The Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Trails (ORPT) Program, formerly known as the Delaware Land and Water Conservation Trust Fund (DTF), is a matching grant program assisting with public park land acquisition and outdoor recreation facility development in Delaware.
Donor Name: Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
State: Delaware
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant | Matching Grants
Deadline: 05/16/2025
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The program was established in 1986 with annual deposits from real estate transfer tax to grow the Trust. Trust-generated income is used to fund the Program. Annually, local governments and park districts are notified of available matching funds to assist with park planning, acquisition, and development.
Eligible Projects
ORPT grant assistance is available for the following types of projects:
- Park Grant
- Fee simple acquisition of parkland, open space, or conservation areas.
- Purchase of development rights for public parkland, open space, or conservation areas.
- Replacement of outdated and unsafe outdoor facilities.
- Outdoor recreation facility engineering and design.
- Outdoor recreation facility construction for example:
- Athletic fields and courts
- Playground equipment
- Swimming pools
- Picnic tables and pavilions.
- Park maps for information boards or kiosks.
- Park infrastructure such as entrance roads, parking, restrooms, and way finding.
- Municipal or countywide park/open space comprehensive plans.
- Universal accessibility upgrades to outdoor recreation facilities.
- Professional services for park master planning.
- Trail Grant
- Trail, pathway or riverwalk pre-construction (design and engineering)
- Trail, pathway or riverwalk construction (paved)
- Trail construction within a park
- Development of trailheads and associated facilities and infrastructure (parking, information boards and kiosks, restrooms, composting toilets, electricity, water.)
- Pedestrian and bicycle bridges
- Trail improvements that facilitate access to and use of trails by persons with disabilities
- Development and installation of trail markers or directional signs.
- Water trail planning and development.
- Acquisition of conservation greenway corridor lands for wildlife habitat, stream corridor protection, buffer preservation, forest preservation, and historic or cultural sites.
- Acquisition of fee simple title to property for trail development.
- Educational or interpretive brochures and wayside exhibits for a specific trail or conservation greenway.
- Trail or greenway corridor maps for information board or kiosks.
- Municipal or County Comprehensive Greenway Corridor or Trail Plans.
Eligibility Criteria
Municipal and county governments, and park districts, may apply for grant funding under the Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Trails Program.
For more information, visit DNREC.
