Special Call for Applications for Local Park Outdoor Grants

Recreation Grants Branch is announcing a special call for applications to include the Outdoor Recreation and Urban Outdoor Recreation grant programs. With the passage of the omnibus spending bill in December by the U.S. Congress, Texas has received $2,302,679 for its federal apportionment through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Approximately one half of this amount or $1,151,339 is available for the August 1st grant review. Of this amount, 40% is set aside for the Urban Outdoor Recreation grants and 60% is set aside for Outdoor Recreation grants.

The 82nd Texas Legislature suspended all State funding for the Texas Recreation and Parks Account (TRPA), and all Large County and Municipality Recreation and Parks Account. Due to this suspension, available grant funds are limited to the federal LWCF apportionment and the following program guidelines apply for this call for applications:

Application Deadline
Applications must be postmarked no later than August 1, 2012.

Match
Outdoor Recreation Grant maximum match amount = $100,000
(Approximately $690, 803 available)

Urban Outdoor Recreation Grant maximum match amount = $220,000
(Approximately $460, 535 available)

Existing government-owned lands cannot be used as a part of the non-federal matching share of a project unless such land is to be acquired by the sponsoring agency from another agency and there is a statutory requirement that the selling agency be reimbursed for the value of the property. Further, property cannot be "donated" between the State and its political subdivisions to serve as a match for grant assistance.

The only federal funds allowed as match include grants from the Community Development Block Grant and the National Recreational Trails Fund programs.

Leased Land
Projects on leased land will only be considered if the lesser; 1) is another eligible government entity and 2) dedicates the land as public parkland in perpetuity.

Waiver of Retroactivity
If you are planning to use a Waiver of Retroactivity for your application, please contact our office to confirm eligibility prior to preparing your application.

Land Appraisals
If your project is selected for funding and it includes land acquisition, an appraisal in compliance with Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisition (yellow book standards) will be required. The Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisition can be found on the U.S. Department of Justice's website as a pdf. Please note that the cost of the yellow book appraisal is not eligible for reimbursement.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Regulatory Activities and Compliance System (TRACS)

For all other program guidelines, please review the relevant application from our Grants main page.

Due to limited funds and eligibility requirements, applications for all other Local Park Grant programs are not being accepted at this time. These include the Small Community, Indoor Recreation, Urban Indoor Recreation and Regional grant programs.

For questions regarding the application process, please contact: