Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP).  The Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a federal grants program administered by Montana’s Fish, Wildlife & Parks and for planning and funding of outdoor recreation projects.  Examples of eligible projects include: ball fields, open space acquisitions, public parks, outdoor swimming pools, playgrounds, picnic facilities, trails and more.  The 2020-2024 Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) provides guidance for this grant program.

Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP). RTP is a federally funded grants program that supports Montana’s trails. Applicants can include federal, tribal, state, county or city agencies, private associations and clubs. Examples of eligible projects include: urban trail development, basic front and backcountry trail maintenance, restoration of areas damaged by trail use, development of trailside facilities, and educational and safety projects related to trails.

Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP).  The Montana Trail Stewardship Grant Program (MTSGP) is a state program that provides funding for the development, renovation, and maintenance of motorized and non-motorized recreational trails and trailside facilities throughout Montana and in its communities.  Grants can be used for new trail and shared-use path construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of existing trails and shared-use paths, including grooming of trails for motorized and non-motorized winter recreation, and construction and maintenance of trailside and trailhead facilities, including but not limited to bridges, fencing, parking, bathrooms, latrines, picnic shelters, interpretation, trail signs, and trailside weed management.

Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP).  The OHV Program provides grants for OHV trail maintenance, safety & ethics education projects, OHV trail improvement projects, installation of informational kiosks and other trail signage, noxious weed eradication, other safety, educational, resource maintenance, protection or improvement projects.

Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP).  This program provides grant funding to OHV clubs and organizations for signage, trail markers, trail maintenance, trail improvements, trail reroutes, mitigation of motorized resource impacts, brushing of trails, noxious weed control on trail corridors, and club hired trail stewards to clear and maintain trails. 

Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP).  This state grant program supports snowmobile trail grooming, the purchase and repair of grooming-related equipment, safety education, public outreach, and law enforcement.  Grants are available to snowmobiling clubs, organizations and public land-managing agencies.

All other grants available from Fish, Wildlife & Parks

Montana Department of Transportation (MDT).  Eligible activities include projects such as pedestrian and bicycle facilities, recreational trails, safe routes to school projects, community improvements such as historic preservation and vegetation management.  Recreational Trails Program applicants can also apply for TA funding.  MDT and FWP will keep each agency informed of awards granted through their programs.

U.S. Department of Transportation.  Notice of Funding Opportunity for $1.5 billion in grant funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.  The popular program helps communities around the country carry out projects with significant local or regional impact.  RAISE discretionary grants, which were originally created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as TIGER grants, can be used for a wide variety of projects.  Examples include dedicated bus lanes in Baltimore, highway and bridge repair in New Mexico, dock replacements in Alaska, and a rail-to-trail project in Arkansas.

Montana Office-Of-Tourism.  The Tourism Grant Program awards funds to projects that strengthen Montana’s economy through the development and enhancement of the State’s tourism and recreation industry.  Entities in Montana that are eligible to apply for a Tourism Grant include registered non-profit 501(c) organizations, tribal governments, cities and county governments.  Funds are generally awarded to projects that include, but not limited to, heritage preservation projects, infrastructure upgrades or enhancements, community and/or outdoor recreation opportunities made more visible through signage or mapping or destination development, niche product development as identified in the Montana Destination Brand Research Study.  The Fiscal Year 2023 application cycle closed September 15^th but expect the program to continue in the future.

Montana Office-Of-Tourism.  The Montana legislature allocates 0.5 percent of Montana’s Lodging Facility Use Tax collections to develop and promote the Indian Tourism Region.  Promotions include paid media (advertising), earned media (hosting journalists and photographers to visit Indian Country and produce editorial content), and owned media.  The FY 2023 application cycle opened October 1, 2022 and closes November 30, 2022.  This year’s grant cycle totals $117,700, with a maximum award amount of $50,000 to tribal governments of Montana for eligible tourism projects, and a 50% matching requirement.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  A brownfield is a former industrial or commercial site where future use is affected by real or perceived environmental contamination.  This program provides direct funding for brownfields assessment, cleanup, revolving loans, environmental job training, technical assistance, training, and research.  Brownfields assistance can be used to assess, safely clean up and sustainably reuse contaminated properties.  Cleanup Grants provide funding to carry out cleanup activities at brownfield sites owned by the applicant.  Multipurpose Grants provide funding to conduct a range of eligible assessment and cleanup activities at one or more brownfield sites in a target area.  Several communities have used funds from this program to rehabilitate brownfield sites and to develop trails and outdoor recreation sites.

USDA Forest Service.  Title II funds may be used for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of fish and wildlife habitat, and other resource objectives on National Forest System lands and on non-federal lands where projects would benefit the resources on Federal land.  Examples of projects that can be funded include trail, road and infrastructure maintenance, control of noxious and exotic weeds, and many others.