This year marks the 15^th anniversary that the Sea Tow Foundation has received grant funding from the Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund, as administered by the US Coast Guard to support their Life Jacket Loaner Program which is now the largest of its kind in the world. This year, that funding allowed the Sea Tow Foundation to purchase more than 5,600 life jackets in sizes ranging from infant to adult extra-large for establishing new life jacket loaner stations around the country and replenishing existing stations.

Every year, the Sea Tow Foundation opens a new grant application cycle, allowing marine businesses, communities, and organizations to request Life Jacket Loaner Station building kits and/or life jackets. In the 2023 application cycle, a record-breaking 258 applications were submitted requesting a total of 20,852 life jackets. The quantity of life jackets that the Sea Tow Foundation can award through donations and grant funding was a quarter of that, and the Sea Tow Foundation purchases the life jackets from Onyx/Absolute Outdoor nearly a year in advance of their use so that there is time to have them manufactured, custom-printed, and shipped. After reviewing the applications, 140 groups were selected to receive life jackets from the Sea Tow Foundation. Additionally, 50 grant-funded Life Jacket Loaner Stand building kits will be sent out.

Due to the immense volume of applications for their nationwide Life Jacket Loaner Program, the Sea Tow Foundation knew that not every group that applied would be able to receive life jackets and that the decision-making process would be difficult. Because of this, the Sea Tow Foundation asked the boating industry to donate new or gently-used life jackets to meet the demands and safeguard the lives of boaters. In response, Onyx/Absolute Outdoor graciously donated 447 brand-new life jackets that will ensure that 15 additional groups will be able to host Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Stations across 13 states.

Are you interested in donating new or gently used life jackets? Learn more here.

Life Jacket Loaner Programs save lives. By providing life jackets that boaters of all ages can borrow and return free of charge, a life jacket loaner station can prevent drowning. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 75% of fatal boating accident victims drowned and 86% of those were not wearing a life jacket. This is likely because people who drown never expected to end up in the water and are not prepared with a correctly fitting life jacket for everyone, but a life jacket loaner station can provide life jackets for free to ensure everyone’s safety. Developing an effective life jacket loaner program includes considering partnerships, continued funding, station location, publicity and using the resources provided by the Sea Tow Foundation

Partnerships
The most important part of a successful life jacket loaner program is to involve and include as many stakeholders as possible. You already have the advantage of being affiliated with the Sea Tow Foundation and the U.S. Coast Guard, but the more partnerships you can create, the better your life jacket loaner program can be. Each agency/organization brings something unique to the program and it is important to host meetings and discussions with everyone involved in the early planning stages as well as throughout the life of the program. Stakeholders can include any groups in the area that would benefit from safer waterways including those groups involved in boating as well as swimming. Possible partners include your state boating agency, state or local parks, Safe Kids USA organization, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Power Squadrons, other non-profit organizations, civic groups like the Lions or Moose, scouting groups, etc.  

Find Funding 
Building a successful life jacket loaner program requires money. There is just no way around that fact. Although you have received the life jackets from the Sea Tow Foundation for free, there are other costs to consider when implementing a life jacket loaner program. Signage may need to be printed to help people find the loaner stand. In addition, the life jackets will eventually need to be replaced and the stands will either need to be repaired or replaced and that requires funding. The Sea Tow Foundation can’t guarantee the availability of grant funds to assist with this in future years. Therefore, it is crucial to plan out all of the costs ahead of time and make plans for where the funding will come from. Failure to plan ahead for funding means that a new life jacket loaner program could be successful and prosperous in its first year and then disappear from the community in its second year due to lack of funding.

Choose a Good Location 
A life jacket loaner stand will not be successful if the public cannot find it and use the life jackets. Choosing a location is important because the goal will be to have the loaner stand at this specific place for a long period of time. Conduct research on drowning statistics in the local area and observe where boaters and other water enthusiasts spend a lot of time on their way to the water. A marina store, waterfront office, fuel dock or boat ramp can all be a good location for a life jacket loaner stand, but these don’t have to be the only options. Boating safety camps, marine law enforcement stations, fire departments, libraries, lifeguard stands, community centers as well as many other locations could be successful places to put a life jacket loaner stand. To prevent loss and theft, a loaner stand that is at least perceived to be under surveillance will see a higher rate of life jacket return, so consider a well-populated location where the life jackets and/or stand will have lots of people around it. An additional safeguard would be that the life jackets and/or stand could be secured overnight, if that is possible. 
After deciding on potential locations, it is important to involve the business owners, organization representatives and town council in the decision of where to place the life jacket loaner stand. Although many businesses, organizations and towns welcome the addition of safety initiatives such as life jacket loaner programs, there may be some that require additional convincing.  

