Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance
Active
- Assistance listing
- 15.921
- Agency
-
National Park Service
Department of the Interior
- Grant awards
- 354 $23,815,634 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- Rivers and Trails; RTCA
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Block Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 14-1042-0-1-303
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The National Park Service is retiring the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program (CFDA 15.921) effective September 2, 2025, with archival efforts underway to complete retirement by 2027; the most recent grant award was disbursed on July 1, 2024.
The program funds technical assistance to communities pursuing conservation and outdoor recreation goals. Awarded grants support trail development and maintenance, community-led brownfield remediation and greenspace conversion, urban water access and restoration planning, youth internship and fellowship programs in conservation and outdoor recreation, and capacity building for grassroots conservation organizations. Recent awards include $1.275 million to the City of Duluth, Minnesota for ADA-accessible trail improvements and Great Lakes habitat restoration (July 2024); $500 thousand for alternative transportation planning serving Everglades, Big Cypress, and Biscayne National Parks (July 2022); and $50 thousand for post-hurricane recovery planning of the Bayou Greenbelt in southwest Louisiana (June 2023). The program has funded 354 total awards since 2003, with an average of two to four awards per year in recent years, though award frequency dropped to one per year in both 2023 and 2024.
The assistance-type mix is predominantly Cooperative Agreements (94 percent of awards) with smaller shares of Project Grants (5 percent) and Block Grants (1 percent). Funding is concentrated within the National Park Service, with the agency's general Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance office accounting for 320 awards totaling $18 million in federal dollars obligated, followed by the NPS National Office (20 awards, $2.6 million), Midwest Region (2 awards, $1.3 million), Northeast Region (7 awards, $1.2 million), and Southeast Region (3 awards, $571 thousand). Combined federal dollars obligated total $23.8 million, with recipients contributing an additional $9.3 million in non-federal matching funds for a combined obligation of $33.1 million.
No recent grant opportunities are open for competition. The most recently posted opportunities (July–August 2019) were non-competitive notices of intent to award, including capacity building for Groundwork affiliates in Indianapolis, Southcoast, Elizabeth, and Richmond, and Community Assistance Fellows support through Hispanic Access Foundation. Given the program's retirement timeline beginning September 2025, new grant pursuits carry significant risk of funding disruption.
Objective and description
- Objective
BEGINNING 9/2/2025 DO NOT USE THIS ASSISTANCE LISTING - EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO ARCHIVE/RETIRE IN 2027. The Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program implements the natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation mission of the National P
- Description
This program provides technical assistance to communities seeking to accomplish conservation and outdoor recreation goals.
Eligibility
- Beneficiary eligibility
Private nonprofit organizations and Federal, State and local government agencies.
- Uses of assistance
NPS is helping communities improve parks, establish trails, access rivers, and protect special places.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Generally 1 to 2 years.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
Program advice and information is available from the appropriate NPS Regional Office or the National Office. Consultation with an RTCA staff before an application for assistance is made helps clarify RTCA roles and contributions and also helps identify how the selection criteria might apply to your conservation and outdoor recreation goals. Information is available electronically at http://www.nps.gov/rtca or you may contact the appropriate regional RTCA program leader.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
In addition to selecting projects based on NPS capacity, funding, and staff skills, projects are evaluated by: Applications for support from the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance program are competitively evaluated based on the following criteria: - The project has specific goals and results for conservation and outdoor recreation expected in the near future. - Roles and contributions of project partners are significant and well-defined. - There is evidence of broad community support for the project. - The project fits with our focus areas (although proposals falling outside these areas are considered).
- Award procedure
Proposals received in response announcements on grants.gov are reviewed on the basis of a competitive, merit-based review process, and are rated in accordance with the evaluation criteria stated in the announcement. Awards may be made to the highest rated proposals based on the amount of funding available each year.
- Time to approval or disapproval
July 1 to September 30 annually
- Renewals
Renewals will be considered.
Grant opportunities
Show all 39
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 354 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Groundwork USA Inc. | $2,850,630 | 12% |
| 2 | Conservation Legacy | $2,014,533 | 8% |
| 3 | Natureserve | $1,483,185 | 6% |
| 4 | Upper Delaware Council Inc. | $842,250 | 4% |
| 5 | Appalachian Mountain Club | $627,351 | 3% |
| 6 | Partnership For The National Trails System Inc. | $606,560 | 3% |
| 7 | Florida National Parks Association, Inc. | $500,000 | 2% |
| 8 | Connecticut Forest And Park Association Incorporat | $416,056 | 2% |
| 9 | River Management Society, Inc. A / K / A River Management Society | $338,290 | 1% |
| 10 | Surface Transportation Policy Project | $270,000 | 1% |
10 of 59 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2024 | $1,271,085 |
| FY2023 | $117,313 |
| FY2022 | $1,045,981 |
| FY2021 | $666,385 |
| FY2020 | $220,718 |
| FY2019 | $570,277 |
| FY2018 | $788,112 |
| FY2017 | $1,448,589 |
| FY2016 | $1,313,706 |
| FY2015 | $3,346,335 |
| FY2014 | $3,042,776 |
| FY2013 | $1,931,404 |
| FY2010 | $2,334,382 |
| FY2009 | $2,001,771 |
| FY2008 | $3,902,366 |
| FY2007 | $1,006,503 |
| FY2006 | $301,037 |
| FY2005 | $140,350 |
| FY2004 | $278,813 |
| FY2003 | $299,441 |
Show all 20
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 15.921?
Assistance Listing 15.921 is Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance, a federal grant program run by National Park Service (Department of the Interior).
What is the CFDA number for Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance?
Its CFDA number is 15.921: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 15.921 awarded?
354 grant awards under 15.921 have obligated $23,815,634 in federal funds to 59 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 15.921?
The recipients obligated the most under Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance are Groundwork USA Inc. ($2,850,630), Conservation Legacy ($2,014,533) and Natureserve ($1,483,185).
Are there open grant opportunities under 15.921?
No opportunity listed under 15.921 is open now. The latest, Groundwork Elizabeth Outdoor Recreation Partnership, was posted on August 1, 2019.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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