Land and Water Conservation Fund Grant Program

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a federal grant program administered by the Department of Interior, National Park Service. The goal of LWCF is to increase quality opportunities for outdoor recreation. It consists of a Federal Side and a State Side. The State Side program provides funding to the State of Connecticut, through DEEP, for recreational planning, acquisition of lands and waters, and facility development. Additional information on the history of the Land and Water Conservation Fund can be found on the NPS LWCF webpage.

Municipal Funding for Park Projects Available! Application Deadline: September 1st
The Land and Water Conservation Fund – Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program (LWCF-ORLP) is a nationally competitive program that provides federal reimbursement funds (up to 50% of the total project cost) for public outdoor recreation acquisition or development programs in qualifying areas. More information and Request for Proposals here: The Land and Water Conservation Fund: Outdoor Recreation and Legacy Partnership Program. Contact Cameron Clegg at Cameron.clegg@ct.gov with any questions.

Compliance

Since the program was created in 1965, the LWCF has provided over $60 million to develop and enhance many of Connecticut’s outdoor recreational resources. Any property that has benefited from the assistance of LWCF must be maintained for outdoor public recreation. Through the acceptance of federal grant aid, recipients of LWCF funding have agreed to:

Make the property available for public outdoor recreation;
Maintain the project area and ensure it is accessible;
Keep the property open for public use;
Provide signage at the property indicating property is open for public outdoor recreation.

If you have any questions about a property that may have benefited from LWCF funding, please contact Cameron Clegg, LWCF Program Lead Cameron.Clegg@ct.gov

Outdoor Recreation Planning

Current recreational needs in Connecticut are assessed through the development of a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). This planning document identifies outdoor recreation matters of statewide significance and evaluates the supply of, and the demand for, outdoor recreation resources and facilities in Connecticut. Connecticut’s SCORP provides unified guidance to State and municipal officials as they develop and expand outdoor recreation opportunities for their respective constituents.

In addition to its value as a planning document, the completion of SCORP satisfies a requirement of the National Park Service's LWCF, which then makes Connecticut eligible to receive its annual apportionment from the LWCF State Side program. LWCF State projects, as well as competitive ORLP Municipal grants, must align with the SCORP goals and objectives.

Connecticut's current SCORP covers the planning period of 2024 through 2029 and identifies the following outdoor recreation goals:

Connecticut’s 2024-2029 Outdoor Recreation Goals
Goal 1: Provide equitable and sustainable access to outdoor recreation in Connecticut.
Goal 2: Enhance visitor experience and tourism by providing welcoming, safe, and well-maintained outdoor recreation areas and recreation amenities.
Goal 3: Address the threats of climate change on outdoor recreation and the conservation of natural, historical, and cultural resources by working together with outdoor creation participants to implement strategies for habitat preservation, conservation, and decarbonization and climate change mitigation, adaptation, resilience, and education.

Additional Resources

The National Park Service's LWCF is one of several programs that works to benefit outdoor recreation in Connecticut. For more information about outdoor recreation in Connecticut, please see the following links.

Content Last Updated: February 2025