The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program was established in 2014 and is funded through the National Park Service’s Land and Water Conservation Fund. ORLP is a nationally competitive program targeting grant assistance to enhance recreation opportunities in rural and urban communities with populations of 25,000 or more. Funds can be used for the acquisition and/or development of, or to substantially renovate obsolete, public parks and other outdoor recreation spaces.
The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program is a federal National Park Service (NPS) grant program. ORLP involves two competitive layers. First the California Department of Parks and Recreation's Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) competitively reviews applications. Second, OGALS forwards selected applications to NPS to compete in the nationwide competition.
Program Intent:
ORLP focuses on communities with little to no access to publicly available, close-by, outdoor recreation opportunities in urban areas. ORLP funds the acquisition and/or development of new parks, or substantial renovations to parks in urban areas that meet certain population requirements:
- An Urban Area with at least 25,000 people shown in purple on the US Census TIGERWeb Tool
OR
- An Urban Area adjacent to another urban area where the combined population is 25,000 or more
OR
- A Federally Recognized Tribe’s land with any population.
Amount Available:
Nationally, approximately $50-120 million is available for the nationwide competition this round. Participating states are not guaranteed an award. The National Review Committee awards the most competitive applications received nationwide.
Maximum Grant Amount Request:
Maximum: $15 million per application
Minimum: $300,000 per application
Match Requirement:
Up to 50% of the total project cost can be requested through ORLP. For example, a $30 million total project can be funded with up to $15 million through ORLP.
- At least 50% of the total project cost must come from an eligible match source.
- All non-federal (state, local, or private) sources are eligible for MATCH.
- The only Federal sources that are eligible as MATCH for this program are:
- Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
- Recreation Trails Program (RTP)
- Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act funding
- Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration Program (REPI) funding.
Other sources of federal funding are not eligible.
Eligible Applicants
- Cities
- Counties
- Park and open space districts, and special districts with authority to acquire, operate, and maintain public park and recreation areas.
- Eligible State Agencies including:
- Department of Parks and Recreation
- Department of Fish and Wildlife
- Wildlife Conservation Board
- Department of Water Resources
- The State Coastal Conservancy
- Federally recognized Native American Tribes
- Joint Powers Authorities where all members are otherwise eligible under LWCF.
Eligibility Requirements
Projects must:
- Involve land acquisition, development, or both for outdoor recreation.
- Be outdoor recreation areas and facilities open to the general public and not limited to special groups.
- Be located in:
- A Qualifying Urban Area with a population of at least 25,000 people shown in purple on the US Census TIGERWeb Tool
- An Urban Area adjacent to another urban area where the combined population is 25,000 or more
- Be located on a Federally Recognized Tribe’s land with any population
- Have funding committed to fully fund the entire project at the time of application. This is a reimbursement-only program.
- Confirmed understanding of the Grant program timeline
- Confirmed ownership of entire park property (or for acquisition or combination projects, confirm that the entire park property will be purchased as part of the project).
- Confirm that the entire park boundary will be protected for public outdoor recreation in perpetuity
- Confirmation of No Ground Disturbance within PROJECT Boundary
Process and Timeline
As a reminder, NPS requires all states to first conduct competitive reviews of all applications before forwarding selected applications to the national competition. For this reason, OGALS must have an application deadline months ahead of NPS’ application deadline.
- OGALS Application Deadline: The application due date is August 28, 2026. OGALS will then conduct its internal competitive review process through September 2026.
- OGALS Review Period: From September 2026 through October 2026, applicants with the most competitive applications will receive guidance from OGALS in consultation with NPS on how to complete the full federal application.
- NPS Application Deadline: NPS requires that all states submit their selected applications for the national competition by NPS’ November 1, 2026, deadline.
- NPS Selection Date: NPS national competitive review committee’s estimated selection date is May 2027. If the national review committee selects the application, the applicant will advance to step 5.
- Post Selection Federal Requirements: If NPS’ review committee selects the application, applicants must complete the Post Selection Federal Requirements before NPS will issue a funding agreement. This step must be completed within one year.
Environmental review note: Once an ORLP application is submitted to NPS, the project site is subject to NEPA and Section 106 approval. The land acquisition and/or construction (site prep, grading, demolition, plant removal, etc.) cannot begin until NPS approves the Post Selection Federal Requirements and provides a start-date (step 6).OGALS will not start reviewing and processing NEPA and Section 106 packages until after the application is selected by NPS through the national competition.
- NPS Issues Funding Agreement: NPS will conduct a final review of the application after the Post Selection Federal Requirements are complete and then issue the funding agreement. NPS estimates the term of the funding agreement will be from 2028 – 2034.
No ground disturbance can occur until all Post Selection Federal Requirements are complete and approved by NPS.
- Project Completion: Applicant will have up to five years after the funding agreement is secured to complete the project.
Upcoming Application Workshops
- Wednesday, August 5 | 1 PM – 4PM > Register Here
- Thursday, August 6 | 9 AM – 12 PM > Register Here
Application Guide and Technical Assistance
LWCF Grant Administration Guide, August 2023
Visit LWCF Grant Administration & Payment Information
Grant Administration Resources
A sign acknowledging the Land and Water Conservation Fund program as a funding source must be installed upon project completion and must remain in place in perpetuity. Additionally, if the total project cost is $500,000 or more, a sign must be installed during the construction phase as well. If appropriate, the same sign may be used both during construction and post completion. See LWCF Administration Guide for sign requirements.
- Required Language (construction)
- Required Language (post completion)
- Logo (JPG)
- Logo Guidelines
- Sign examples and additional guidance
