Local Parks Grants

The Local Parks Grant Program, administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), is a robust initiative designed to enhance public access to outdoor and indoor recreational facilities across Texas. This program encompasses five distinct subprograms tailored to meet the diverse recreational needs of urban and non-urban communities, as well as small municipalities. It provides financial assistance through 50% matching grants, which are disbursed on a reimbursement basis. Grant-supported sites are required to remain dedicated as public parkland in perpetuity, ensuring long-term community benefit. TPWD’s Local Parks Grant Program supports a wide range of recreation-oriented development and land acquisition projects. The five subprograms include Urban Outdoor Recreation, Non-Urban Outdoor Recreation, Small Community Recreation, Urban Indoor Recreation, and Non-Urban Indoor Recreation. These programs vary in maximum award amounts, catering to different scales of project development. Eligible projects may involve new park creation, expansion, renovation, or addition of recreational features such as playgrounds, sports facilities, walking trails, or indoor fitness and leisure amenities. Applicants must be political subdivisions of the State of Texas with legal responsibility for providing public recreation services. This includes cities, counties, municipal utility districts, river authorities, and other special-purpose districts. To apply, eligible entities must submit applications via the Recreation Grants Online Grant Management System. Paper applications are not accepted. Each application is scored based on a published priority scoring system, and funding recommendations are reviewed and finalized by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. The application deadline for most subprograms is August 1 of each year. Applications must be complete and submitted by the deadline to be considered. For the Urban and Non-Urban Indoor Recreation programs, specific application deadlines are marked as TBD and subject to future announcement. Applicants are encouraged to monitor official TPWD channels for updates. The program does not have rolling admissions, and awards are announced following commission approval post-review. The Local Parks Grant Program is primarily funded through a dedicated portion of the state sales tax on sporting goods, allocated via the Texas Recreation and Parks Account and the Texas Large County & Municipality Recreation & Parks Account. Additionally, funding is supplemented by the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, sourced from offshore gas royalties. This hybrid funding structure enables TPWD to offer a consistent annual grant cycle. For inquiries or application support, applicants can contact TPWD's Local Park Grants Staff at (512) 389-4800 or toll-free at (800) 792-1112. The department emphasizes equitable public access, site maintenance, and long-term recreational value as cornerstones of funded projects. There is no requirement for Letters of Intent or other pre-application documents. Projects are evaluated annually, with awards aligned to the August 1 deadline, and recurrence is expected yearly through 2030 per the Texas Outdoor Recreation Plan.