PARK GRANTS
THE PARKS GRANT PROGRAM
Parks interested in participating in our program have until April 19, 2024 to submit their application. Fundraising will begin the end of April.
Overview
PPF was founded because parks lack the funding they need to update and maintain themselves. Years of cuts to budgets has led to a backlog of projects. Some of these projects are critical to the future of each park.
Eligible Parks
All national, state, county, city, borough and township parks located in western PA.
Eligible Counties
If your park is located in one of the following 24 counties, you can apply for a grant as long as there is a spot available in your particular county:
Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Somerset, Venango, Warren, Washington and Westmoreland.
What Can Grant Funds Be Used For?
If your upcoming project is aimed at improving your park, you will be able to use the funds to pay for it. That being said, funds cant be used to fund employee wages. Funds can only be used to pay for projects within the park that helps improve the park itself.
Grant Match Requirements
There are no match requirements to apply for this grant.
Fundraising Period
Fundraising will begin the week of April 29, 2024 and conclude mid March 2025.
Funds Availability
Parks will receive their grant in April 2025.
The Process.
This grant isn't like most grants. Most grants, you apply and within three months or so you know if you were awarded the grant. Our grant program finds the parks that needs the funding then there is a fundraising period in which we secure the funding via donations, sponsorships, and grants from foundations.
We created our program the way we did because we feel donors would love knowing what parks will benefit with their donation, how much each park will receive and what projects will be funded. At PPF, we believe in getting the local community involved in the funding process. That is why we created PPF the way we did.
BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR APP -- CHECK OUT OUR FAQ SECTION BELOW.
Our park grant program works similar to a crowdfunding fundraiser. One person alone wont make a big impact within our park system. But when many people come together, we are truly able to make a big difference.
Through this program, it is our goal to fund up to 10 percent of all parks in Western PA. National and State Parks are eligible for up to $100,000 grants. County, City, Borough and Township parks are eligible for up to $50,000 grants. Every year, we hope to offer larger grants. We hope to increase grant sizes by 5 to 10 percent each year.
National and state parks can request up to $100,000
County, city, borough and township parks can request up to $50,000
If additional funds are left over, we may offer larger grants to parks on a first come, first served basis though that should never be counted on as it will likely rarely happen.
Fundraising will kick off the week of April 29, 2024 and conclude mid April 2025. If county fund is met earlier than the end date above, we may end the campaign earlier.
Grants will be sent to the parks in late April 2025.
Please submit your application no later than April 19, 2024. I do believe slots will fill up pretty quickly once parks begin learning more about this grant program.
You will know within ten business days. That being said, we try to approve enrollments within one week.
No grant match is required to apply for and be approved for a grant from PPF.
Currently, we are only accepting one application per park. You can use your grant to fund multiple projects within your park.
If you operate multiple parks, each park can apply.
No. However, this is something we are considering for down the road. We believe this would be very beneficial for the park system.
Left over funds can be used for any additional park improvement project.
The project must begin the same year the grant is received by your park OR the project can be one that is already in progress. There is no requirement for how long you have to finish the project.
No. But we really do appreciate photos and videos. They should be of before, during and after the project. We'd love to include it in our annual report, end of year mailings, local media, end of year video, etc.
Currently, we get our funding via donations, sponsorships and foundation grants.
No. We can only accept a limited number of parks in our program each year.
Yes! Please use the funding for the project you applied for.
Good question! While it is always our goal to raise every dollar needed, there may be counties in which we are not able to accomplish that. Especially in lower populated counties.
We would provide grants based on a percentage of the overall amount raised. So lets say the goal for a county was $200,000 but we only raised $150,000, that means we only raised 75% of the goal. Therefore, each park would only receive 75% of the requested grant amount.
We will do all within our power to prevent this. We believe selecting parks each year prior to fundraising will help us reach our goal. It shows donors, sponsors and foundations exactly where the funds will go and what the funds will be used for. For many donors, sponsors and foundations, this is crucial information.
You betcha! We realize sometimes our grant isn't enough. So feel free to apply for other grants too. Some DCNR grants will actually match dollar for dollar with grants received from other organizations.
No. At PPF, we take care of all the fundraising. That being said, you can participate if you want. But you are under no obligation to fundraise.
You can contact Justin Spencer, the founder and project director of the Pennsylvania Parks Fund with any additional questions you have. Simply fill out the contact us form on this site or email him directly at jspencer@pennsylvaniaparks.org. He tries to reply within 24 hours.