The Trail Fund is a collaborative program of American Trails (a private 501(c)(3) charitable organization) launching in 2022 with a generous gift of $50,000 from the Ford Corporation (plus additional funding in smaller amounts from individuals from the trails community and ongoing support from the Waterford Press and Rhino Marking and Protection Systems).
Donor Name: American Trails
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 04/15/2022
Size of the Grant: $2,000 to $15,000
Details:
Funding Priorities
- Trail Maintenance Backlog on State and Local Lands – Unfortunately, trails do not receive the ongoing maintenance support that they need through the Federal, State, and local appropriations process, resulting in a huge trail maintenance backlog.
- Research – Their goal is to establish a robust and collaborative industry research capacity with a focus on the development and understanding of how trails and the industry create value and impact at the community, state, and federal levels. Utilize the data and knowledge from research initiatives to inform and grow the trails knowledge base that would inform the needs in creating a professional development program.
- Stewardship Training – The goal of developing high-quality, consistent training opportunities is to preserve skills that have been developed over decades as well as teach the newest technology. Top-quality and readily accessible training will help all of them perform to the best of their abilities. By focusing on engaging younger, diverse populations as active trail stewards, they can build a force of passionate individuals to tackle their nation’s trail maintenance needs.
Funding Information
- Trail Fund grants range from $2,000 minimum to a maximum of $15,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- Tax-exempt organizations under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and 501(c)(7), including public charities as described in IRC 509(a)(1)-(4) and 170(b)-(c). Federal, State, regional, and local government units, school districts, and tribes are also eligible to receive grants from the Fund.
- These grants are for work on motorized or nonmotorized trails/projects that are open to the public anywhere in the United States. They will focus their funding on state and local lands, and Federal lands will be accepted.
- Funds must be used before the end of the year in which they were awarded (i.e. awarded projects any time in 2022 must be used by December 31, 2022).
- Require cash or in-kind match of at least 20%.
For more information, visit Trail Fund.
