We’ve got answers. Here’s a selection of Frequently Asked Questions in response to inquiries on policies and specific aspects of our grant programs.
If you have questions that aren’t answered below, please email us. We will answer your questions by email and add them to this page as well. Contact Tara McKee (tmckee@utah.gov) or Patrick Morrison (patrickmorrison@utah.gov) with questions about the grants.
Who can apply? Municipalities, county governments, tribal governments or non-profit organizations that meet Utah code requirements are all eligible to apply for a Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant.
How much grant funding can we apply for? Various amounts of awards for grants are offered and will be given as matching funds between $1,000 and $200,000 in 2022. The larger grants will be more competitive as fewer of them will be given. Please note, a Regional Asset Tier will be available in 2022. Regional Asset Tier UORG funding of $500,000 will be available for large outdoor recreation projects that will cost more than $2,000,000. Rural counties will only need to show at 50/50 match for Regional Asset Tier funding. The UORG Scoring Committee has discretion in the number of Regional Asset Tier projects and the awarded amount. The most competitive projects will focus on using UORG funds to support outdoor recreation elements rather than surrounding infrastructure, such as bathrooms or parking lots.
Our city has a couple of great infrastructure projects we’d like to do. Can we send in more than one application?
Yes, but the review committees will be factoring in the geographic diversity of all grant projects. It is highly unlikely that the review committees will choose more than one infrastructure project from the same entity for the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant. If your organization plans on submitting more than one application, please prioritize which one you would like to see funded among all the rest.
Please keep in mind we have three additional grants in 2022 which may be better suited to your community’s outdoor recreation needs:
The UORG Mini-Grant funds smaller outdoor recreation and trail projects and provides grants between $500 and $10,000. The application is shorter and more straightforward, but the eligibility requirements are similar.
The Recreation Restoration Infrastructure Grant (RRI) funds the restoration or rehabilitation of existing and developed recreation areas and trails so the public can safely access them.
The Utah Outdoor Classroom Grant funds permanent, built infrastructure that can support student learning and funds up to $10,000.
Our project is a large one and the final costs will be quite high. Can we apply to receive a second grant the following year or later to help us finish our project? The legislative intent of the grant funds is to provide funding to projects that will be completed. The ability to demonstrate a project is truly ready and will be completed as specified in your application is required. A possible exception would be a project for a trail segment within a large trail project with a long-term master plan. The trail segment that has been funded by our grant must be completed, accessible to the public, and able to be used on its own before an organization could apply for additional funding from the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant to build another trail segment within a large trail system. Also, you may wish to note that much more funding will be available beginning in 2022, and make all the necessary preparation now to put together a very competitive grant proposal for next year.
We’ve never done a grant before. Can we get some help? Of course! We’d like to make resources available that will help you in the process of filling out the grant applications:
If you have a question about the eligibility of your project or a similar question, email tmckee@utah.gov or patrickmorrison@utah.gov and you will receive an answer to your questions in an email and on this page so that it is visible to the public.
When do we get our funding? The Outdoor Recreation Grant for infrastructure projects will be given as a post-completion reimbursement. Projects must be completed within 24 months of the date the contract is signed. Funding is given after the applicant’s spend. Up to 75% of the matched monies may be given before the completion of the project. Once all necessary documentation has been submitted, you can expect to receive the funding within 2-3 weeks. The final funding will be contingent upon inspection of the completed project.
What are the key criteria for how projects are evaluated? The grant applications have sections that have been given scoring values to allow fair evaluations. The infrastructure grants will be evaluated by the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant Advisory Committee, which is comprised of knowledgeable experts from the outdoor recreation and economic development industries in Utah. Please see 15 of the 2022 Program Guide for more information about the UORG Advisory Committee.
The infrastructure grants will be evaluated for: project readiness and a feasible schedule, community need and economic impact, recreational value, improved physical and recreational access, budget and project costs, and special considerations for area deficiencies.
Since we are a city who will be building and maintaining this infrastructure on our own property and are under the City and not County jurisdiction for such projects, must we have county approval and endorsement in order to apply, or would the City’s endorsement be OK to substitute in place of the county? Since you are under your City and not County jurisdiction for such projects, yes, in your case, it would be okay to get the City’s endorsement in lieu of the County’s endorsement.
Can we apply for funding for a Pickleball Court? Or Rodeo Grounds? Or Fairgrounds? Or soccer fields? The Utah Outdoor Recreation Grants are meant to fund outdoor recreation amenities and we’ve had to draw a line between outdoor recreational activities and recreational sports (the latter of which do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Office of Outdoor Recreation). Sports courts, athletic fields, rodeo grounds, and fairgrounds are ineligible infrastructure for the Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant.
The online application for infrastructure projects asks for two attachments that prove the project readiness, what exactly needs to be attached here? There can be several documents that show project readiness such as permits, conceptual drawings or engineered plans, environmental documentation, even documentation as to the status of pending permits is helpful. Submit whatever you have along those lines that are pertinent to your project. On the list of attachments, you are asked to provide two maps, one location map showing where it is located in the community and one recreation site map (or conceptual drawing) of the project site.
