Over $900 Million Invested In Outdoor Recreation Nationwide

Matched funds bring possibilities for conservation and recreation
by Keziah Olsen Morris, LASN

Designed by Denver-based landscape architecture firm Mundus Bishop, Montbello Open Space Park was made possible with funding from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program. Photo Credit: Mundus Bishop / Scott Dressel-Martin

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Designed by Denver-based landscape architecture firm Mundus Bishop, Montbello Open Space Park was made possible with funding from the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program. Photo Credit: Mundus Bishop / Scott Dressel-Martin

The Department of the Interior (DOI) announced that $461 million in grants have been distributed at the state and local level for projects in parks, playgrounds, trails, and open spaces across the country. As part of a 1:1 matching plan, these funds will result in a total investment of over $900 million. Permanently funded by the Great American Outdoors Act, the Land and Water Conservation Fund making many of these projects possible facilitates a variety of project types, from local parks and trail networks to sports fields, boat launches, and other public open spaces. The Readiness Recreation Initiative (RARI) and the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) are two National Park Service grant programs with two new funding opportunities for projects in the landscape surrounding military installations and in urban communities with limited outdoor recreational access, respectively. Updates to the ORLP program expand technical assistance for applicants and now consider federally recognized Native American tribes and native communities in Hawaii and Alaska eligible to receive funding. All projects must benefit the general public in addition to their intended communities. To read the DOI's announcement, go to: https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/department-interior-announces-461-million-parks-and-outdoor-recreation-across-america

As seen in LASN magazine, July 2026.