Grants for Accessibility
If the NC Legislature designates funds for Local Community Grants to address accessibility issues in Parks and Trails, they are distributed through the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) which is administered through the Division of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR) by NC State Parks.
Accessible Parks Grant Program
The Accessible Parks Grant Program (AP) provided $12.5 million in matching grants in 2024 for parks and recreation to benefit people living with disabilities in North Carolina. Local governments, including public authorities, could apply. This program is administered through NC State Parks and the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
The matching grants were used for:
- the construction of special facilities, or
- adaptation of existing facilities that meet the unique needs of persons living with disabilities or enable them to participate in recreational and sporting activities, regardless of their abilities.
Applicants could have requested a maximum of $500,000 and had to match the grant with at least $1 of local funds for every $5 in grant funds.
Grants Awarded
Local Grants Awarded
Accessibility for Parks
The Accessibility for Parks (AFP) program provided $10 million in 2022 for parks and recreation grants to benefit children and veterans with disabilities in North Carolina. Local governments, including some public authorities, could apply for the matching grants. The program is administered through the NC State Parks and the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
The matching grants could be used to build accessible facilities or adapt existing facilities that meet the unique needs of children and veterans with physical and developmental disabilities. Local governments could request a maximum of $500,000 and had to match the grant with at least $1 of local funds for every $5 in grant funds.
Local Grants Awarded
Local Grants Awarded
Connect North Carolina Bond
The Connect North Carolina Bond Grant Program (CNCB) provided $3 million in matching grants in 2017 for parks and recreation to benefit children and veterans with physical and developmental disabilities, enabling them to participate in sporting and recreational activities. Local governments, including public authorities, could apply. This program was administered through the Division of Parks and Recreation and the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
The matching grants were used for:
- construction of special facilities,
- or adaptation of facilities that meet the unique needs of persons living with disabilities or enable them to participate in recreational and sporting activities, regardless of their abilities.
Applicants had to match the grant with at least $1 of matching funds for every $5 in grant funds.
Local Grants Awarded
Local Grants Awarded
Resources
Resources: Universal Design
Universal Design: The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without adaptation or specialized design. Listed below are resources that further explain these concepts, and universal design can be used to improve public parks and recreation areas and facilities.
- National Park Service: Accessibility and Universal Design Standards
- American Society of Landscape Architects: Parks and Plazas
- American Society of Landscape Architects: Playgrounds
- American Society of Landscape Architects: Gardens
- National Center on Accessibility
- Designing for Inclusive Play: Applying the Principles of Universal Design to the Playground (National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability website)
ADA Guidelines
All facilities funded by AP must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). The guidelines identify the minimum standards for all new facilities in public parks. Applicants are encouraged to include the costs of access routes to the accessible facilities in the grant application. For design guidelines, go to: