Boating Safety Financial Assistance
Program Funding
Annual program obligations reported to SAM.gov.
Program Objective
The mission of the National RBS Program is to ensure the public has a safe, secure, and enjoyable recreational boating experience by implementing programs designed to minimize the loss of life, personal injury, and property damage while cooperating with environmental and national security efforts via formula grants to designated state agencies.
Eligibility
Eligible Applicants
- U.S. territories
- State
Beneficiaries
- 4
- 19
How to Apply
Award Procedure
The Grants Management Branch reviews the application package from eligible applicants for completeness. Once verified, the package is forwarded to the Program Management & Operations Branch for programmatic review. States will be contacted if the application package requires additional information or further explanation. All applications from eligible recipients will be reviewed for approval. After each application is approved, the Grants Management Specialist will alert the state that their application is programmatically approved. The Grants Management Branch will provide the official award documents once the interagency transfer of recreational boating safety funds from the Department of the Interior to the Coast Guard is finalized.
Decision Timeline
- Approval: From 60 to 90 days
Program details & compliance
Description
The U.S. Coast Guard awards cooperative agreements to designated state agencies to support recreational boating safety efforts. This program is not open to the public.
Use of Funds
Allowed Uses
Award funds shall be used to support annually approved recreational boating safety activities.
Matching Requirements
Per 46 U.S.C. §13104 (b): The amount received by a State under this section in a fiscal year may be not more than one-half of the total cost incurred by that State in developing, carrying out, and financing that State’s recreational boating safety program in that fiscal year. All eligible, approved RBS expenditures may count towards the state share (unless those expenditures are already counted towards another federal grant) and should be reported. The total state share must be equal to, and can be greater than, the total federal share, but states are not required to match expenses item-for-item. The Coast Guard may reimburse a state for up to one-half of its total state expenditures pending the availability of federal funds. Once a state receives reimbursement, the funds no longer have a federal identity and can be spent per the state’s discretion.
Reporting & Compliance
Applicable 2 CFR 200 Subparts
- Subpart B — General Provisions
- Subpart C — Pre-Federal Award Requirements
- Subpart D — Post-Federal Award Requirements
- Subpart E — Cost Principles
- Subpart F — Audit Requirements