The LWCF State Side program provides matching grants to create and expand parks, develop recreation facilities, and further local recreation plans. The first step is to contact the cooperating state office.
Eligibility for accessing funds
Public Agencies, including State, Local, and Tribal Governments, Districts
Match from other sources
Park Funding Use
Using zero taxpayer dollars, the Land and Water Conservation Fund invests earnings from offshore oil and gas leasing to protect land and water for national parks, forests, and wildlife refuges, and to provide matching grants for state and local park and recreation projects. LWCF is administered nationally by the National Park Service within the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Eligibility for accessing funds
Federal land management agencies
The next round of the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Grants (ORLP) is currently paused. We will share updates as we receive them from the National Park Service.
The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program, established in 2014, is a nationally competitive grant program funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The ORLP focuses on providing outdoor recreation in disadvantaged communities within urban areas. The National Park Service has funds available for land acquisition, new park development, or the renovation of existing parks, all with the goal of reconnecting people with the outdoors.
Bridgeport, CT
Set in a community with few park and recreation assets, Johnson Oak Park is a multi-stakeholder, community-owned effort in a low-income community. Blending support from local park, school, and economic development leadership and a strong community voice and engagement component, Johnson Oak Park transformed an informal historic focal point into a formalized asset.
Eligibility for accessing funds
Local Governments, Tribal Governments, Districts, Nonprofits
Match from other sources
Park Funding Use