North Carolina accepting applications for boating infrastructure grants
MOREHEAD CITY, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is accepting applications for the fiscal year 2027 North Carolina Boating Infrastructure Grant Program.
The program provides competitive grant funding to help construct, renovate and maintain boating infrastructure that serves transient recreational vessels at least 26 feet long.
The Boating Infrastructure Grant Program is now administered by the Division of Coastal Management after transitioning from the Division of Marine Fisheries in 2024. The program is funded through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.
Eligible applicants include public and private marina owners and operators, local governments, state agencies, nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities, and other entities that own or operate qualifying boating facilities in North Carolina’s 20 Coastal Area Management Act counties.
Eligible projects include transient docks, piers, gangways, mooring buoys, breakwaters, utilities, restrooms, showers, pump-out facilities, dinghy docks, signage and other infrastructure that supports eligible recreational vessels.
The state is accepting applications for two funding levels.
Tier 1 grants provide up to $300,000 in federal funding for projects within North Carolina, while Tier 2 grants offer up to $1.5 million in federal funding through a nationally competitive process.
The Division of Coastal Management will review and rank eligible applications before submitting the highest-ranked proposals to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for consideration.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28.
The division also plans to host an informational webinar from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 15, to review the application process, eligible projects and program requirements. Registration information, application materials and eligibility requirements are available through the North Carolina Boating Infrastructure Grant Program website.
