Strengthening Public Lands Stewardship
When we invest in Friends groups, we invest in the future of New York’s parks, trails, and historic sites. Park and Trail Partnership Grants ensure that community voices continue to shape and sustain the public spaces we all love.
The Park and Trail Partnership Grants program supports the work of non-profit organizations, often called Friends groups, that help maintain, improve, and promote New York’s public lands.
Administered by Parks & Trails New York in partnership with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Department of Environmental Conservation, this competitive grant program strengthens the vital role that grassroots groups play in stewarding our public lands.
Since its launch in 2015, the program has awarded over $9.9 million in funding, helping more than 90 Friends groups increase their impact, expand their reach, and enhance the visitor experience across the state.
The Round 12 application period opens in Spring 2026!
how to apply
Applying for a Park and Trail Partnership Grant is easy–no fundraising experience required. Whether your Friends group is just starting out or already established, our user-friendly online portal makes the application process simple.
grant categories
There are four types of competitive grants available to eligible non-profit organizations through the Park and Trail Partnership Grant Program.
AWARDS AND MATCH: GRANTS UP TO $300,000; 10 PERCENT MATCH*
Stewardship and Public Access Grants may be used to assist Friends organizations with the stewardship, interpretation, promotion, education, and public access of a New York State Park or Historic Site, or a partnership involving more than one such organization, which significantly enhances the organization’s visibility and capacity.
Examples of projects include, but are not limited to:
- Public access or engagement improvements, such as kiosks, exhibits, signage, new trails with signage, boat launches and docks, and other activities that enhance public enjoyment of the public resource.
- Restoration of historic structures or preservation of artifacts as well as cataloging and digitizing collections for better public access.
- Building infrastructure to better accommodate visitors with disabilities or mobility challenges.
- Design and installation of interpretive information and displays, especially projects that engage wider audiences by incorporating multiple languages, aids for the visually or hearing impaired, or the inclusion of historically excluded voices or stories.
- Improving access and upgrading buildings to increase multi-season use.
- Development and implementation of a community outreach plan to enhance community access to and enjoyment of the public resource and awareness of the organization’s role in its preservation, stewardship, interpretation, maintenance and/or promotion.
- Community and constituency-building initiatives, events, and programs that promote public education and recreation resulting in greater public support and broader public involvement, especially from new and presently underserved audiences, and those which enhance age-friendly recreational opportunities.
- Development and implementation of public resource marketing plans, especially if undertaken in partnership with local tourism promotion efforts.
- Shared consultant services between more than one eligible organization.
If your Stewardship and Public Access Capacity Grant application includes a project involving construction or rehabilitation, please include the following documents with your application based on project location:
OPRHP Properties:
- A signed Short Environmental Assessment Form (Part 1) Only using the EAF Mapper Application (Link is in application)
- A signed State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) review.
- A park map with the location of the project identified.
- A site plan, which depicts the location and elements of the project clearly.
DEC Properties:
- A regional map with the location of the project identified;
- A site plan, which depicts the location and elements of the project clearly; and
- If applicable, documentation showing that the proposed project is in a Unit Management Plan (UMP) or Recreation Management Plan (RMP), including released draft management plan(s).
- For Projects located within the Forest Preserve, and that involve earth work or tree cutting, documentation of an approved Forest Preserve Work Plan
Examples of projects that are considered construction or rehabilitation are:
- Building rehabilitation.
- Any change to historic structure: adding or removing anything, painting, remodeling or reconstructing.
- Improvements, such as interpretive kiosks, exhibits, signage, new trails with signage, trailwork and other activities that enhance public enjoyment and access to the park, trail or site.
- Activities whose costs are part of a larger construction project.
- Activities that involve any ground disturbance or shovel in the ground.
- Activities that require engineering plans and specifications.
- Activities that require State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) review.
* A 10 percent match of the total project budget is required, up to 50 percent of which may be in-kind. Fifty percent of award is disbursed at contract signing; remainder disbursed after submission of satisfactory six-month progress report.
