FY 2022 - Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act - BIG Tier 2 | F22AS00018

Opportunity Information: Apply for F22AS00018

The FY 2022 Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act Boating Infrastructure Grants (BIG) Tier 2 opportunity is a discretionary federal grant program run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (CFDA 15.622) that helps fund boating facility improvements for larger recreational boats. It is built around the reality that recreational boating is widespread in the U.S., with roughly 11.8 million registered motorboats, including an estimated 584,000 vessels that are 26 feet or longer. The program targets this larger-vessel segment specifically, focusing on the kinds of marina and harbor amenities that make it practical for these boats to travel between destinations and stay temporarily.

The legal foundation for the program comes from the Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-178), which created the BIG Program under 16 U.S.C. 777g-1 and amended the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777). Funding is tied to the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, and later reauthorizations have continued to allow these funds to be used for BIG projects. In practical terms, this means the federal government is using boating- and fishing-related trust fund revenues to help states and territories build and maintain the facilities that support recreational boating travel.

Tier 2 BIG grants are intended for the construction, renovation, and maintenance of boating infrastructure facilities that serve transient recreational vessels at least 26 feet long, as long as those vessels are operated, leased, rented, or chartered primarily for pleasure. "Boating infrastructure" is defined broadly and can include the structures, equipment, accessories, and services needed or considered desirable for a facility to accommodate eligible boats. The emphasis is on facilities that support visiting boaters rather than long-term slip holders. For this program, a transient vessel is one that is passing through or by a location and stays up to 15 days, which helps keep the funding focused on travel and destination access rather than permanent moorage.

A key requirement is that projects completed with BIG funds must provide public access. At the same time, the facilities supported by the program can be publicly or privately owned, so long as the project outcome serves the public by making transient access available for eligible recreational vessels. This structure is meant to encourage states to work with a mix of local governments, port authorities, and private marina operators where appropriate, while still protecting the public benefit purpose of the funding.

Eligibility to apply is limited to governor-designated state agencies (and the mayor-designated agency for the District of Columbia). The eligible applicants include agencies representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealths of Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories of Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is important because it means individuals, nonprofits, local governments, or private marina owners cannot apply directly to the federal opportunity. Instead, those entities typically would need to coordinate with their designated state or territorial agency if they want to be considered as a project site or partner under a state-led application.

For this FY 2022 notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), the opportunity number is F22AS00018, with an application closing date listed as 2021-09-20. The award ceiling is $1,500,000 per award. The listing identifies the funding instrument as a grant and places it in the natural resources funding activity category. While the notice points to expected awards, the exact number is not specified in the provided source details.

• The Fish and Wildlife Service in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2022 - Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act - BIG Tier 2" 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 2021-06-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-09-20. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for F22AS00018

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