Land and Water Conservation Fund Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program (US)

Deadline: 31-May-23

The National Park Service (NPS) is accepting applications for its Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program to provide new or significantly improved recreation opportunities in economically-disadvantaged communities, consistent with the purposes and requirements of the LWCF Act and LWCF Manual, and that:

meet recreation goals as identified in, and align with, at least one priority of, the State’s Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
are located within a city having a population of 30,000 or more, and
serve the specific needs of a community(ies) that is (are) severely lacking in walkable, publicly accessible, outdoor recreation (“park deserts”), and that has a poverty rate of at least 20% or that is at least 10% higher than that of the project city, county, and state rates).
ORLP Program Competition Priorities

The competition will prioritize the selection of projects that:

provide new recreational opportunities, particularly those that will increase access to nature’s benefits, such as green spaces, shady areas (via tree cover), and natural landscapes that help cool the air and reduce urban heat island effects, reduce pollution, and have positive effects on mental and physical health;
empowered and engaged members of the target community in the project development and design of the plans for the park;
create or expand public-private partnerships that leverage matching share resources (e.g., money or donations of land, supplies, or services, etc.);
benefit from a high degree of coordination among the public, multiple levels of government, and the private sector; and
advance goals of, or meet, priority recreation needs identified in numerous local, regional, state plans and/or initiatives.