California State Parks’ Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) has announced that it is now accepting letters of intent for the 2026 Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG) programme, which provides up to $1.5 million USD in federal funding per project for qualifying marina and boating infrastructure projects.
Businesses, non-profit organisations, public agencies, tribal governments and other legal entities can apply for projects on waterways across California. Projects must improve infrastructure serving transient recreational vessels measuring at least 26ft (eight metres), defined as those “passing through” and staying for 15 days or less, and can include visitor docks, gangways, restrooms and dockside utility connections at publicly accessible facilities under either public or private ownership.
The application starts with a letter of intent, which must be submitted to DBW by Tuesday, 29 September 2026. DBW will review the submissions and invite selected applicants to submit a full proposal before sending eligible projects to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to compete against applications from other states and territories. The USFWS will then assess the grant requests based on regional need, public access, cost efficiency, matching funds and innovations improving access to waterways. If a California project receives funding, DBW will manage it through completion in line with federal requirements.
The grant can cover up to 75 percent of a project’s total cost and aims to improve access to recreational, historic, cultural and scenic resources. The programme also seeks to maintain public access to the shore, reinforce connections between communities and boaters, support public-private partnerships and increase awareness of transient boating opportunities.
