Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program Grant Round is open

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JULY 2, 2026 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of State Parks is accepting applications for the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program. The National Park Service anticipates recommending between 25 to 40 projects per year in the nationwide competition.

 Eligible applicants include the following:

• State agencies and local governments, such as cities, counties and special purpose districts, such as park districts, located within a qualifying area. A qualifying area is defined as:
  • An urban area that has a population of 25,000 or more.
  • Or, two or more adjacent urban areas with a combined population of 25,000 or more.
• An area administered by a federally recognized Indian Tribe or an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian community organization.

The project request amount is a maximum of $15 million and a minimum of $300,000. The deadline to submit a project application for the 2026 round is Aug. 3, 2026.

For more information about this grant program and the application process, please visit Missouri State Parks Grant Opportunities website.

The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership is a grant program funded through the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service. Established in 2014, the program is a nationally competitive grant program funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, focused on providing funding to enhance recreation opportunities in qualifying areas. The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership’s funding helps communities create new outdoor recreation spaces, reinvigorate existing parks and form connections between people and the outdoors. Since the program’s inception, the program has invested over $385 million in projects nationwide.

The primary source of funding for the state park system, is half of the dedicated constitutional tax of one-tenth-of-one-percent Parks, Soils and Water Sales Tax. The tax provides about three-fourths of the division's budget for operation and development of state parks. All additional funding for Missouri's Division of State Parks comes from revenues generated in the state park system and some federal funds.

For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. The Division of State Parks is part of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.