The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) announced the first recipients of its two new Rural Outdoor Recreation and Health Grant Programs, helping rural communities build, improve, and activate outdoor recreation assets that strengthen local economies, improve community health, and expand access to the outdoors.
Eleven communities across 10 states will receive awards, made possible with support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the LOR Foundation, and The VF Foundation. The awards build on ORR’s longstanding rural development work and its continued partnership with the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities (RERC) program.
The grants advance America’s Outdoor Era, ORR’s national effort to position outdoor recreation as a cornerstone of health infrastructure — calling for expanded access to the outdoors, stronger partnerships between healthcare and the outdoor recreation economy, and greater recognition of time outside as essential to physical and mental health, particularly in rural America. The selected projects were chosen from more than 100 applications representing nearly $1.5 million in need.
“These awards show what it looks like when outdoor recreation is treated as health infrastructure, not an amenity,” said Jessica Turner, President of the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable. “From a therapeutic equine program to a bike fleet reaching kids across 5,500 square miles in New Mexico, these communities are proving that time outside is one of the most cost-effective tools we have for physical and mental health, especially in rural America. ORR is proud to stand behind local leaders who are turning that idea into practice.”
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable Rural Outdoor Recreation and Health Grant Program helps rural communities identify, improve, and activate outdoor spaces and programs that support healthier, more connected rural lives. Grounded in community-defined priorities, the program supports locally led projects that connect outdoor recreation with health outcomes and build partnerships among key community partners.
The Recreation Economy for Rural Communities program is a federal technical assistance partnership supporting rural communities working to grow their outdoor recreation economies. ORR’s grant program builds directly on that work by funding implementation of priorities communities identified through the RERC planning process.
“The Recreation Economy for Rural Communities program enables critical Forest Service gateway communities to develop collaborative plans that leverage outdoor recreation and tourism to strengthen local economies, revitalize main streets, and enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors,” said USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment Michael Boren. “These implementation grants serve as a strategic catalyst, bridging the gap between plans and action, and empowering local communities to transform ideas into lasting economic and community benefits.”
“The RERC program helps connect our rural Appalachian communities through outdoor recreation opportunities that bolster the region’s economy in both the tourism and outdoor gear manufacturing sectors,” said Appalachian Regional Commission Federal Co-Chair Gayle Manchin. “I’m pleased that these new implementation grants will not only help bring new, outdoor-based revenue to our rural communities, but also improve the health and quality of life of our current residents.”
“Outdoor recreation represents a tremendous economic opportunity for rural communities,” said Northern Border Regional Commission Federal Co-Chair Chris Saunders. “It is terrific to see ORR partner with private philanthropy to deliver resources to rural communities that will activate their plans and build upon prior public sector investment.”
Mountain West Rural Outdoor Recreation and Health Grant Program Recipients
Scenic Montana Trails · Missoula, Montana $10,000
Scenic Montana Trails will use their grant to complete the all-abilities Lower Loops of the Seeley Lake Trail System to accessible standard, opening a trail network built from the outset for mobility devices and adaptive bikes with wider tread, low grades, gentle turning radii, and open sightlines. The trails sit a mile from the school and downtown, and the nearest existing all-ability trail is roughly one hour away in Missoula. The project arrives as Seeley Lake absorbs the 2024 closure of Pyramid Mountain Lumber, its economic anchor for nearly a century, and the announced end of local primary care and dental services at the town’s clinic. Residents have contributed some 800 volunteer hours building the first segments by hand, after a 2016 community survey named a close-to-home trail network the town’s highest priority.
San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLV GO!) · San Luis Valley, Colorado $10,000
SLV GO! will expand its community outdoor wellness pilot, in which trained local residents organize beginner walks, family bike rides, birdwatching, and health-connected outings in their own communities. The organization recently completed listening sessions in San Luis, Alamosa, and Center to understand how residents relate to local land and water, and this funding will build referral connections with valley health providers.
