BRIDGTON — The Lakes Environmental Association, based in Bridgton, has received a boating safety grant from the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water.

The competitive annual grant program is designed to help nonprofit groups, associations, organizations and other waterway users to help spread the message about safe boating practices at the grass roots level.

This year the safety grant program attracted 67 applications from around the country and LEA was one of only 10 that received funding. The organization will use the funds to promote boater awareness of invasive plants and boating safety.

“Working with small local boating nonprofits like this enables us to focus on issues specific to local waterways,” said Alanna Keating, grant coordinator for the BoatU.S. Foundation. “We rely on enthusiastic volunteers like these to help expand our reach.”

Since 1988, the foundation has awarded more than $800,000 in grants to fund projects that promote responsible boating on a local level. A list of all 10 recipients, as well as grant applications and guidelines are available online at www.BoatUS.com/Foundation.

The BoatU.S. Foundationr is a national nonprofit education and research organization primarily funded by the voluntary contributions of the 600,000 members of BoatU.S. The foundation operates more than a dozen programs, including the only accredited, free, online general boating safety course, a low-cost EPIRB rental program, the “Help Stop the Drops” national clean fueling campaign and a free kid’s life jacket loaner program.