LINCOLN, Neb. – The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is accepting grant applications to promote outdoor recreation facilities and amenities for political subdivision parks and outdoor recreation areas through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The Land and Water Conservation Fund is administered by the National Park Service for outdoor recreation projects. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, ball fields, soccer fields, swimming pools, picnicking facilities, playgrounds, pool renovations, splash pads, park acquisitions and development, and park related support facilities. All projects must encourage outdoor recreation and be in accordance with the Action Plan outlined in the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. Project sponsors must be political subdivisions, such as cities, county governments or Natural Resource Districts. The fund provides reimbursable matching grants for up to 50 percent of the project costs.
These grant applications will only be accepted through Game and Parks’ new online grant application system portal. The LWCF grant request for each project may be between $40,000 and $400,000, equating to $80,000 to $800,000 in total project costs.
The fund was established by Congress in 1964 to ensure access to outdoor recreation resources and to provide money to governments to purchase land, water and wetlands to benefit all. The primary source of revenue for the fund is from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf.
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020. Information and applicable materials are available at OutdoorNebraska.gov/lwcf. Approved grants will be announced in January. For more information, contact Schuyler Sampson at 402-471-5283 or schuyler.sampson@nebraska.gov.
