Land and Water Conservation Fund

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) provides funding for the acquisition or development of land to create new outdoor recreation opportunities that support the health and wellness of Californians. California State Parks has administered LWCF in California since 1965, and more than one thousand parks throughout the state have been created or improved with LWCF assistance. State Parks currently monitors more than 1,550 LWCF sites that require compliance inspections every five years in perpetuity. The National Park Service provides states with an annual LWCF apportionment determined by Congress, and California's share is further divided pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 5099.12. For the current local agency competitive opportunity, $27.5 million is available and the maximum local agency grant request is $6 million. A 50 percent match is required. Funding supports the acquisition or development of land for public outdoor recreation. Eligible local and non-state applicants include cities, counties, federally recognized Native American tribes, qualifying Joint Powers Authorities, and non-state recreation and park districts and special districts that have authority to acquire, operate, and maintain public park and recreation areas. A qualifying JPA must have public-agency members and may include a state agency when at least one member is a local non-state public agency or district and the JPA was formed to provide park and recreation areas. Eligible state agencies are the Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Fish and Wildlife/Wildlife Conservation Board, Department of Water Resources, and State Coastal Conservancy. State agencies are notified by OGALS of their annual apportionment when available. Applications are submitted through the program's online application process. Application resources identified by the program include the Application Guide, Application Eligibility Card, Rate of Reimbursement, Match, and Grant Request Range Guidance, Local Agency Competitive Program SCORP Priorities, State Agency SCORP Priorities, Community FactFinder Tool, and Park Access Tool. Identified application materials include the Application Form, Resolution for the Local Agency Competitive Program, Certification Letter for state agencies, Budget Narrative, CEQA Compliance Certification Form, and Boundary Map Checklist. The local agency application deadline is January 14, 2027 at 11:59 PM. The next anticipated state agency application deadline is September 10, 2026. No separate LOI, concept paper, pre-proposal, or other pre-application gating deadline is stated in the supplied material. Project selection is connected to California's Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan priorities, and the Application Guide contains Project Selection Criteria aligned with those priorities. For the 2027 cycle, Project Selection Criteria information supplied by the program states that the annual median household income used for Criterion 4 1 B must be at or below $77,081, representing 80 percent of California's median household income as determined using the 2025 American Community Survey. The state average of residents living farther than one-half mile from a park is 21 percent, and the state average of residents living in areas with less than three acres of parkland per 1,000 people is 61 percent. The supplied material does not state an award notification date or a defined project performance period. Projects selected for LWCF funding are subject to federal requirements and ongoing grant administration obligations. A sign acknowledging LWCF as a funding source must be installed upon project completion and remain in place in perpetuity. Projects with a total cost of $500,000 or more must also install a sign during construction. Payment and closeout materials identified by the program include federal payment requests, grant expenditure documentation, a sample timesheet when reimbursement is requested for in-house employee services, a Project Completion Certification Form for final payment, a Funding Sources Form when applicable, and revised boundary map documentation when applicable. LWCF-assisted outdoor recreation parks must remain accessible and protected for public outdoor recreation within the approved LWCF boundary area, which is under federal protection. OGALS conducts periodic compliance inspections, and State Parks reports that monitored LWCF sites require inspections every five years in perpetuity. Changes affecting the protected boundary, conversion of park property to non-recreational purposes, certain private or non-public uses, utility or easement changes, certain indoor facilities, park closures, and removal or replacement of LWCF-funded facilities may require review and approval. A conversion can require replacement property of equal or greater recreational utility and value. The supplied material states that OGALS announces an upcoming LWCF funding opportunity approximately six months before a competitive-cycle application deadline, but it does not expressly establish a fixed recurring schedule for the local competitive application cycle.

Review the applicable SCORP priorities and Project Selection Criteria when developing the application. For the identified 2027 criteria, the published benchmarks are annual median household income at or below $77,081; 21% state average of residents living farther than one-half mile from a park; and 61% state average of residents living in areas with less than 3 acres of parkland per 1,000 people.