The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department is opening the Recreation Trails Program (RTP) grant cycle from April 1 – April 29, 2022. The RTP is an 80/20 matching grant program that provides funding for motorized and non-motorized recreational trail projects. This program is administered at the state level through the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department with guidance from the Recreational Trails Program Advisory Council (RTPAC), and federally through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
Applicants may request grant amounts ranging from a minimum of $10,000 up to a maximum of $250,000, and project sponsors must have at least 20% match available at the time of the application. Eligible projects consist of constructing new recreation trails; restoration of existing trails; development and rehabilitation of trailside and trailhead facilities and trail linkages; purchase and lease of recreational trail construction and maintenance equipment; land acquisition/easements; and trail accessibility assessment.
The agency received 18 applications for the Recreation Trails Grant Program during the previous grant cycle, totaling $3,098,415.63 in project fund grant requests. The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) was allocated approximately $1 million to award through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The RTP Advisory Committee recommended six projects that were allocated funding this year. These projects that were selected for funding by the NDPRD were:
- Maah Daah Hey Trail Association – Buffalo Gap Trail Restoration 2022
- Barnes County Park Board – Sheyenne Water Trail
- Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation – Pancratz Trail System
- Maah Daah Hey Trail Association – Coal Creek Restoration 2022
- North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department – Trail Maintenance Equipment
- Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa – Turtle Mountain OHV Trail Upgrades
Application submissions must be submitted online utilizing Web Grants. For project application submission through Web Grants, please visit the website at https://grants.nd.gov/index.do. Letters for pre-award notification will tentatively be sent out to applicants in June. Projects will have approximately a nine-to-12-month application processing period before funds are granted by NDPRD. For further information, please visit our website at https://www.parkrec.nd.gov/business/ or contact AJ Torgerson, Special Projects Officer at 701-328-5357.
The mission of the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department is to offer a diversity of recreation opportunities and sustainably manage resources.