Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program

The purpose of the ORLP Program is to: 

1. acquire land and water for parks and other outdoor recreation purposes in qualifying areas, and 
2. develop new or renovate existing outdoor recreation facilities that provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the public in qualifying areas. 

In accordance with the EXPLORE Act, the ORLP Program will make selections based on the extent to which a project:

• Provide recreation opportunities in low-income communities in which access to parks is not adequate to meet local needs
• Provide opportunities for outdoor recreation and public land volunteerism;
• Support innovative or cost-effective ways to enhance parks and other recreation opportunities or delivery of services;
• Support park and recreation programming provided by local governments, including cooperative agreements with community-based eligible nonprofit organizations;
• Develop Native American event sites and cultural gathering spaces;
• Provide benefits such as community resilience, reduction of urban heat islands, enhanced water or air quality, or habitat for fish or wildlife; and
• Facilitate any combination of these goals.

The EXPLORE Act states that the Secretary shall give priority to projects that: 

• Create or significantly enhance access to park and recreational opportunities in a qualifying area;
• Engage and empower low-income communities and youth;
• Provide employment or job training opportunities for youth or low-income communities;
• Establish or expand public-private partnerships, with a focus on leveraging resources; and
• Take advantage of coordination among various levels of government

Within the context of these statutory priorities, the ORLP Program will also prioritize projects that further Secretarial and Executive Orders, including Executive Order 14313, “Establishing the President's Make America Beautiful Again Commission” and Secretarial Order 3442, “Land and Water Conservation Fund Implementation by the U.S. Department of the Interior.”
 

ORLP projects must be within a Qualifying Area, defined as: 

• an urban area that has a population of 25,000 or more in the most recent census, or 
• 2 or more adjacent urban areas with a combined population of 25,000 or more in the most recent census; or 
• an area administered by a federally recognized Indian Tribe or an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian community organization. 

To determine if your jurisdiction and your project are in a qualifying area, please visit this page, check the “Urban Areas” box in the Layers tab, enter the project address (or nearby address) in the top right hand corner.

The following entities are eligible subrecipients and must apply through their State (NC Division of Parks and Recreation) or Territorial Lead Agency: 

• Political subdivision of a State or Territory, including cities and counties, or special purpose districts that manage open space, such as a park district. 
• The following entities are eligible subrecipients and may choose whether to apply through a State or Territorial Lead Agency, or Tribal Government: 
• Urban Indian organizations (25 U.S.C. § 1603(h)) 

Early coordination with the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation Grants & Outreach team will help ensure that the project aligns with the objectives and goals of the ORLP Program, and secure State or Territorial government support in maintaining perpetual conservation and/or recreation use on the proposed property. 

Additional requirements under the ORLP program: 

• Matching Requirement - ORLP is dollar for dollar match, meaning it covers up to 50% of all project costs. Applicants are responsible for providing non-federal funds for at least 50% of project costs. 
• Perpetuity Requirement - Projects assisted through ORLP must be maintained and accessible for public outdoor recreation use in perpetuity. This applies to the assisted park or site in its entirety, not just the area assisted by the grant funds. 
• Alignment with LWCF Law and Policy - As an LWCF program, ORLP projects must align with the purposes and requirements of the LWCF Act and LWCF Manual. 
• Alignment with National Priorities – Projects must be responsive to Executive and National priorities, including those outlined in Executive Order 14313, “Establishing the President's Make America Beautiful Again Commission” and Secretarial Order 3442, “Land and Water Conservation Fund Implementation by the U.S. Department of the Interior.” 
   

The LWCF Act requires that any park or other outdoor recreation area benefitting from assistance from the LWCF, whether for acquisition or development purposes, and regardless of the amount or extent of assistance, not be covered to any use other than public outdoor recreation (see 54 U.S.C. 200305(f)(3)).

Therefore, as a condition of the grant, the NPS requires that language be recorded against the deed of the assisted park/recreation property advising that the property was acquired and/or developed with federal funds from the LWCF, and that the property must be preserved for outdoor recreation uses in perpetuity and cannot be converted to any use other than public outdoor recreation use without the written approval of the Secretary of the Interior. This approval is contingent upon the project sponsor replacing the area to be converted with a new recreation area involving land of at least equal fair market value and reasonably equivalent recreation utility, and the conversion and its replacement are consistent with the state's SCORP.

The perpetuity requirement is applied to the assisted park or other recreation area as a whole. Exceptions for boundaries that would apply to a lesser unit of a park will be considered only if the unit is a standalone recreation area (i.e., its borders do not include other areas of the park) and is self-sustaining (i.e., it does not rely on nor serve adjoining park area(s) for access, utilities, support facilities, etc.). The state and the NPS must agree to any boundary that does not comprise the whole park. The NPS may eliminate from consideration any proposal that is not consistent with this policy.