The DNREC Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Trails Program (ORPT), 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: 05/15/2026
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. Since 1988, when the first grants were awarded, the program has provided over $36 million in matching grant assistance to eligible local, county and state governments throughout Delaware.
Eligible Projects
- Park
- ORPT grant assistance is available for the following types of projects:
- 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- Replacement of outdated and unsafe outdoor facilities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.
- ORPT grant assistance is available for the following types of projects:
- Trail
- ORPT Program assistance is available for trail projects within parks or public right of ways:
- 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.
- ORPT Program assistance is available for trail projects within parks or public right of ways:
Eligibility Criteria
County and municipal governments and park districts may request and receive ORPT grant assistance. Projects sponsored by municipalities and counties may receive up to fifty percent (50%) in ORPT assistance of an approved project’s total costs; park districts, municipalities that have not received ORPT funds in the past, and projects located in or serving Census Tracts identified as highest vulnerability by the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (SVI score range 0.7501 – 1.00) are eligible to receive up to seventy-five percent (75%) in ORPT assistance of an approved project’s total costs. The balance of funding of an approved project must be provided by the project Sponsor. The Sponsor may obtain its share through partnerships with other governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and other non-traditional recreation providers. Partnerships with other agencies and organizations are encouraged however, only the municipalities and counties are eligible to apply for ORPT assistance.
For more information, visit DNREC.
