Land and Water Conservation Fund Grants

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Local Grant Program for 2025 is a federally funded initiative administered in North Carolina by the Division of Parks and Recreation within the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Established by Congress in 1964 and permanently reauthorized and funded in 2020 through the Great American Outdoors Act, the LWCF supports acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation resources. In North Carolina, it is implemented through a competitive grant cycle with technical assistance provided by the Recreation Resources Service at North Carolina State University. The primary goal of the LWCF program is to provide dollar-for-dollar matching grants to local governments for the acquisition, development, and renovation of land for public outdoor recreational use. All projects must meet at least one priority in the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) and be located on a single site. Projects can include land acquisition, construction or renovation of facilities such as trails, picnic shelters, playgrounds, and restrooms. However, the fund does not support indoor facilities unless they are directly related to outdoor recreation. All funded properties must be used for outdoor recreation in perpetuity and be open to the general public. Eligible applicants include North Carolina counties, incorporated municipalities, and federally recognized Native American tribes. Nonprofit organizations, school systems, educational institutions, and other private entities are ineligible. To be eligible, applicants must own the property or hold a lease of 25 years or more. Projects involving donation of land or partial donation through bargain sale must meet appraisal standards, and appraisals must conform to the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions (UASFLA). Matching funds must be non-federal, with the exception of Community Development Block Grants and the Recreational Trails Program. For the 2025 cycle, applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on November 3, 2025. Access to the application SharePoint folder must be requested from the applicant's regional Recreation Resources Service (RRS) consultant. A pre-application webinar will be held on June 24, 2025, and technical reviews of draft applications are due by August 29, 2025. Projects selected by the state will be submitted to the National Park Service for final approval in Spring 2026, with award announcements expected in Summer 2026. A wide array of required documents—including project timeline, budget narrative, site control, public involvement documentation, and environmental review correspondence—must be included in the final application. Applicants must ensure ADA compliance and are encouraged to incorporate universal design and site resiliency measures. All costs must be carefully estimated and documented, and only expenses incurred after grant authorization are reimbursable—except for eligible pre-award costs incurred up to three years prior. Regular post-completion inspections and public-use stipulations apply to all LWCF-assisted properties, and any future conversion of use requires formal approval and replacement of land of equivalent value. Key contacts for the program include Sophia Olson (Grants Specialist for LWCF, ORLP) at sophia.olson@ncparks.gov, phone 919-707-9342; and Aiden Manley (LWCF Compliance Specialist) at aiden.manley@ncparks.gov, phone 919-707-9370. The primary address for correspondence is 1615 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1615, and the physical address is the Division of Parks and Recreation, Nature Research Center, 3rd floor, 121 W. Jones St., Raleigh, NC 27603.

Begin early, coordinate with agencies for NEPA/SHPO, follow official formats.