Applications Available for Boat U.S. Foundation Clean Water Grants
November 2006
News
The Boat U.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is offering grant funds up to $4,000 for non-profit groups to develop projects that educate boaters about clean water issues and environmental stewardship of our waterways. While projects involving the reduction of trash and other foreign marine debris in our waterways will receive extra consideration this year, applicants are encouraged to submit any proposal that strives to improve the marine environment. The deadline to apply is February 1, 2007.
"Eighty percent of all marine debris -- such as plastic bottles, cigarette butts, automobile tires and industrial waste -- starts out on land and ends up in the water. Not only is it unpleasant to look at, but the trash can significantly harm marine life as well as be a navigational hazard. The easiest way to reduce marine debris is to prevent it from reaching the water in the first place," says Susan Shingledecker, Environmental Program Manager for the BoatU.S. Foundation.
Last year's Clean Water Grant program received 65 proposals. Of these, 18 projects in 14 states were selected for funding for a total of nearly $50,000 in grant funds.
Pennsylvania Sea Grant, one of the Foundation's previous grantees, has been awarded a Clean Water Grants Excellence Award for their work educating boaters about invasive species. Their original grant of $3880 was used to create signs educating boaters on how to identify invasive species and prevent their spread from one waterway to another. The Excellence Award includes an additional $500 to continue the organization's efforts.
To view previous grant projects, learn more about marine debris, please visit http://www.BoatUS.com/foundation/cleanwater/grants Applications must be submitted electronically or postmarked by midnight February 1, 2007.
The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit education and research organization primarily funded by the voluntary contributions of the 670,000 members of BoatU.S. The Foundation operates more than a dozen programs including the only accredited, free, online general boating safety course, a low-cost EPIRB rental program, the "Help Stop the Drops" national clean fueling campaign, a free kid's Life Jacket Loaner Program, and has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for nonprofit groups for boating safety and environmental projects.