Apply for a Grant
Recreational Trails Program Grant
The Division of Parks and Recreation, the North Carolina Trails Program and the North Carolina Trails Committee value trail projects that are legal, safe, managed and provide connectivity, reasonable public access and parking.
The Trails Program staff are ready, willing and available to assist in all phases of the application process of projects that are construction ready for grant funding. These sustainable, "shovel-ready" projects leverage local funds to meet recreational trail and trail-needs, in an effort to provide low infrastructure economic development opportunities through natural resource tourism.
The Trails Program staff are also available to assist applicants with conceptual projects, in order to meet the technical requirements of an RTP Grant before applying.
Application process
The application is a two-stage process: the pre-application and the final application, which evaluate projects for RTP Grant funding. Any agency may submit one application per project, prior to the application deadline.
The online Grants Management System (GMS) takes you from application to final payment. The GMS is auditable and integrated with the State of North Carolina's payment system. In order to get access to GMS, your agency must be registered in the North Carolina Accounting System (NCAS).
To start the process, the GMS Access Authorization Form must be submitted to Grants Manager Talivia Brodie. If your organization has never received a payment from the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), you will also need to complete and submit a Substitute W9 form, along with your GMS Access Authorization form.
Access the GMS system – please use Internet Explorer
The pre-application requests general information and scope of the project. The application deadline for the pre-application is April 8, 2020.
The final application requires more technical and in-depth verification of the project's status. The final application deadline is September 11, 2020.
It is strongly recommended that applicants carefully review the information in the Guide Booklet before and during completion of the application form and gathering of supplemental materials. Information provided on the application will be used to generate a State Grant Contract, if the project is awarded. If there are specific questions regarding RTP legislation that are not answered in the Guide Booklet, please reference Federal Highway Administration – Recreational Trails Program.
Completed applications are due no later than 11:59 p.m. on the application deadline date, as outlined above. Applications received after the due date will not be considered for funding. Applications missing any required documents, documents in a non-working state or incomplete documents will not be considered for review or funding.
Questions?
Please contact your Regional Trails Specialist.
By the numbers
Documents for Grant Applicants
- RTP Trail Grants GMS Guide – Pre-Application
- RTP Trail Grants Application – General Information
- RTP Scoring Criteria
- GMS Access Authorization Form
- Substitute W9 Form
- Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Form
- Grant Closeout Package for Government Agencies
- Grant Closeout Package for Non-Governmental Organizations
2021 RTP Grant Cycle
Please monitor this page for grant cycle updates. If you have any questions, please contact your Regional Trails Specialist.
Checked dates mark past deadlines. Click each box to download a .ics file of the event; open the downloaded file to add it to your calendar application.
RTP Safety and Education grant applications are reviewed twice a year.
Grant applications must be received two weeks prior to the Pre-Application and Final Application meetings of the North Carolina Trails Committee. See details below.