The National Park Service (NPS) has announced the availability of $192 million through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program (ORLPP). This federal, nation-wide program enables urban communities to create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks, and form connections between people and the outdoors?in economically underserved communities.

Applications must be submitted to the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) through the Grants Gateway . General steps to apply for grants on the Gateway are available at: https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/apply-grant . The grant opportunity for:

Rounds 6A & B open on Monday, October 3, 2022 at 12:00 noon EST.

Round 6A closes on Friday, December 30, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Round 6B closes on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. EST.

Complete and highest scoring applications in the State-level selection process will be submitted to NPS for participation in the national competition. All projects selected by OPRHP may require additional materials prior to submission to NPS. There is no guarantee that applications selected by OPRHP will ultimately be selected for award by NPS.

Eligible Applicants

OPRHP has been designated by the Governor as lead agency to implement the LWCF Program for New York State. Only OPRHP is eligible to submit applications for ORLP Grants. OPRHP will submit applications on behalf of eligible sub-recipients (aka project sponsors). Sub-recipients/project sponsors can include state agencies, local units of government such as cities, towns, counties and special purpose districts (park districts) and federally recognized Indian Tribes.

Sub-recipients/project sponsors must be:

• An incorporated city or town of at least 30,000 people
• A county or special purpose district that serves a city or town of 30,000 people or more. The park or recreation area must be within, or abutting the city or town.

Although private individuals, not-for-profit organizations, for-profit corporations, planning and engineering firms and other non-public entities are not eligible, they are strongly encouraged to partner with eligible public entities to plan and submit proposals.

Project Criteria

The purpose of the ORLP Program is to provide new or significantly improved recreation opportunities in economically disadvantaged communities , consistent with the purposes and requirements of the LWCF Act and LWCF Manual, and that:

• meet recreation goals as identified in, and align with, at least one priority of, the State’s Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) https://parks.ny.gov/documents/inside-our-agency/20202025StatewideComprehensiveOutdoorRecreationPlan.pdf
• are located within or abutting an incorporated city (or town) having a population of 30,000 or more, and
• serve the specific needs of a community(ies) that is (are) severely lacking in walkable, publicly accessible, outdoor recreation (“park deserts” are defined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity linked below), and that has a poverty rate of at least 20% or that is at least 10% higher than that of the project city, county, and state rates ( http://censusreporter.org/locate ).

Priority will be given to projects that:

• provide new recreational opportunities , particularly those that will increase access to nature’s benefits, such as green spaces, shady areas (via tree cover), and natural landscapes that help cool the air and reduce urban heat island effects, reduce pollution, and have positive effects on mental and physical health;
• empowered and engaged members of the target community in the project development and design of the plans for the park;
• create or expand public-private partnerships that leverage matching share resources (e.g., money or donations of land, supplies, or services, etc.);
• benefit from a high degree of coordination among the public, multiple levels of government, and the private sector; and
• advance goals of, or meet, priority recreation needs identified in numerous local, regional, state plans and/or initiatives.

This program supports priorities of the Secretary of the Interior, including “Working to conserve at least 30% each of our lands and waters by the year 2030” and “Centering equity and environmental justice” as outlined in Executive Order (EO) 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, and EO 14005: Ensuring the Future is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers.

Timeline

Documents

Further information is available on the Grants Gateway and in the below documents.

• 2022 ORLP Round 6 NPS Notice of Funding Availability (PDF)
• Grants Gateway Guidance (PDF)

NPS Opportunity Number: P22AS00645

CONTACT

Diana Carter, Director of Planning and Analysis/LWCF Alternate State Liaison Officer
Diana.Carter@parks.ny.gov
518-474-8288

Application Submission Due to NPS: