Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)
This page last updated July 2, 2007

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) provides funding to assist in preserving, developing, and assuring accessibility to outdoor recreation resources including but not limited to parks, trails, wildlife lands, and other lands and facilities desirable for individual active participation.

Funded Projects and Applications
A complete listing of current grant applications and all projects funded in this program can be accessed at our interactive maps feature-Grant Project Locations. Depending on the criteria selected, this mapping feature will provide specific location and detailed project information.

Eligible Grant Recipients:

Counties, cities and towns
Park districts
Port districts
Tribal governments
State agencies

Grant recipients must provide at least 50% matching funds in either cash or in-kind contributions.

Grant Evaluation Process:
Grants are to be evaluated based on:

how the project addresses the identified needs and priorities of a statewide comprehensive or strategic plan
technical merits
public/private partnerships

Applications are to be evaluated in a competitive process by a team of experts, with criteria developed by a citizen advisory committee.

The Advisory Committee is made up of 11 members that meet several times each year to review and evaluate grant application materials. The committee advises the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) Director on which projects should receive funding.

Revenue Source:
A portion of Federal revenue derived from sale or lease of off-shore oil and gas resources. The program is administered by the US Department of the Interior through the National Park Service and the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board (RCFB).

LWCF Fact Sheet Printer-friendly format (PDF)

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