Partnership will redesign and construct the Tacony Boat Launch along the Delaware River.  This will include motorized and non-motorized boat ramps, picnic pavilion, a concession and restroom building, improved parking, and a fishing pier.  It will improve public safety by demolishing a structurally unsound wharf and installing a living shoreline and overlook pier for anglers. 

      Kayak sitting in adaptable kayak launch along a dock on the Delaware River.

      Adaptive Kayak Launch

      The Glen Foerd Conservation Corporation received a planning grant to design a dock directly on the Delaware River.  The proposed dock will provide unparalleled free recreational access and will support the applicant's established environmental programs that focus on the watershed.  The final dock design will include at least one adaptable ADA kayak launch.  

      Contact information for questions

      Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
      Bureau of Boating
      Boating Facility Grant Program
      PO Box 67000
      Harrisburg, PA 17106-7000
      717-346-8196
      Email: ra-boatgrants@pa.gov