The American Trails Legacy Trails Grant Program is offered in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and funds projects on National Forest System trails and trail bridges.
Up to $100,000 is available for a 2 year grant period. A match of at least 50% of the requested amount is required, but this can include in-kind donations of time and equipment. Applications are due by December 1, 2023 and must include a letter of support from the local Forest Service office.
Eligibility
This grant is open to:
- Nonprofit organizations
- For profit businesses
- Non-federal agencies
Program Goals
The Legacy Trails Program is intended to improve acquatic habitat and improve resilience to natural disasters by:
- Building trail bridges
- Converting roads to trails
- Relocating trails
- Decommissioning unauthorized trails
- Decommissioning closed trails following a public comment period
Program Priorities & Preferences
Priority consideration will be given to proposals that protect or restore:
- Water quality and watershed function
- A watershed that supplies a public drinking water system
- The habitat of a threatened, endangered, or sensitive fish or wildlife species, or a species of conservation concern
- A watershed for which the Forest Service has completed a watershed protection and restoration action plan.
Preference will also be given to proposals that include:
- Volunteer participation which may be included as an in-kind match
- Indigenous and traditional ecological knowledge in project design
- Partnerships to identify risks to critical infrastructure and social, cultural, and economic values
