A woman on horseback and Lory State Park.

About the Grants

Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant

The Colorado State Recreational Trails Grant Program funds community projects with Land and Water Conservation Fund Program (LWCF) grants. From parks to playgrounds, wilderness to wetlands, bicycle paths to hiking trails, the LWCF has helped government agencies nationwide to protect valuable natural resources and provide meaningful public recreation opportunities.

LWCF is administered locally by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) for the National Park Service (NPS).

Trail construction projects include: new trail or trailhead construction, including the installation or creation of new facilities where none currently exists.
Trail maintenance projects include: maintenance, re-route or reconstruction of existing trails and trailheads, and improvement of current trailhead facilities.
Trail planning projects include: trail layout, design, engineering, feasibility studies, inventory, use studies, analysis of existing and proposed trails and master plans.
Trail support projects include: building and enhancement of volunteer organizations, increasing volunteer capacity, and implementing trail training and education.
Trail stewardship crews projects include (2025 pilot project): funding two to eight person trail stewardship crews who complete work on an existing trail system.

Currently Open: This grant application opens every August with a deadline in September.

$100k

minimum grant awarded

$86

million in funding in Colorado

1,000+

projects funded in Colorado

46k+

projects funded nationally

years of improvements

Two people ride mountain bikes.

About the Grants

Eligibility

Local, county, state and tribal government agencies in Colorado are invited to apply. Eligible project types generally include anything that people can recreate on, provided it is outdoors and open to the public.

Check if Your Project is Elligible

Grant Cycle 2024-2025

How to Apply

Grants ranging from $100,000 to $1,250,000 are available
Grants must be matched 1:1 with at least 10% cash

Project Requirements

Submit both the pre-application and full application online by uploading all your documentation through the Survey Monkey link provided.

Submit Your Pre-application and Application

Submit Your Pre-Application

You will need to include:

A letter of intent
Basic area map
Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC) resource list (online generated report)
Colorado Conservation Data Explorer (CODEX) report (online generated report)

Compile Your Full Application

You will need to include:

Applicant, Project and Property Details
Application Questions
Boundary Map – Area of Potential Effect (APE)
Boundary Map – Rights/Interests
Timeline (use the CPW template)
Budget (use the CPW template)
A site plan
Photographs
Letters of support
Resolution (recommended to use CPW's template)
Proof of land ownership (property title, or deed)

Application Documents

Having trouble downloading Excel or Word files? Right-click on the link, chose 'Save link as' and download to your desktop or designated folder.

LWCF Manual

This guide will walk you through the pre-application and full application requirements.

Download the LWCF Manual

Application Questions

Record your answers to the questions in the provided word document.

Download the Application Questions

Budget Form (.xlsx)

Download the budget form (.xlsx) and fill in your project budget.

Download the Budget Form

Project Timeline Form

Download the project timeline form and fill in your project timeline.

Download the Project Timeline

Resolution Template

Download the resolution template and fill in your information.

Download the Resolution Template

Example Application

Use this example filled in application as a guide.

Download the Example Application

Boundary Map - Area of Potential Effect

Use this example Area of Potential Effect (APE) boundary map.

Download the Example APE Boundary Map

Boundary Map - Rights/Interests

Use this example Rights/Interest boundary map.

Download the Example Rights/Interests Boundary Map

Example Budget Form

Use this example budget form to help you fill in your own budget form.

Download the Example Budget Form

Example Timeline

Use this example timeline to fill in your own project timeline.

Download the Example Timeline

Information for Planning and Consultation (IPaC)

Use the IPaC website to generate a report.

Visit the IPaC website

Colorado Conservation Data Explorer (CODEX)

use the CODEX website to generate a report.

Visit the CODEX Website

Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP)

Review the SCORP as you put together your application.

Download the SCORP

Trails Committee

Grant Application Review Process

The State Recreational Trails Committee and its grant review and ranking subcommittees meet to review the grant applications. These meetings are open to the public and provide a platform for verbal comments on the applications.

Learn more about the review process

Grant Deadlines

Key Topic	Description	Date	Time
Application Opens		August 1, 2024
Application Help Webinar 1	To help navigate the application process, a 45-minute webinar will be held to cover application requirements and commonly asked questions.	Thursday, August 8, 2024	10:00 a.m. MT.
Application Help Webinar 2	To help navigate the application process, a 45-minute webinar will be held to cover application requirements and commonly asked questions.	Monday, August 12, 2024	2:00 p.m. MT.
Pre-applications Due	Pre-applications are due to the program coordinator.	September 3, 2024	5:00 p.m. MT.
Full Applications Due	Compile and submit all required documents by this date.	October 1, 2024	5:00 p.m. MT.
CPW Outcome		March, 2025
NPS Document Deadline		May, 2025
NPS Awards	Grants awarded by the National Park Service.	August, 2025
CPW Contracting	The contracting process starts.	October, 2025

Grant Decision and Award Process

Grant Submissions

2024 grant applications are listed here, but the public comment period has closed.

2024 Grant Applications Summary

Region Wildlife Impact Summaries

Centennial Park improvements
47th and Walden new park development - withdrawn
Mount Sanitas trail improvements - selected
Greenhorn Meadows Park revitalization, Phase 3 (of 3)
Little Beach Park and Amphitheatre enhancement, Phase 1 (of 3)
Schofield Farm Open Space development - selected
Birch Park development, Phase 1 and 2 (of 3) - selected
Beaver Ranch Park inclusive playground - selected
Shelly-Quinn Fields Complex redevelopment, Phase 1 (of 2) - selected
Kingdom Park Community Space development
Future Park redevelopment, Phase 3 (of 3)
Fishers Canyon Open Space development, Phase 1 (of 2)

Construction Projects

A map of the locations of the 2024 grant applications.

Open the Google Map

Trails Grants

Colorado Parks and Wildlife offers several trail grants to apply for.

Off-Highway Vehicle Grants

Eligible project types include trail construction, maintenance, planning, support and trail stewardship crews.

About Off Highway Vehicle Grants

Snowmobile Trail Grants

Purchase new or repair existing trail groomers, make trailhead improvements, create new or maintain maintenance facilities, or purchase signs and trail markers.

About Snowmobile Trail Grants

Contact

Please email any questions about LWCF grants to:

Federal Grants Administrator
Chrystal Read
303-791-1957 ext. 4150
[email protected]