Become a Readiness and Recreation Initiative Merit Reviewer

The National Park Service is recruiting individuals from diverse backgrounds and regions to serve as grant application peer reviewers for the Recreation and Readiness Initiative (RARI) program, a competitive grant program funded by the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). RARI ‘s goals are to preserve the environment, boost disaster resilience for military installations and communities, and provide public outdoor recreation opportunities. It was established in 2023 through a partnership between the Department of the Interior and the Department of War. You can learn more about RARI here. RARI applications undergo a rigorous merit review to ensure a thorough, consistent, and objective examination based on established criteria.

Preferred Backgrounds

The NPS strives for our panels to represent a broad range of viewpoints and backgrounds. Panels have both recreation professionals and knowledgeable laypersons. Panelists can come from many fields, including but not limited to:

• Military Life or Service
• Parks and recreation management
• Landscape architecture
• Public health
• Research
• Environmental education
• Outdoor recreation enthusiasts

Preferred Skills and Experience

Panelists should possess:

• Evaluation Skills: Can assess grant applications critically based on NOFO criteria.
• Analytical Writing: Write clear, concise, and accurate comments.
• Communication: Effective in both writing and speaking.
• Confidentiality: Maintain confidentiality on projects that are being reviewed.
• Objectivity: Be unbiased and fair. No conflicts of interest.
• Cultural Competency: Ability to recognize and respect different cultural and community perspectives, values, and traditions regarding access and use of outdoor spaces.

What to Expect

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Panelists will independently review 2-4 applications over a four-week period between January 2027 and October 2027.

• Independently scoring each application based on set criteria
• Discussing the strengths and weaknesses of applications with fellow panelists.
• Providing thorough, written comments that document their scoring rationale.

Peer reviewers must be able to impartially and effectively analyze grant applications against specific criteria from the RARI Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Panelists are required to provide clearly written documentation detailing the rationale in support of each score for the applications they review. Through this process, panelists help decide where the LWCF should direct millions of dollars in funding.

Note: if you work for an organization that plans to apply for RARI under this Notice of Funding Opportunity, you may not serve as a merit reviewer due to potential conflicts of interest.

Time Commitment

Panelists should anticipate committing 6-10 hours of their time over a four-week period. Required activities include:

• A mandatory 2-hour virtual training on RARI and the merit review process
• Initial review of 2-4 applications (approximately 3-6 hours total)
• A panel consensus and collaboration meeting with fellow peer reviewers (approximately 1-3 hours).

How to Apply

If interested in serving as a peer reviewer, individuals should review the RARI Notice of Funding Opportunity and any program information on NPS.gov.

To be considered, send an email with "RARI Peer Reviewer Candidate" in the subject line to [e-mail] with a current resume/curriculum vitae attached, along with an introductory paragraph that describes your interest in serving as a peer review panel member for this grant program, as well as any other information you would like to share.