DNR announces new solicitation for parks and trails grants

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DNR announces new solicitation for parks and trails grants
(Released August 22, 2011)

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced a grant opportunity for funding park and trail projects across Minnesota. The Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Program, Local Trail Connections Program, and Regional Trail Program are soliciting applications. All applications are due Oct. 31, 2011.

 Eligible projects include acquisition, development, restoration and maintenance of park- or trail-related facilities. Local units of government are eligible to apply for all three programs. In addition, legislatively designated regional parks and trails taxing authorities are eligible to apply for the Parks and Trails Legacy program.

 The Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Program has $7.14 million available in funding that comes from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, approved by voters in 2008. There are $1.47 million available in funding for the other trail grants from “in-lieu of sales tax” on lottery proceeds and from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund.

 Projects funded through the Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Program and the Regional Trail Program must be of regional or statewide significance, and projects funded through the Local Trail Connections Program must support trails connecting people with places of interest, such as schools, businesses and recreation areas. 

 Revision due to match requirement change

The original grant solicitation for these programs was announced in March. The grant opportunity announced today is new, due to changes in program statutes and appropriations during the 2011 Legislative Sessions. The changes lowered the amount of matching funds required. The match requirement for the Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Program went from a 25 percent cash match to a 10 percent cash match for the current year only.

 The match requirements for the Local Trail Connections Program and the Regional Trail Program went from a 50 percent cash match to a 25 percent cash match. These changes provide more opportunity for local units of government to leverage grant funds for park and trail projects. All grant applications submitted during the March 2011 solicitation will need to be resubmitted to be eligible for this round of funding.

Program information is available on the DNR website. For more information or to learn how to apply, contact the grants staff listed on the program web pages.