Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) Program

Grants to Maryland nonprofits, for-profits, government agencies, and IHEs for the construction, maintenance, or renovation of boating tie-up facilities and accessories. Funding is intended for facilities that are open to the public and that serve transient (defined as a period of 15 days or less) recreational boats that are at least 26 feet in length. Because BIG-funded facilities accommodate larger vessels, the proposed project area typically must have a minimum of 6 feet of water depth (mlw). The purpose of the program is to enable the owners of large recreational vessels to visit popular boating destinations that they might not otherwise have access to.

Two levels of funding are available: “BIG Tier 1 – State” and “BIG Tier 2 – National”:  

• BIG Tier 1: State grants are noncompetitive on a federal level.  In other words, DNR does not need to compete with other states in order to receive $200,000 in BIG Tier 1 - State funding each year.  However, BIG Tier 1 - State funding may be competitive within the state if more than one facility in Maryland is seeking BIG Tier 1 - State funding.     
• BIG Tier 2 - National grants are available on a nationally competitive basis.  BIG Tier 2 – National grants are highly competitive so, in order to improve the chances that a particular project will be selected for funding, the funding proposal should be much more in depth and provide much more justification than a BIG Tier 1 - State proposal.

The following actions are eligible for BIG funding if they are for eligible users or eligible vessels:

(1) Construct, renovate, or maintain publicly or privately owned boating infrastructure following the requirements at § 86.13. This may include limited repair or restoration of roads, parking lots, walkways, and other surface areas damaged as a direct result of BIG-funded construction. 

(2) Conduct actions necessary to construct boating infrastructure.  

(3) Dredging a channel, boat basin, or other boat passage following requirements.

(4) Install navigational aids to give transient vessels safe passage between a facility and navigable channels or open water.

(5) Produce information and education materials specific to BIG or a BIG-funded project and that credit BIG as a source of funding when appropriate. 

(6) Record the Federal interest in the real property.

(7) Use BIG Tier 1—State grant awards to administer BIG Tier 1—State and BIG Tier 2—National grants, or grant programs, Statewide. 

For additional information about eligible activities, see the Rules document in Pre-Application Information, below.

Applicants may seek funding for installing pumpout facilities through the Clean Vessel Act Grant Program (CVA) instead of including the cost as part of a BIG grant application. Other actions may qualify for BIG funding, subject to approval, if they achieve the purposes of BIG. 

For eligible project components, see: http://dnr.maryland.gov/boating/Documents/AppendixA-App-for-Grant-Funding.pdf#page=2

For Key BIG Sub-grantee Requirements, see: http://dnr.maryland.gov/boating/Documents/BIGProgramManual.pdf#page=3