Accessible Parks Grant
The Accessible Parks Grant Program provides $12.5 million in matching grants for parks and recreation to benefit people living with disabilities in North Carolina. Local governments, including public authorities, are eligible to apply. This program is administered through the Division of Parks and Recreation and the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.
The matching grants can be 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 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.
The application process for a second round of funding is now underway.
Application Information
Eligible Applicants
North Carolina counties and incorporated municipalities are eligible to apply. Public authorities, as defined by North Carolina General Statute 159-7, are also eligible if they are authorized to develop recreational facilities for the general public.
Eligible Projects
- Development projects that meet the unique needs of persons living with disabilities or that enable them to participate in recreational and sporting activities.
- Construction of special facilities
- Adaptation of existing facilities
- Land acquisition is not eligible.
- Applicants may apply for an active PARTF site but must request funding for different facilities.
- A facility previously funded with PARTF assistance and still under the 25-year restriction may be eligible to receive AP funds if:
- Said facility was funded with PARTF assistance prior to the 2012 funding cycle.
- The proposed update / renovation will create a facility that maximizes accessibility.
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.
Applicant 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 Accessible Parks grant must be available for public recreational use for at least 25 years.
Round 2
| Notification of Funding – Round 2 | Sept. 3, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Round 2 Application Review Deadline | Jan. 20, 2025 |
| Round 2 Application Deadline | March 3, 2025 |
| Round 2 Awards Selected | June 2025 |
| Project Period | Sept. 1, 2025 to Aug. 31, 2028 |
|---|
| Reporting Deadlines | |
|---|---|
| 6-Month Inspection | Feb. 1, 2026 |
| 1-Year Inspection | Aug. 31, 2026 |
| 2-Year Inspection | Aug. 31, 2027 |
| Closeout Inspection | Aug. 31, 2028 |
| Self-Certifying Inspection | Every 5 years post-closeout |
Round 1
| Notification of Funding – Round 1 | Jan. 2, 2024 |
|---|---|
| DPR and RRS Q&A Webinar | Feb. 8, 2024 |
| Round 1 Application Review Deadline | March 15, 2024 |
| Round 1 Application Deadline | May 1, 2024 |
| Round 1 Awards Selected | Aug. 23, 2024 |
| Project Period | Nov. 1, 2024 to Oct. 31, 2027 |
|---|
| Reporting Deadlines | |
|---|---|
| 6-Month Inspection | May 1, 2025 |
| 1-Year Inspection | Oct. 31, 2025 |
| 2-Year Inspection | Oct. 31, 2026 |
| Closeout Inspection | Oct. 31, 2027 |
| Self-Certifying Inspection | Every 5 years post-closeout |
Would you like help with your grant application? The division provides technical assistance to local governments through a contract with Recreation Resources Service:
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.
Accessible Parks Grant Overview
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: