SACRAMENTO, Calif. , September 29, 2020 – The Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) is offering $1.6 million in competitive grants to local public agencies, colleges, universities and organizations that offer on-the-water training to the public. The deadline to apply for the Aquatic Center Education Program is Friday, Oct. 30, 2020 at noon.
Funded by the U.S. Coast Guard Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, DBW provides grants to eligible entities to provide student scholarships for on-the-water boating courses and boating equipment. Funding can also be used to offset costs for boating instructor training and boating safety-related events. The maximum grant award is $40,000 per grantee for a combination of equipment, scholarship and instructor training requests. Supplemental funding of up to $2,000 is available for National Safe Boating Week events or similar boating-safety related events.Interested applicants should first review the FAQs listed on DBW’s website to determine if they meet the grantee eligibility requirements.
Grant applications must be submitted through OLGA, DBW’s online grant application system accessed from DBW’s website.Each application will be ranked and scored based on its demonstration of the applicant’s ability to safely and effectively teach on-the-water boating safety courses and enhance boaters’ knowledge of boating laws, practical handling of vessels, weather and water conditions, and other boating safety information.
Detailed information regarding the Aquatic Center Education Program grant funding opportunity is available on DBW’s website.During the COVID-19 pandemic, DBW advises boaters and boating facilities to follow public health guidelines consistent with the Governor’s stay-at-home order and local county public health departments. DBW has identified a set of COVID-19 boating safety best practices for the boating community based on state and national guidelines: dbw.parks.ca.gov/COVIDBoatingTips.