Publicize the Life Jacket Loaner Stand 
When the life jacket loaner stand has been built and placed at its location, host a press event to showcase the good work that your organization/agency has done. Stage a ribbon cutting ceremony and invite the local stakeholders, business owners, politicians, law enforcement officials and members of the press along with anyone else that may be interested. You can submit a press release to your local newspapers with the assistance of the Sea Tow Foundation. 

Resources Available from the Sea Tow Foundation
Using all the resources available through the Sea Tow Foundation will help keep your station successful. Whether it’s adding your station to the interactive location map, providing PSAs, ordering program products, and downloading webinars, we’ve got you covered.
Click here to the Resources page and here to the Store.

If your organization, boating agency, company, or municipality wants to host a Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Station during the 2023 boating season, the application is now closed as of February 2, 2023. To be notified when the 2024 grant application opens on November 1, 2023, please fill out this form. 

Donations to the Sea Tow Foundation help us fund programs that help in our efforts to educate boaters and keep them safe on the water. You can donate securely online at www.boatingsafety.com/donatetoday or by clicking on the DONATE tab at the top of the page.

The 2021 Life Jacket Loaner Program Grant Application is Open!

For anyone who is passionate about boating and saving lives through life jacket use, you can apply to host a loaner station, or restock an existing one, right now!

As part of a grant administered through the U.S. Coast Guard’s Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund, the Sea Tow Foundation receives funding to work with organizations, agencies and businesses throughout the U.S. to add new Life Jacket Loaner Stations and restock hundreds of existing stations for the 2021 boating season.

Applications can be found on our website at www.BoatingSafety.com/LifeJacketGrant. Applications will be accepted from November 1, 2020 until February 1, 2021.

Since 2008, the Sea Tow Foundation has distributed more than 65,000 life jackets to local businesses, agencies and organizations across the country. Presently, there are over 750 Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Stations nationwide and all of them carry life jackets ranging in age from infant through adult, ensuring that sizes are available for anyone needing to borrow one. The goal in the 2021 boating season is to add at least 50 new life jacket loaner stations and restock hundreds of others with Onyx brand yellow life jackets in all sizes to keep boaters of all ages and sizes safe on the water!

Get into the Spirit of Giving with a Life Jacket Drive this Holiday Season

With the winter holidays just around the corner, there’s no better time than now to get into the spirit of giving. And if you’re a boater that cares about safety, there’s no better way to give than by collecting new or gently used life jackets for use at a local Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Station!

As everyone is putting up their boats for the winter up north or making plans to take a break from boating during the busy winter months down south, this is the best time to gather up any life jackets that may not be needed next season. Whether the kids have outgrown the life jackets or they have become surplus in your boat’s supply, gently used life jackets can still help save a life on your local waterways.

Hosting a Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Drive is an easy way to make a huge impact on your local boating community. Simply visit www.lifejacketdrive.org and download the program manual, signage, flyers and other promotional materials to get the word out about your drive. You can also request box labels for your life jacket collection boxes and those will be mailed to you for free.

Many organizations that accept donations of clothing, toys and household items can’t accept life jackets because the staff lack the training to identify whether the life jackets meet U.S. Coast Guard requirements. Thankfully, the Life Jacket Drive’s Program Manual provides you with the tools to confidently inspect the donated life jackets, including a checklist like the one shown below.

Add it all up, and there’s no better time to host a Life Jacket Drive in your hometown. This holiday season protect a life by donating a vest. And, best of all, the donated life jackets will stay in your local boating community as part of a life jacket loaner station that local boaters can borrow and return.

Apply Today to Host a Sea Tow Foundation Life Jacket Loaner Station!

Is your company, team, organization or club passionate about boating? Are you looking for a way to engage with your local community to make an impact and save lives? Now’s your chance, because the Sea Tow Foundation is officially accepting applications to set up new or restock existing Life Jacket Loaner Stations.

In case you’re not familiar with our Life Jacket Loaner Program, the Sea Tow Foundation started the program 12 years ago thanks to grant funds from the Sport Fish Restoration & Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Sea Tow Foundation works with organizations all throughout the country to establish and maintain a network of close to 600 life jacket loaner stations where local boaters can borrow a life jacket for the day, free of charge. And the life jackets are saving lives on waterways both near and far.

If your organization is interested in hosting a Life Jacket Loaner Station in your hometown, simply complete the online application by February 1, 2020.

In April 2020, the selected organizations will be sent Onyx Outdoor life jackets ranging in sizes from infant to adult XL, as well as informational brochures on the importance of life jacket use. In addition, organizations will receive a manual detailing how to maintain the loaner station, announce the opening of the station to the local media, and complete monthly reports describing how the life jackets are used.

New this year, reimbursement may be provided to organizations interested in building a loaner stand locally or working with a local group to help in building a stand. If you are selected to receive the reimbursement, signage will be provided, as well as building plans.

Now is your chance to make a difference in your local boating community! Submit your application today! We look forward to working with you in 2020!