Division of Boating and Waterways Clean Vessel Act Education and Outreach Grant FY 2025

The Sewage Management Education and Outreach Grant Program is administered by the California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW). This program is part of California’s implementation of the Clean Vessel Act of 1992, a federal initiative enacted by Congress to reduce pollution from vessel sewage discharges in U.S. waters. DBW serves as the state grant coordinator and leverages funds from the federal Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund to promote public awareness and provide education on proper vessel sewage management practices. The grant supports educational and outreach initiatives that target California’s boating community with the primary objective of reducing sewage discharge into water bodies. The scope of the program also includes monitoring activities to assess the status, repair needs, and usage patterns of existing pumpout and dump station facilities. This is achieved in part by supporting the continued development and use of the Pumpout Nav App, a tool designed to assist boaters in locating and utilizing waste disposal facilities. The grant is regionally focused on two specific California areas: the 13-county San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary and six Southern California coastal counties. These include San Mateo, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, Sacramento, Solano, Napa, Sonoma, Marin, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and San Luis Obispo. Applications covering part of these regions will be considered if there is a demonstrated ability to eventually expand programming to the entire region. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, for-profit entities, and local government units. However, applicants must have a minimum of five years of verifiable experience in education and outreach program delivery. The grant operates as a reimbursement program, offering coverage for up to 75% of eligible project costs. Applicants must provide a 25% funding match through cash, in-kind donations, or volunteer hours. The total funding available for this grant cycle is $720,000, with up to $360,000 allocated per geographic region. Of this, approximately $300,000 is designated for education and outreach efforts and $60,000 for monitoring and data collection. Two grants will be awarded in total—one per geographic region. Each proposal must incorporate components of education, outreach, and monitoring, or it will be disqualified from consideration. Applications must be received in PDF or hard copy format by August 11, 2025, before 10:00 AM PST. Submissions via fax will not be accepted. For inquiries or to request application materials and budget spreadsheets, applicants should contact Ethan Tratner at ethan.tratner@parks.ca.gov or by phone at (916) 902-8823. Vivian Matuk, the Environmental Boating Program Manager, is also available for guidance and can be reached at vivian.matuk@coastal.ca.gov or (916) 764-0989.