National Park Service’s Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program (ORLP)

Completed ORLP Project at Comiskey Park, Dubuque, IA. Photo courtesy of the City of Dubuque, IA.

PURPOSE OF FUNDING
ORLP funds the acquisition or development of new parks, or substantial renovation of parks, in economically disadvantaged cities or towns of at least 25,000 people. ORLP focuses on providing new or significantly improved nature-based parks in urban, disadvantaged communities lacking access to walkable outdoor recreation (a.k.a. park deserts). The Notice of Funding Opportunity is open for 5 years with an anticipated number of awards ranging from 25 to 40 per calendar year nationwide.

Round 8 is comprised of a two-step process with a pre-application and final application. See details below.

APPLICATION
Please contact Vincenzo Ferriola – Vincenzo.Ferriola@njdepwptest.net

APPLICATION DEADLINES
For the next five years, there will be two preliminary application deadlines to the NPS each year: June 1st and November 1st.

Timeline for June 1, 2025, Preliminary Applications:

  1. March 7, 2025: Proposals due to Green Acres. (Refer to the submission checklist)
  2. Mid-March 2025: Based on NPS consultation, Green Acres will authorize and guide the most competitive proposals to complete the preliminary application.
  3. May 5, 2025: Preliminary applications due to Green Acres.
  4. June 1, 2025: Preliminary applications due to NPS.
  5. September 1, 2025: NPS is expected to announce selected projects from the June 1st submissions. Selected applicants must submit a full application within one year to remain eligible for funding.
  6. September 1, 2026: Full application deadline to NPS. Awards will be granted following NPS’s final review and approval.

Timeline for November 1, 2025, Preliminary Applications:

  1. August 1, 2025: Proposals due to Green Acres. (Refer to the submission checklist)
  2. Mid-August 2025: Based on NPS consultation, Green Acres will authorize and guide the most competitive proposals to complete the preliminary application.
  3. October 3, 2025: Preliminary applications due to Green Acres.
  4. November 1, 2025: Preliminary applications due to NPS.
  5. February 1, 2026: NPS is expected to announce selected projects from the November 1st submissions. Selected applicants must submit a full application within one year to remain eligible for funding.
  6. February 1, 2027: Full application deadline to NPS. Awards will be granted following NPS’s final review and approval.

SOURCE OF FUNDING
Land and Water Conservation Fund

STATUTORY CITATION
N/A

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

  • Municipalities
  • Counties
  • State agencies
  • Federally recognized Native American Tribes
  • Joint Powers Authorities where all members are otherwise eligible under the LWCF
  • Park Commissions , and special districts with authority to acquire, operate and maintain public park and recreation areas

* Nonprofits are not eligible applicants, although partnerships with nonprofits are highly encouraged.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED FOR CONSIDERATION
Project must be:

  • located within an incorporated city or town having a population of 30,000 or more in the 2020 Census
  • located within a census tract determined to be disadvantaged per the Climate and Environmental Justice Screening Tool
  • located in a park desert, whereas there are no existing parks within the community, the existing parks are obsolete or underdeveloped, or existing parks are inaccessible to the community due to physical barriers, such as transportation infrastructure, rivers, etc.

The Most Competitive Projects:

  • Are shovel ready by the time the grant is awarded, which is anticipated being in Fall 2025. Projects that have extensive environmental remediation or have not yet started a remediation process will be more competitive for a later ORLP round.
  • Create new parks or substantially renovate existing parks that significantly increase the number of people and types of user groups who could be served in a way that would be equivalent to a new park.

GRANT/LOAN LIMITATIONS
ORLP is a dollar-for-dollar matching grant program, with a minimum award of $300,000 and maximum award of $15M.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

  • Each state solicits proposals from eligible project sponsors and selects and submits preliminary applications to NPS for projects they find to be eligible and meet the goals of the ORLP program.
  • Each preliminary application is reviewed and scored by an independent merit panel and technical reviewers.
  • Based on the reviews of an independent merit panel, the Director of the NPS determines which projects are selected and invited to submit a full application for NPS review.
  • States work with the project sponsors of the NPS selected projects to prepare a full application for NPS’s final review and funding determination.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
https://njdepwptest.net/greenacres/lwcf-outdoor-recreation-legacy-partnership-grants/

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT
Vincenzo Ferriola – Vincenzo.Ferriola@njdepwptest.net, 609-913-6386

Preliminary discussions with Green Acres are strongly encouraged to cultivate the best projects for national competition. Please reach out to us with questions about the ORLP funding round and proposal development.