The Motorboat Facility Program is a state grants program. FWP receives a portion of funding from boat registration fees statewide. These funds have traditionally been utilized for boating improvement projects that benefit Montana’s boaters at FWP-managed sites. Commonly known as the Boat-In-Lieu (BIL) Program, this funding source has been in-place since 1993. A change in the legislation in 2001 provided the opportunity for a portion of these funds to be expended on non-FWP managed boating sites.

A change in the legislation in 2001 has provided the opportunity for a portion of these funds to be expended on non-FWP managed motorboating sites. This is a new community grant program from FWP and the intent is to expend a portion of the available funds for boating improvements at local government (county, city, etc.) owned or managed boating sites throughout Montana. Only projects related to motorboating may be submitted. Typical facilities eligible for funding include boat ramps, launching facilities, on-site latrines, boat trailer parking areas, boating facility access roads, boat docks, and facility improvements for disabled boaters.

Any political subdivision of the state (cities, towns, and counties) may submit an application. The maximum grant per project is $35,000. The grant may provide up to 80 percent of a local project's total costs. A project sponsor must have total project costs committed at the time of application. As its share of costs, a project sponsor may use agency work force, cash, and volunteer services. Pre-planning expenditures, such as MEPA compliance, permitting, and engineering, are reimbursable up to 15% of the total project amount. Due to the limited amount of funds, only one (1) application will be accepted per local government entity in any grant round.

Motorboat Facility Program applications must include a completed application form with signature of an authorized official, legible maps of project location, letters of support from the public, user groups and similar organizations. For projects involving private lands, copies of completed and current easements or agreements must be submitted. See additional information on this web site for details.

Typically, FWP accepts grant applications for the Motorboat Facility Program every other year. The next deadline for grant applications is Friday, November 20, 2009. For the sake of convenience, Motorboat Facility grant rules, guidelines, and application materials will remain posted online for communities wishing to get a head start in preparing for 2009. Keep in mind, however, that 2009 Motorboat Facility applications must be submitted on the proper forms, and in the required format. The 2009 online application form and materials will be posted sometime in the early summer of 2009.

NOTICE: Each and every sponsor must satisfy the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and will be expected to include a completed MEPA/NEPA Checklist as part of its grant application. MEPA must be satisfied by the sponsor or land management agency involved in the project regardless of whether that project is on federal, state, county, city or private land. Therefore, any application submitted without the required MEPA/NEPA Checklist will be removed from consideration in the grant selection process.

Call us in Helena at (406) 444-3750 for more information. Thank you for your continued interest in the Motorboat Facility Program.