Grants Available for Outdoor Recreation, Tourism Projects, Recreational Trails
Those who attended last week’s public administrators lunch meeting at the Upper Savannah COG learned that funding is available for the acquisition and/or development of outdoor recreation areas.
Funding is also available for tourism attraction projects and recreation trails, according to guest speaker Debbie Jordan who is the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and Undiscovered SC Grants Coordinator.
Jordan told the group that LWCF outdoor recreation grants require a 50 percent match and are reimbursable. Grants range from $50,000 to $300,000. However, if the proposed project is determined to have regional or statewide significance it may be eligible for funding up to $500,000.
Acquisition projects, development projects, and the combination of acquisition and development projects for public outdoor recreation only are eligible.
Associated support facilities and infrastructure are also eligible (lighting, parking, roads, water/sewer, restrooms, etc.). Certain indoor facilities supporting outdoor recreation activities in the project area may be eligible (restrooms, visitor information kiosks, buildings that interpret resources of the project area).
The application cycle will be announced this summer; grant awards will be announced in October 2026.
Jordan said the program has lots of available funding and encouraged sending applications.
“The best way to put it right now is your biggest competition is yourself,” Jordan said when asked about the competitiveness of the grant request process. “As long as you write a good application and it scores high enough, it will likely get funded.”
The Undiscovered SC Grant program provides assistance to local governments for the creation or expansion of tourism with the potential to add value to their communities. The Abbeville Opera House received funding from this program in recent years.
Undiscovered SC represents the largely unknown and under-utilized travel experiences that can
be found throughout South Carolina. It is the untapped tourism potential of a developing
destination and its historic, cultural or recreational attractions.
The applicant must be a county or municipal government with total State Accommodations Tax distributions of $900,000 or less. Grants range from $100,000-$200,000 and require a 1/1 cash match.
The Undiscovered SC Grants application cycle will be announced in May; grant awards will be announced in October.
The Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant program provides funds to develop and maintain recreational trails and trail-related facilities. Grants range from $10,000-$100,000.
Eligible projects include construction of new recreational trails, hiking/walking, cycling/mountain biking, OHV-use (ATVs and off-road motorcycles), kayaking/canoeing, horseback riding/equestrian, maintenance and restoration of existing trails, and development and rehabilitation of trailhead and trailside amenities
SCPRT will begin accepting Letters of Intent for trails projects in August 2025.
For more information, contact Jordan at njordan@scprt.com for outdoor recreation and tourism grants, and Neal Hamilton at nhamilton@scprt.com for trails grants.
