What's New

August 4, 2020 - The Great American Outdoors Act has Fully and Permanently Funded the Land and Water Conservation Fund

President Trump has signed the Great American Outdoors Act into law (Public Law 116-152). This landmark conservation legislation will use royalties from offshore and natural gas to permanently fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund at the level of $900 million per year. View the Department of the Interior's news release announcing the signing of the Great American Outdoors Act.

March 31, 2020 - Secretary Bernhardt Announces $227 Million for State Outdoor Recreation and Conservation Projects

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt today announced $227,125,000 will be distributed from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to all 50 states, five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia for specified park and outdoor recreation and conservation projects. The press release contains additional information about the announcement.

January 31, 2020 – Up to $40.0 Million Available for Grants for Outdoor Recreation in Cities

The National Park Service has posted a Notice of Funding Opportunity at Grants.gov to accept pre-applications for grants for the fourth round of the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program, which supports projects that will acquire land for or develop outdoor recreation spaces in urban areas. The notice, P20AS00029, will be open until July 10, 2020.

The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program is a complementary grant program to the State-side formula grants program. Project proposals should target low to moderate income neighborhoods that are under-served with respect to parks and other outdoor recreation resources. To be eligible, a jurisdiction must have a population of at least 50,000 people and be located within an Urbanized Area as designated from the 2010 Census. The pre-applications will be submitted through the State lead agencies for LWCF; please contact your state lead agency for information about how their process to select proposals to submit for the national competition.

December 27, 2019 – The National Park Service Announces Project Selection for New Park Development and Improvement Projects in 18 Cities

The National Park Service announced today the selection of proposals from the third round of the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program competition, which will assist 18 economically-disadvantaged communities in 16 states with their projects to plan, build, and enhance parks and other outdoor recreation facilities in underserved communities. These public-private partnerships will leverage $11.7 million in federal funding with an estimated $20 million from local governments, private firms, and non-profit organizations to create or revitalize parks, establish new trails, restore vacant industrial land for park uses, and make other important investments in parks across the country. See the press release.

September 5, 2019 - Secretary Bernhardt Announces $170.6 Million to Support State Parks and Outdoor Recreation through the Land and Water Conservation Fund

U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt today announced $170,623,713 million in grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to all 50 States, five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia for state-identified outdoor recreation and conservation projects. The press release contains additional information about the announcement.

March 12, 2019 - Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanently Reauthorized

Legislation to permanently authorize the LWCF Act was included in S.47, the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (formerly known as the Natural Resources Management Act). The text of the State Assistance section (now codified at 54 U.S.C. 200305) was largely unchanged but did include a significant amendment that will mean the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands will be treated as "states" for the purposes of allocating funding through the LWCF formula. The press release contains additional information about the announcement.