BIG Grant Workshop
Step by Step Application Guidance for a Successful Award
BIG awards can exceed $500,000 for projects targeting non-trailerable and transient boats
Speakers, Wendy Larimer and Scott Meister
Money is available each year and this session will walk you through, step by step, how to apply. Wendy Larimer an 8-year veteran of the national review committee for BIG grants and an applicant several times over, along with Scott Meister BIG Coordinator for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s South Atlantic-Gulf & Mississippi-Basin Regions will explain the process, cover the must have’s and things to avoid, and leave you with all you need to know to submit a successful application.
This session will also provide free access to AMI's Marina Economic Impact Calculator, a tool used in many successful grant applications.
Wendy Larimer
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After graduating with an MA in Marine Affairs, Wendy began working in the marine industry and has remained there for about 20 years. She started off pumping fuel and painting boat bottoms, grew into the world of state trade associations, took a short hiatus to work in city government, but ran back to the marine industry to government and public relations. Along the way she sat on the BIG national review committee for 8 years and now she has happily adopted to writing about the industry she knows so well and helping people get those BIG grants.
A native east-coaster, Wendy now lives in Oregon where she spends her free time hiking, learning about Oregon wines and beers, and dreaming of days when she can travel again.
Scott Meister
Scott is a Fish & Wildlife Biologist with Regions 2 and 4 of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife’s (USFWS) Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR) where he coordinates the Boating Infrastructure Grant, Boating Access and Sport Fish Restoration programs for the states and territories in the regions. Prior to his time with USFWS, Scott was employed for 25-years with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) where as a Program Coordinator he managed the Marine Sport Fish Restoration (SFR), Boating Infrastructure Grant (BIG), and Clean Vessel Act (CVA) programs. Scott also served 4-years on the States Organization for Boating Access (SOBA) Board of Directors in the capacity of President, Vice President, and Member-at-Large. He has chaired numerous taskforces for the organization and continues to work towards SOBA’s goal of developing safe, effective, recreational boating facilities for use by the public. Scott lives in the mountains of Georgia where he likes to spend his free time fishing and hiking, usually combining the two.
