Funding & Training
Alaska Clean Harbors is working to compile a list of funding and training resources for harbors across the state. Please find a list of potential funding and training opportunities below.
This is a living list and we rely on our harbors and community partners to keep it updated!
Training
Scholarships & Online Training
The Alaska Association of Harbormasters and Port Administrators (AAHPA) regularly offers beneficial training opportunities for members and scholarships for young maritime professionals. We are grateful for their leadership in developing the ACH program. Learn more here.
HAZWOPER stands for Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response, and training is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for anyone that works around hazardous wastes. Zender Environmental has a great overview on HAZWOPER training and opportunities in Alaska.
Grant Writing
AAHPA has worked with Alaska Project Solutions on grant writing workshops. Reach out to see if any are scheduled.
The University of Alaska Anchorage also occasionally offers an evening grant writing class.
Alaska Federal Funding also offers grant writing tools here.
ACH course with UAS
We recommend signing up for this Clean Harbors Course through UAS. This course is designed to walk you through the ACH best practices checklist, and provide a robust background and understanding of waste management and pollution prevention solutions that can be implemented at your facility. The course is part of the Career Training for Ports and Marinas program. It costs $195 for the first person at your facility to enroll. Reach out to UAS for group rates. The course is self-paced, and should take around 15 hours to complete if you follow all of the links and read through all of the resources. At the end of the course, you will have completed the majority of your facility's self assessment for ACH certification.
Follow the link below to view currently scheduled non-credit courses and find Clean Harbors
This video introduces a module of our Clean Harbors course, available through the University of Alaska Southeast Career Training for Ports and Marinas distance education program.
Funding
ACH recognizes that deferred maintenance and insufficient investment can hinder the achievement of clean harbor status. While our program strives to offer cost-effective solutions for coastal communities, we acknowledge the necessity of adequate funding. To assist in addressing this need, we have provided a list of funding options for your convenience.
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The Alaska State Revolving Fund (SRF) Program provides low interest financing (0.5-2%) to municipally owned harbors and ports to improve their drinking water and wastewater facilities and complete other water-quality related projects. Example projects include:
Pump-out vessels and waste collection systems
Sewer extensions for harbor and port areas, Used oil collection centers
Washdown pads with filtration systems
Green harbor infrastructure to protect Alaska’s waters
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The Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act, often referred to as the Dingell-Johnson Act or the Wallop-Breaux Amendment, not only provides funding for sport fisheries management and research, but also funds projects to improve recreational power boating and sport fishing access. Sport Fish Restoration grants can only be approved if they primarily benefit the recreational boating and sport fishing public. More info.
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To provide financial assistance to municipal or regional housing authority owned harbor facilities, the Alaska Legislature passed landmark legislation in 2006 establishing a new 50/50 matching grant program called the Harbor Facility Grants Program. This grant program will go a long way towards recapitalizing local government’s harbor infrastructure and furthering the sustainability of Alaska’s public harbor system. More info.
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The BoatUS Foundation has been awarded a $10 million grant from NOAA’s Marine Debris Program to administer a national competitive grant program for removal of abandoned and derelict vessels. The project components also include the development of a national database to track abandoned and derelict vessels, outreach and education on the topics of ADVs and a national conference on current and potential sustainable disposals solutions for marine related waste streams. More info.
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The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides EPA with $3 billion to fund zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure as well as climate and air quality planning at U.S. ports. This new funding program will build on EPA’s Ports Initiative that helps our nation’s ports, a critical part of our infrastructure and supply chain, address public health and environmental impacts on surrounding communities. More info.
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The Clean Vessel Act (CVA) program provides funding to state boating agencies for the construction, renovation, operation, and maintenance of pump-out stations and waste reception facilities to meet the needs of recreational boaters. Awardees are required to provide 25% matching non-federal funds and have the capital to fund the full project up front and receive grant funding as a reimbursement. More info.
In Alaska, funds are administered through the Department of Fish ang Game (ADFG). Contact Tracy Smith (Tracy.Smith@alaska.gov or 907-267-2264) in the Sport Fish Division Access Program for more information.
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The Boating Infrastructure Grant Program provides funding to state boating agencies to construct, renovate, or maintain facilities for transient recreational vessels twenty-six feet or more in length. Awardees are required to provide 25% matching non-federal funds and have the capital to fund the full project up front and receive grant funding as a reimbursement. More info.
In Alaska, funds are administered through the Department of Fish ang Game (ADFG). Contact Tracy Smith (Tracy.Smith@alaska.gov or 907-267-2264) in the Sport Fish Division Access Program for more information.
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The Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) is a discretionary grant program administered by the Maritime Administration. Funds for the PIDP are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port.
PIDP grants support efforts by ports and industry stakeholders to improve port and related freight infrastructure to meet the nation’s freight transportation needs and ensure our port infrastructure can meet anticipated growth in freight volumes. The PIDP provides funding to ports in both urban and rural areas for planning and capital projects. It also includes a statutory set-aside for small ports to continue to improve and expand their capacity to move freight reliably and efficiently and support local and regional economies. More info.
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NOAA offers a wide range of funding opportunities for coastal communities interested in resiliency or restoration. Strengthening coastal resilience means preparing and adapting coastal communities to mitigate the impacts of and more quickly recover after extreme events such as hurricanes, coastal storms, flooding, and sea level rise. Habitat restoration and natural and nature-based infrastructure and solutions are critical to doing so by protecting lives and property; sustaining commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishing; recovering threatened and endangered species; and maintaining and fostering vibrant coastal economies and lifestyles. More info.
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The PCC’s Barbara Schwantes Fund (BSF) provides up to $1,000 for a one-year Academic Scholarship or Project Grant to a qualified individual intending to enroll in a post-secondary program in a marine related field OR, for a project grant to encourage the initiation of projects which can make a difference in coastal regions with an emphasis on but not limited to Children’s Boating Safety and Educational opportunities, Youth Boating, Sailing Clubs and Teams, and Community Marine Outreach Programs.
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Through Rural Utilities Service Water and Environmental Programs (WEP), rural communities obtain the technical assistance and financing necessary to develop drinking water and waste disposal systems. WEP provides funding for the construction of water and waste facilities in rural communities and is proud to be the only Federal program exclusively focused on rural water and waste infrastructure needs of rural communities with populations of 10,000 or less. More info.
Depending on funding, ACH can assist with the purchase of small items such as signage, trash cans, and spill response materials to aid with certification.
We also regularly partner with grassroots and community organizations to support harbors in achieving their goals. Previously, we have collaborated with Ocean Conservancy, Net Your Problem, Backhaul Alaska, and various state and federal agencies. We encourage you to explore opportunities within your own community to identify and collaborate on relevant projects or to discover potential grant partners. Reach out to ACH if you would like more assistance.
