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National Recreational Trails Program
(NRTP) FAQ
This page last updated July 6, 2007
1. What is the National Recreational
Trails Program (NRTP)?
NRTP provides grants for recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both non-motorized and motorized uses. Examples include hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, off-road motorcycling, all-terrain vehicle riding, and four-wheel driving. The program is administered by the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board (RCFB) in cooperation with U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration.
2. Where does the money come from?
Every six years, Congress schedules passage of the nation's surface transportation bill. Since 1991, this massive funding authorization law has included provisions for state-administered NRTP grants. NRTP funds are a portion of the federal gasoline tax attributed to recreation on non-gasoline tax supported roads.
3. What can National Recreational
Trails Program grants be used for?
In Washington, the program's goal is to provide funds to rehabilitate and maintain recreational trails and facilities that provide a backcountry experience. Grants also are available for operation of educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection related to recreational trails.
4. Who may apply?
- Non-profit organizations
- Municipal agencies (cities, towns, counties, school districts, etc.)
- State agencies (State Parks, Department of Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife, etc.)
- Federal government agencies (Bureau of Land Management Forest Service, National Park Service, etc.)
- Other government entities (Tribal governments, multi-state public agencies)
5. What are the deadlines?
Applications generally are due in the spring with successful proposals approved by the end of the year. Visit National Recreational Trails Program Schedule.
6. How do you decide who receives
a grant?
This program involves an open and highly competitive process in which funding relies heavily on an applicant's written responses to a published set of evaluation questions. These responses are provided to an advisory committee that helps prepare funding recommendations to the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board (RCFB). The advisory committee, appointed by the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) director, is composed of government representatives and citizen member recreationists. RCO staff presents these recommendations to the RCFB for approval.
7. Are there any long-term commitments
for funded projects?
Yes. Perhaps the most significant is that property or facilities funded with NRTP assistance, including new and linking trails, must be retained for public outdoor recreation use forever. This provision applies only to development and renovation projects and exceptions may apply (obsolescence, acts of nature, etc.). Other commitments include ensuring proper maintenance of new developments and renovations, facilitating audits, providing for nondiscrimination, etc. Further information may be found in RCFB Manual 7, Funded Projects: Policies & the Project Agreement (PDF).
8. May I attend a funding decision
meeting?
All evaluation and board meetings are open to the public. The RCFB invites public testimony during its project funding deliberations.
9. Explain some of the funding rules.
Are there funding limits?
Yes. While an applicant may submit more than one proposal, the RCFB contribution to any single application must be between $5,000 and $75,000, except for education projects. Reimbursements for education projects will be between $5,000 and $10,000. See RCFB Manual 4, Development Projects: Policies (PDF), for limits on planning, engineering, and construction supervision.
What is a matching share?
Project sponsors (see #4, Who may apply?) must provide at least 20 percent of the resources needed to complete the project. Availability of these resources, called the applicant's matching share, must be confirmed before project approval. Resources used for the match may come from a variety of sources, including: appropriations, bond issues, agency labor, and donations (including cash, labor, materials, and equipment). In some cases, NRTP funds may be matched with funds from other federal programs. For further information, see RCFB Manual 16, NRTP: Policies & Project Selection (PDF).
How are funds split among motorized
and nonmotorized uses?
Federal rules require that 30 percent of each state's allocation be used for motorized trail recreation, 30 percent for nonmotorized trail recreation, and 40 percent for diverse trail recreation. Diverse motorized projects (such as snowmobile and motorcycle) or diverse nonmotorized projects (such as pedestrian and equestrian) may satisfy two of these categories at the same time.
Explain reimbursements.
Project sponsors do not receive grant funds at the time of funding approval. Rather, reimbursement takes place after the sponsor certifies that expenditures have been made.
What happens to unused funds?
Any unused funds are returned to the RCFB for other projects.
10. Where can I get more information?
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