City Parks Alliance, with our partners National League of Cities and the National Recreation & Park Association, is hosting an Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) technical assistance webinar with the National Park Service (NPS).
The National Park Service will soon open a new round of funding for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant program. The ORLP will have up to $225 million in available grant funds for cities for park projects in underserved communities.
ORLP grants are available to cities with populations of 30,000 or more. For smaller cities, Park Service staff will share information on the Land and Water Conservation Fund stateside grant program, which does not have a population threshold.
In this webinar, National Park Service staff will:
- provide details on applicant and project eligibility;
- give tips on writing a strong ORLP application;
- explain the application and selection process; and
- answer questions.
Established in 2014, the ORLP is a nationally competitive grant program, funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, that focuses on providing outdoor recreation in disadvantaged communities within urban areas. Funds are available for land acquisition, new park development, or the renovation of existing parks, all with the goal of reconnecting people with the outdoors.
Examples of previously selected projects include:
- developing a 25-acre park on a former brownfield in a low-income neighborhood in Portland, Oregon;
- creating a six-acre skate park on a former industrial site in Madison, Wisconsin; and
- developing a 4.5-acre open-space park on vacant land in a dense and underserved residential neighborhood in Denver, Colorado.
SPEAKERS
Ginger Carter
Grants Management Specialist
National Park Service
Ginger Carter has been with the National Park Service since 1992, managing grant programs to preserve battlefield lands, rehabilitate properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and assist Tribal Historic Preservation Offices before moving into the State and Local Assistance Programs office as the Lead for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program in January of 2021.
Susan Begley Broeksmit
Financial Assistance Program Manager
National Park Service
Susan Begley Broeksmit is the Financial Assistance Program Manager with the National Park Service State and Local Assistance Division. Susan joined the LWCF program in February 1, 2022. Susan was previously a Project Officer and Financial Analyst with the Office of Gulf Coast Restoration at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
MODERATOR
Julie Waterman
Advocacy Director
City Parks Alliance
Julie has over 30 years of experience with non-profit conservation and family planning organizations, focusing on high-profile advocacy, coalition building, public relations, and fundraising. As the Alliance’s Advocacy Director, Julie develops and implements strategies to advance national policies and programs that increase federal investment to city parks. Julie also manages the Alliance’s Mayors for Parks Coalition.
Support provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundation.
