2025 Life Jacket Loaner Program Grant application now open

Life jackets and a loaner stand building kit © Sea Tow Foundation

The Sea Tow Foundation™, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting boating safety, is excited to announce the opening of its Life Jacket Loaner Program Grant Application for the 2025 boating season.

With Life Jacket Loaner Stations now established across all 56 states and territories, the Sea Tow Foundation continues its mission of preventing drowning incidents nationwide through funding from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. This grant program allows the Foundation to work with communities nationwide, providing life jackets and loaner stands to ensure boaters have access to properly fitting life jackets whenever they are on the water.

Applications for the 2025 season will be accepted through February 1, 2025.

"Boating safety affects every community near the water," said Kim Perry, Program Coordinator for the Sea Tow Foundation. "By supporting local organizations through this grant, we're not just providing life jackets—we're building a culture of safety and responsibility that will save lives. We encourage and invite all members of the boating community to apply and participate in this program."

The Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Program is the largest of its kind, with over 1,300 stations across the U.S., including territories such as the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. Each station offers life jackets that can be borrowed free of charge in sizes ranging from infant to adult extra-large to ensure every boater has access to proper safety gear. Since 2008, the Sea Tow Foundation has distributed over 100,000 life jackets to help keep families safe during their time on the water.

There is a limited quantity of life jackets to distribute this year, so be sure to answer all of the application questions completely with as much detail as possible. Application decisions will be made in April 2025. To apply, click here www.boatingsafety.com/page/grant-application.