Farmington Area Single Track (FAST) · San Juan County, New Mexico $7500
FAST will sustain youth cycling programs reaching more than 1,000 young people a year across Farmington, Aztec, Bloomfield, and Shiprock. One new trailer will carry a 100-bike fleet to communities spread across 5,500 square miles, removing both the equipment and travel barriers that keep rural youth off local trails. The organization launches its first All Abilities class in fall 2026.
Medicine Horse Center · Mancos, Colorado $7500
Medicine Horse Center will use their grant to expand outdoor equine programming for two groups with limited access to the outdoors: youth with neurodivergences referred by Mancos Schools, and residents of assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. Sessions are built around participant choice, with a low-stimulation setting and activities that progress at each person’s own pace while partnering with horses. Partner schools and care facilities provide transportation, removing a barrier that often prevents participation.
Idaho Business for the Outdoors · Island Park, Idaho $5000
Idaho Business for the Outdoors will expand Fostering Family Adventures, providing free outdoor events for foster and kinship families in Idaho state parks. Families receive guided activities and state park passes intended to support independent return visits. Five events since 2024 have reached more than 500 participants with the help of over 50 local volunteers.
Rural Outdoor Recreation and Health Grant Program — RERC Community Recipients
Haines Huts and Trails · Haines, Alaska $7500
Haines Huts and Trails will complete planning for the Haines Town Trail, a multi-use pathway connecting the new SEARHC hospital, the Southeast Alaska State Fairgrounds, the Haines School, downtown, and surrounding neighborhoods. Funding supports landowner outreach, easement agreements, route identification, and community engagement. In Haines Borough, 28% of residents are over 65 and half live below 200% of the federal poverty level.
City of Two Rivers Parks and Recreation · Two Rivers, Wisconsin $7500
The City of Two Rivers will launch a free outdoor wellness paddling program, beginning with pool-based introductory kayaking sessions in winter and moving to guided paddles on the Twin Rivers, Lake Michigan, and Point Beach State Forest the following spring. Funding also supports an American Canoe Association adaptive paddling workshop and adaptive equipment, serving veterans, older adults, and residents with disabilities.
St. Paul Tomorrow, Inc. · St. Paul, Virginia $7500
St. Paul Tomorrow will construct an ADA-accessible entrance and improve the Riverview Trail, creating a continuous accessible route between Riverside Drive and Frank Kilgore Drive and adding a scenic overlook of the Clinch River. The improvements remove barriers that currently prevent wheelchair, walker, and stroller users from reaching the riverfront, and establish a walkable connection between downtown St. Paul and Clinch River State Park.
Town of Jay, with Livermore and Livermore Falls · Jay, Livermore, and Livermore Falls, Maine $5000
The Tri-Town coalition will install gateway, trailhead, directional, interpretive, and accessibility signage connecting trails, parks, boat launches, beaches, and a community ski mountain across three towns. The region holds more than 2,000 acres of publicly accessible conserved land that residents and visitors struggle to find. The project builds on a 2025 regional recreation planning process conducted with the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation.
Palmetto Trail (Palmetto Conservation Foundation) · Fairfield County, South Carolina $5000
Palmetto Trail will install an automated self-service kayak rental kiosk at the new Alston launch on the Peak to Prosperity Passage. The launch currently serves only people who already own a boat; the kiosk functions as a water-based gear library, allowing families, first-time paddlers, and anglers to rent equipment at the water’s edge by smartphone. Fairfield County has invested nearly $50,000 in the launch and granted an additional $90,000 for a community pavilion at the take-out.
Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry and Tourism · Venango and Crawford Counties, Pennsylvania $7500
The Oil Region Alliance will develop a unified outdoor recreation identity for a region that includes the Allegheny River, Oil Creek State Park, and a substantial rail-trail network. Funding supports a branding plan, a business toolkit for local outfitters and lodging, and outreach distributed through senior centers and veterans organizations. The region’s four largest communities identified fragmented marketing as a barrier during their RERC planning process.
