Accessibility for Parks Grant
Please note: This page is about the one-time Accessibility for Parks program in 2022. Grants were awarded in 2023. For the Accessible Parks Grant, new in 2024, click here.
The Accessibility for Parks (AFP) program provides $10 million for parks and recreation grants to benefit children and veterans with disabilities in North Carolina. Local governments, including some public authorities, are eligible to apply for the matching grants. The program is administered through the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation and the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
The matching grants can 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 can request a maximum of $500,000 with each application and must match the grant with at least $1 of local funds for every $5 in grant funds.
Application Information
Eligible Applicants
North Carolina counties and incorporated municipalities are eligible to apply. Public authorities, as defined by N.C. General Statute 159-7, are also eligible if they are authorized to develop recreational facilities for the general public.
Eligible Projects
The matching grants can be used to build accessible facilities or adapt existing facilities that meet the unique needs of children and veterans with physical and developmental disabilities. A project must be located on a single site.
Matching Requirement
An applicant must match the grant with $1 of local funds for every $5 of grant funds. The value of in-kind services, such as volunteer work, cannot be used as part of the match.
Applicants Must Have Control of the Park Site
An applicant must own or have at least a 25-year signed lease or easement for the property where a project will be located.
Public Use
Facilities built or renovated with an AFP grant must be available for public recreational use for at least 25 years.
2022 Funding Cycle
| March 2022 | Announcement | The Division of Parks and Recreation (DPR) announces the schedule for the grant program. |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2022 | Instructional Video | The PARTF program posts the AFP Application Video Guide online to explain the application process and requirements. Viewing is recommended but is not required. RRS regional consultant are available for additional technical assistance. |
| September 15, 2022 | Application Review Deadline | Local governments may submit their draft application to their RRS regional consultant for a technical review to ensure that the application is complete. |
| November 1, 2022 | Application Deadline | Applications are due. See Page 5 of the application for details on how to submit. |
| Spring 2023 | Selecting Grant Recipients | The Parks and Recreation Authority meets to select grant recipients. The meeting date and location will be announced on the N.C. DPR website. |
Would you like help with your grant application? The N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation provides technical assistance to local governments through a contract with Recreation Resources Service (RRS):
Maximum Grant Amount
Applicants can request a maximum grant of $500,000 with each application.
Matching Requirement
An applicant must match the grant with $1 of local funds for every $5 of grant funds. The value of in-kind services, such as volunteer work, cannot be used as part of the match.
Costs to Build or Renovate Facilities
You will be submitting specific cost estimates as part of the grant application. Get estimates from contractors, architects, or planners who develop parks and recreation facilities. Consider the impact of inflation by assuming that the project may be completed over a 3-year period after the grantee signs a contract with the state.
The Parks and Recreation Authority, a nine-member board appointed by the Governor and the General Assembly, selects which applicants will receive funding. The factors considered by the Authority as it selects grant recipients include, but are not limited to:
- the applicant's project description / justification page
- the application's ranking based on the scoring system
- the geographic distribution of funds
- the population of the applicant
- the grant funds that the applicant is requesting
- the grant funds available; and
- the administration of previous grants
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 Principles of Universal Design to the Playground (National Center on Accessibility website)
ADA Guidelines
All facilities funded by AFP 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:
ADA Accessibility Checklists
The AFP Grant Program requires facilities used to support programs and services to meet at least the minimum requirements found in the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. The minimum requirements for many park and recreation areas are identified in these checklists:
For Grant Recipients
Please use the documents below to comply with the reporting requirements for an AFP grant.
| Recreation Grants and Outreach Staff | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Vonda Martin vonda.martin@ncparks.gov 919-707-9338 |
| Grants Specialist (PARTF, AFP) | Lillian Heaton lillian.heaton@ncparks.gov 919-707-9362 |
| Grants Specialist (LWCF, ORLP) | Vacant grants@ncparks.gov |
| Mailing Address | 1615 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1615 |
| Physical Address | Division of Parks and Recreation Nature Research Center, 2nd floor 121 W. Jones St. Raleigh, NC 27603 |