The Land and Water Conservation Fund State Assistance Program supports the protection of public lands and waters – including local, state, and national parks and recreation areas.
Donor Name: North Carolina State Parks and Recreation
State: North Carolina
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/02/2026
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
The LWCF program is operated by the National Park Service (NPS) in partnership with designated lead agencies in individual states. In North Carolina, the program is administered through the Division of Parks and Recreation (Division) within the North Carolina (NC) Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR).
The State of North Carolina (N.C.) offers federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) assistance for land acquisition and the development or renovation of outdoor recreational facilities. LWCF grants are provided to states, and through the states, to local governmental jurisdictions, on a matching basis for up to 50% of total project-related costs for the acquisition of land, the development (and renovation)of facilities for public outdoor recreation, and fulfillment of the program’s planning requirements. Eligible local applicants, also known as project sponsors, include counties, municipalities, and federally recognized Native American tribes (local governments).
Funding Information
Applicants may request a maximum grant of $750,000 with each application.
Grant Period
October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2029.
Eligible Projects
LWCF grants can be used for acquisition, development, renovation, and combination projects for outdoor public recreation. A project must be located on a single site.
Eligbility Criteria
- N.C. incorporated municipalities, counties, towns and federally recognized Tribes are eligible to apply for LWCF assistance. Non-profit organizations, associations, land trusts, educational institutions, and other private entities are not eligible.
- Applicants should be in compliance with the stewardship requirements on any existing LWCF sites. If an applicant is out of compliance, the Division may allow the applicant to apply if it has made substantial progress toward an approved remedy.
- This grant opportunity may be a good fit for your organization if:
- On an acquisition project, you have a seller who is willing to allow appraisals and other research to occur during the application and award process. The full process minimally takes approximately one year but can take up to two years.
- Your development project is nearly ready for construction or can move to construction within one year of award. Projects still in the scoping phase of project design but with approval to move through the design phase could still fit but may not be ready for in the current grant cycle.
- You have already started or are ready to move quickly with a NEPA-level environmental review. The Division encourages you to coordinate with state agencies sooner rather than later to allow for their windows of response time (typically 60 days).
- You already have a source or sources of non-federal funds to leverage for a dollar-for-dollar match with an LWCF grant award.
- You are both responsive and patient. LWCF is often a “hurry up and wait” process, with tight pushes for deadlines and periods of waiting for action on the federal level.
For more information, visit NCSPR.