AWARDS & MATCH: GRANTS UP TO $200,000; A 10 PERCENT MATCH IS REQUIRED*
Capacity and Organizational Effectiveness Grants strengthen the capacity and expertise of organizations that support New York State parks, trails, historic sites, and public lands, or a partnership involving more than one such organization, in order to aid them in fulfilling their mission and to improve their reach, effectiveness, and impact.
Examples of projects include, but are not limited to:
- Development of a multi-year strategic plan or major fundraising/capital or marketing campaign plan.
- Board/staff training and development, including facilitated retreats.
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainings/consultant services or board recruitment campaigns that reflect your park/site’s community and park/site visitors.
- Developing partnerships with DEI-focused non-profits in your community, such as events and programs, that will help welcome more users to the park/site and expand accessibility in a broad sense
- Website and email newsletter design and development, graphic design, and printing and distribution of digital or print brochures, newsletters and other promotional materials.
- Efforts to expand the organization’s membership and broaden the diversity of support for the organization.
- Software to improve fundraising/development/donor relations, bookkeeping, or recordkeeping. Grant funds may cover initial software purchase or licensing, but not license renewal.
- Development and implementation of activities that will provide a future ongoing revenue source.
- Development and implementation of a volunteer program.
- Development of partnerships to promote new or strengthen existing collaboration with more than one organization and/or local government to increase public support for and/or participation in the planning, development, promotion or stewardship of the public resource.
- Hiring of temporary contractors, staff or interns to support the organization’s capacity-building work.
- Shared consultant services between more than one eligible organization.
* A 10 percent match of the total project budget is required, up to 50 percent of which may be in-kind. Fifty percent of award is disbursed at contract signing; remainder disbursed after submission of satisfactory six-month progress report.
AWARDS & MATCH: GRANTS UP TO $150,000 ENCOMPASSING A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS; A 20 PERCENT CASH MATCH*
The purpose of Professional Development Grants is to support the hiring of permanent staff in order to advance an organization to a higher and more sustainable level of professionalism and fiscal and administrative stability so that it will better be able to fulfill its mission. Professional Development Grants may be used to support:
- First Staff Hire: hiring the organization’s first permanent employee, full- or part-time.
- Additional Staff: hiring an additional full- or part-time permanent staff member to fill a critical administrative, outreach or development need, or other key function.
- Upgrade to Full-time Staff: increasing a part-time executive director, or other key staff position to full time.
- Shared Staff: hiring a staff person to be shared by two or more eligible organizations.
Professional Development Grants are meant to support permanent increases in staffing capacity. If an organization is interested in hiring temporary contractors or staff to support the organization’s work, this request would fall under a Capacity and Organizational Effectiveness Grant or a Stewardship and Public Access grant.
Organizations interested in a Professional Development Grant must first submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) by the determined date for that round. Full applications are by invitation only. Organizations will be notified mid-November if they are invited to submit a full proposal application.
* Fifty percent of award is disbursed at contract signing; remainder disbursed after submission of satisfactory one-year progress report.
AWARDS & MATCH: GRANTS UP TO $20,000; A $500 MATCH IS REQUIRED*
Step-up Grants assist Friends organizations with the administrative and legal fees needed to secure 501(c)(3) status, along with the costs associated with completing a consultant-facilitated organizational assessment and resulting plan(s).
* Cash or in-kind. Award disbursed at contract signing.
AWARDS & MATCH: GRANTS UP TO $20,000; A $500 MATCH IS REQUIRED*
Step-up Grants assist Friends organizations with the administrative and legal fees needed to secure 501(c)(3) status, along with the costs associated with completing a consultant-facilitated organizational assessment and resulting plan(s).
*Cash or in-kind. Award disbursed at contract signing.
park & Trail Partnership grants at a glance
view FUNDED projects
Projects funded by the Park & Trail Partnership Grants have built new interpretive trails at historic sites, created ADA-accessible amenities for park visitors, funded restoration of historic structures and habitats, and more.