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Trail Town Grants

Background

Administered by Parks & Trails New York (PTNY), and with generous funding provided by the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, PTNY will offer $60,000 in competitive grants to support a broader initiative aimed at boosting local economies by leveraging visitation to nearby public lands. The grants can be used to foster promote place-making efforts, improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and implement community-driven projects that prioritize active transportation alternatives for cyclists and pedestrians. 

Grant Details

$60,000 will be available in competitive grants.

The minimum award will be $5,000, maximum $15,000.

Trail Town Grants require a local match of at least 10% of the total project budget. The match may be from in-kind sources. The amount funded through this project must be no more than 85% of total project budget.

Timeline

Application period opens: January 13, 2025
General information webinar: January 14, 2025
Application due date: March 10, 2025
Award announcement: March 28, 2025
Projects begin: April 2025
Big check events: April 2025
Interim report due: October 31, 2025
Final report due: April 30, 2026

Eligibility 

Municipalities and non-profits residing within the following counties are eligible to apply for a Trail Town Grant: Allegheny, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara, Wyoming, Cattaraugus, Erie, Monroe, Orleans. Applicants must be able to successfully demonstrate that work is completed or underway, to support regional trail corridors, with a specific focus on enhancing access to outdoor spaces, improving infrastructure, and fostering local economic growth through outdoor recreation (goals often attributed towards a "Trail Town" program), either independently or in cooperation with Parks & Trails New York. 

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

  • An applicant must be a corporation formed pursuant to or subject to the NYS Not-for-Profit Corporation Law.
  • An applicant must be classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization or have a Memorandum of Understanding with a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt fiscal agent.
  • For all applicants intending to undertake a project on property belonging to the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, the applicant will need to enter a partnership agreement with Parks. If the organization is a 501c3 or other non-profit, they will also need to show proof of insurance ($2 million aggregate). Like the State, municipalities are self-insured and therefore will not be required to show proof of insurance. The partnership agreement may take a few weeks to process. We do not require that the agreement is in place before the grant request is submitted, but the agreement must be in place before any work can be done.
  • For applicants intending to undertake a project on property belonging to the New York State Canal Corporation (NYSCC), applicants are required to follow NYS Canal Corporation and/or Empire State Trail and Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) design guidelines for wayfinding signs and trail amenities. NYSCC reserves the right to review and comment on any infrastructure or signage produced through the grant. Projects such as interpretive signs and murals must receive written approval on final designs by the NYSCC during the design stage prior to final design and production. 

Apply

Eligible municipalities, nonprofits, and organizations interested in applying for a Trail Town Grant must first create an account using a database reporting system (Foundant). Once registered, you will be able to see the grant application and follow the steps to apply.

When creating an account, provide the email address of the person ultimately responsible for the grant administration. Parks & Trails New York will communicate all pertinent information to this email address.

If you have an account from applying for a different PTNY grant, you do not need to create another account.

To register and begin the application process, visit the online application and reporting system.

If you need assistance with the registration process, please watch this short tutorial or read these step-by-step instructions.

Once in the dashboard of our online application system, select Apply. From there, select the grant for which you would like to apply (it should be the only choice).

Be sure to answer all questions completely and upload all correct documents.

For tips on filling out the online application, check out our help page or contact us at [email protected].

You may work on your application over time. Your responses will be saved automatically. Your application will not be submitted until you hit the submit button. Once you submit the application, you will no longer be able to edit it.

FAQ

  • Is my trail town allowed to submit grant applications for multiple projects?

Yes, applications will be accepted for multiple projects, either as one application or as separate applications. However, we will not award more than $15,000 total to any one community.

  • Can I see all of the application questions before I start filling out the application?

Yes, once you've created an application, click on the "Question List" in the upper right hand corner, where you can download and review a PDF of all of the application questions.

  • When can projects start?

We will announce funding awards in late March, after which we will enter into a grant agreement with the selected grant recipients. Projects can begin at any time, and reimbursement for costs incurred before the grant agreements are finalized is possible, but funding cannot be guaranteed until the agreements are settled.

  • If awarded, when will I receive funding? Is it a cash grant or reimbursement-based grant?

Funding will be awarded in two installments. The first installment will include 75% of the award, and will be distributed on a cash basis after grant agreements are finalized. The second installment will include the remaining 25% and will require an accounting of all costs incurred and submission of an interim report. 

Previous Awards

2022 Grant Awards
2023 Grant Awards

For questions please email Rebecca Murray ([email protected]) and Jonathan Duda ([email protected])