Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Grants Program

A child in a yellow shirt rock climbs up a tan boulder in a park as her mother wearing a blue tank top watches and is holding their hands up like they are ready to catch the child if they fall.
Montbello Open Space Park in Denver, Colorado, opened in 2021 with federal funds from an Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership grant.

Mundus Bishop / Scott Dressel-Martin

About ORLP

The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) is a nationally competitive grant program that provides funding to enhance recreation opportunities in rural and urban communities. ORLP’s funding enables these communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors. Recreation is core to the American experience; ORLP is making recreation attainable for all Americans.

ORLP funds an array of projects and facilities, from sports fields and playgrounds to walking trails and community gardens. Land acquisition, site development, or renovation of existing facilities are all possible ORLP projects. Projects are locally led and designed to meet pressing community needs. As of 2024, ORLP has invested over $385 million in projects nationwide.

Congress established ORLP in 2014 to fill crucial gaps in urban access to recreation. The National Park Service administers the program with funding through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). ORLP projects pass through a rigorous state and national selection process to ensure alignment local, state, and Congressional funding priorities.

A female ranger wearing a green formal button down uniform and felt flat rimmed hat holds her hand up as she speaks into a microphone with a colorful children’s playground in the background.
Lauren Imgrund, former Associate Director of Partnerships and Civic Engagement with the National Park Service, speaks at the Philadelphia Mifflin Square ribbon-cutting event.

Trust for Public Land

ORLP Basic Requirements

  • Eligibility - Projects must serve communities with a population of 25,000 or more, per the U.S. Census Bureau. For example, an incorporated city or town, or census designated place with a population of 25,000+.
  • Federally recognized tribes, Alaska Native organizations, and Native Hawaiian community organizations, are eligible regardless of population.
  • Matching Requirement - ORLP is dollar for dollar match, meaning it funds and reimburses up to 50% of all project costs. Applicants are responsible for finding other non-federal funds for at least 50% of project costs.
  • Perpetuity Requirement - Projects assisted through ORLP must be maintained and accessible exclusively for public outdoor recreation use in perpetuity. This applies to the assisted park or site in its entirety, not just the area assisted by the grant funds.
  • Other Land & Water Conservation Fund Requirements – As an LWCF program, ORLP projects must align with the purposes and requirements of the LWCF Act, LWCF Manual, and your relevant state’s State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP).
A cartoon of a miniature park landscape including paths & ponds with a cityscape in the background
Application Information & Timelines

Learn about Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership's (ORLP) application process, eligibility, timelines, and additional resources.

A blue sky above an adventure park with large rubber tires half buried & wooden balance beams.
Current Notice of Funding Opportunity

A link to the current NOFO for ORLP grants on Grants.gov

Last updated: May 21, 2025

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