ORLP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Frequently Asked Questions

Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program (ORLP)

  1. Is my project site eligible as being in an urban jurisdiction?

    The project site must:
    • Be located within a jurisdiction of at least 50,000 people according to the 2010 Census AND
    • Be situated within the geographic boundary of an urbanized area delineated by the Census Bureau.
    • This means the project must be in a city or town with a population of at least 50,000 people to be competitive.

    Both the applicant and the project must be within an urbanized area.

  1. Is my project a good fit for the ORLP program?

    Projects that are suited for ORLP will be:
    • IMPACTFUL projects, meaning the creation of new outdoor recreation areas/resources that do not currently exist in the project area.
    • Project responds to need of, and serves, ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED communities.  Youth and minorities, seniors, obese, and disabled populations, are not included in target community for ORLP.
    • Projects must be in DENSELY populated areas.  Projects should be within 10-MINUTE WALK of target community.
    • Project must provide new OUTDOOR opportunities.

    Renovation of existing parks will be less competitive and are not the best fit for the ORLP program.

  1. How do I determine economically disadvantaged populations?

    Economically disadvantaged populations is one with poverty rates of at least 20% and/or where the poverty rate exceeds the county and state rates by at least 10%.  State, statistically, where the local community falls within the poverty scale for economically-disadvantaged populations relative to the county and state and include any other relevant economic and demographic information.

  1. What does underserved community mean for the ORLP program?

    Underserved communities are those with:
    • No existing parks
    • Some existing parks but not enough to support the size of the population of the service area or otherwise able to satisfy existing recreational demand
    • Some existing parks (potentially even an adequate number of parks) that are so deteriorated/obsolete or underdeveloped that a major redevelopment or rehabilitation is necessary to significantly increase the number of people or user groups who could be served in a way that would be equivalent to a new park.

  1. Are indoor recreation centers and community centers eligible?

    No.  ORLP is for outdoor recreation features only.

  1. Are Pre-Award Planning Costs eligible?

    Yes.  At the applicant’s own risk, costs for design, architectural and engineering services can be incurred prior to federal approval, and are eligible for reimbursement, if the project is awarded. These costs are subject to the 25% budget limitations as noted on page 20 of the NOFO.  Further, to be eligible for reimbursement, the pre-award planning costs need to be incurred no earlier than three years of federal approval.  Pre-award planning costs should be clearly indicated as pre-agreement costs along with the timeframe during which the associated work cost was/will be performed in the budget narrative.

  1. Is there a Budget Form Template?

    Yes.  A sample budget narrative is available under the Related Documents tab on Grants.gov. Opportunity Number: P21AS00509

    There are also additional samples of documents in the Related Document tab and encourage applicants to utilize them.

  1. We applied for the Statewide Park Program (SPP).  Can we list SPP as match?  The NOFO mentions “committed funding.”

    Applicants need to list a committed funding source that can be used to cash flow 100% of the project, as ORLP is a reimbursement only program.  However, the applicant may make a notation next to the identified committed funding source that it may be replaced with the state-funded SPP if awarded.