Overview
Community Conservation Partnerships Program grants can help pay for:
- Planning and making new public parks
- Building and improving places for recreation
- Creating trails for walking or biking
- Protecting rivers and making them easier to access
- Saving open spaces from development
- Helping with community and forest projects
Groups that can apply for Community Conservation Partnerships Program funding include:
- Counties
- Cities and towns
- City or town agencies
- Nonprofit organizations
- State Heritage Areas
- Pre-approved land trusts
- Some for-profit businesses
Most programs need the applicant to provide half of the project cost in cash or other contributions.
Additional resources:
Types of Projects that can be Funded
Planning projects help set up the basics for buying, building, or managing parks and other natural areas in the future. Some examples are:
- A big plan for developing a site
- Study to see if a swimming pool complex is possible
- Study to see if an indoor recreation center is possible
- A complete plan for parks, open spaces, and greenways
- A plan to protect rivers
- A plan to save and take care of land
- Projects that include a mix of these things
These projects focus on fixing up and improving public parks, recreation areas, greenways, and river conservation. Some examples are:
- Fixing and improving parks
- Developing small community projects
These projects involve the purchase and/or donation of land for:
- Park and recreation areas
- Greenways
- Critical habitat areas
- Open space
Trail projects are about buying, planning, building, fixing, or taking care of paths for activities like walking, biking, or riding motorized vehicles.
This can also include buying tools for building or maintaining trails. Some examples of what can be funded are:
- Buying land for trails
- Making plans for trails
- Building or fixing trails
- Buying tools and equipment
- Education programs about trails
ATV and snowmobile projects are about building and improving places for using ATVs and snowmobiles.
State and Regional Partnerships that can be Funded
Partnership projects are when groups work together across a state or region to improve and take care of parks and natural places. They also help with planning, learning, and training.
Money can be given for:
- Meetings, learning, or training
- Special studies and planning
- Projects to put plans into action
- Small grants for developing mini-grant programs
These grants help local groups, cities, and counties make their parks, recreation areas, and conservation efforts better.
The Peer program gives money to projects where different groups team up to solve a particular problem they’ve chosen.
The Circuit Rider program helps pay for a full-time expert who works with all the groups in a partnership to improve parks, recreation, or conservation.
1. Rivers Conservation
Rivers conservation projects help protect and improve Pennsylvania’s rivers and streams.
To apply for funding, you need to choose the right grant category. For example:
- To get money for a rivers conservation plan, use the Community Recreation and Conservation Planning grant.
- To get money for buying land to protect a river area, use the Land Acquisition and Conservation grant.
Some examples of funded projects include:
- Buying land to protect important water areas
- Making a plan to conserve rivers
- Building access points for rivers
- Managing water trails
2. Community and Watershed Forestry
The Community and Watershed Forestry Program gives money to help with planting trees and creating forest buffers along rivers, changing lawns to better environments, and adding trees in cities.
This program supports:
- Regular tree buffers that protect waterways
- Special buffers that also provide fruits, nuts, and other useful products
Funding Sources for Grants
Funding for grants comes from different federal and state laws that have been set up over the years. You can find details about where the money comes from for each program below.
State funding for Community Conservation Partnership Program grants include:
Federal money for the Community Conservation Partnership Program grants includes:
1. Land and Water Conservation Fund
This fund gives money to all states through the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service. It provides matching grants to buy and improve public outdoor areas and facilities. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources manages this fund.
2. Recreational Trails Program
This program helps states develop and maintain trails for activities like hiking, biking, and motorized sports. It is run by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration.
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For more information, please contact your Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Recreation and Conservation regional advisor (PDF). You also can subscribe to the DCNR Grant News.