The land and water conservation fund (LWCF) state and local assistance program provides matching grants to develop parks owned by states and local communities

The National Park Service (NPS) within the Department of the Interior awarded $1.5M to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico's Sports and Recreation Department under the Outdoor Recreation Acquisition, Development and Planning program (CFDA 15.916) on October 1, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2028. Through this Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State and Local Assistance Program grant, the Puerto Rico National Parks Company is serving as the prime awardee and will execute a subaward to the Municipality of Utuado for development projects at the Utuado Comprehensive Recreational Park. The funding, derived from offshore oil and gas lease revenues rather than tax dollars, will support improvements to publicly owned recreational infrastructure and facilities that benefit the general public.

The grant deliverables include park development and infrastructure enhancements at the Utuado Comprehensive Recreational Park located in Utuado, Puerto Rico (00641). As a standard LWCF State and Local Assistance Program project, this award supports the acquisition and development of outdoor recreation areas and facilities consistent with Puerto Rico's Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, with the subaward structure enabling direct project implementation by the local municipality responsible for managing the recreational facility improvements and ensuring community access to enhanced outdoor recreation amenities.

Based on its outdoor recreation priorities, the state has selected grant projects to receive LWCF funding. LWCF grants are made pursuant to 54 U.S.C. 2003 and are funded by offshore oil and gas lease revenue, not tax dollars. In this project, the puerto rico national parks company will make a subaward to the municipality of utuado for developments at utuado comprehensive recreational park. This project will benefit the general public.