COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism is inviting interested eligible entities to submit a “Letter of Intent Form” for grant funding assistance from the Recreation Land Trust Fund (RELT), Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Recreational Trails Program (RTP). The deadline for submission is Monday, Dec. 3, 2007.

RELT is a state-funded grant program specifically for the purpose of acquiring property for public recreation.  It requires a 50 percent match and is a reimbursable grant.  RELT funds are available only for local governmental entities.  The maximum to apply for is $25,000, unless the project is determined to have regional or statewide significance, in which case it could be eligible for up to $100,000.  The agency anticipates having $250,000 available for this program.   

LWCF is a federally funded grant program for the acquisition and development of outdoor recreation areas.  It requires a 50 percent match and is a reimbursable grant.  LWCF funds are available only for local or state agencies.  The minimum request is $25,000 and maximum amount is $250,000, unless the project is determined to have regional or statewide significance, in which case it could be eligible for up to $500,000.  The federal government is currently operating under a continuing resolution, so the final appropriations are not known at this time.  

RTP is a federally funded grant program to build or improve trails across South Carolina.  This is a reimbursable grant program requiring a 20 percent match.  RTP funds are available to state, federal and local government agencies or qualified private organizations.  The minimum grant amount is $10,000 with a maximum of $100,000.  Motorized projects are eligible for the maximum amount of motorized funding available.  As with the LWCF, final federal appropriations also are not known yet for the RTP program. 

The deadline for submission is Friday, March 21, 2008. An application workshop will be held at the Tri-City Leisure Center at 485 Brooks Avenue in West Columbia on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

For more information on the trails program, contact Ronda Pratt, state trails coordinator, at (803) 734-0130 or rpratt@scprt.com. For more information on the LWCF and RELT programs, contact Todd Stump, grants coordinator, at (803) 734-0617 or tstump@scprt.com.