California State Parks and Parks California Award $2.4M in Career Pathways Grants to Prepare Next Generation of Park Leaders
Contact:
California State Parks
Newsroom@parks.ca.gov
Parks California
Media@ParksCalifornia.org
Funding supports 13 organizations to provide paid training and expand access to careers in parks and public lands
(Clockwise from top left) Corpsmembers of LA Conservation Corps’ Career Pathways program worked with park staff to complete projects including landscaping, building maintenance, irrigation systems, tree planting, and more. Greater Valley Conservation Corps Career Pathways projects included tree planting, irrigation system installation, maintenance, invasive species elimination, vegetation clearing and more. Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance’s Pathways Home: A Tribal Natural Resource program provided tribally oriented natural resource management career training to tribal members and participants. Photos from Parks California.
SACRAMENTO – California State Parks and nonprofit partner Parks California today announced the award of more than $2.4 million to 13 community and tribal organizations across the state as part of the Career Pathways grants program. The funding will support paid training opportunities expected to prepare approximately 380 participants for careers in parks and public lands and includes seven returning grantees and six new partners.
Career Pathways enables statewide training that helps early-career adults and people exploring new directions to see parks as part of their future. The 13 grant recipients will work collaboratively with State Parks, with support from Parks California, to offer experiences and training in park operations and stewardship, such as wildfire resilience projects, trail building, habitat restoration and visitor services. Through hands-on learning, mentorship and career guidance, Career Pathways equips participants with the skills, experience and professional networks needed to pursue meaningful careers in public lands.
“Our joint efforts to expand access to the outdoors is doing more than just reducing barriers for visitors – it’s also creating pathways to grow a skilled and diverse workforce of the next generation of stewards,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “These grants help plant the seed that will blossom into deeply rooted careers caring for California’s parks and public lands.”
Grant funding is supported in part by State Parks’ Waterway Connections Initiative – part of the California Natural Resources Agency’s Outdoors for All Initiative – which focuses on expanding access to rivers, lakes and other inland waterways, including through workforce development. The Career Pathways grants program will provide approximately $5 million through 2029 to support the planning, development and implementation of workforce training programs statewide.
“Careers in parks and public lands should be visible and accessible to everyone, not just those who already have a connection to these spaces,” said Kindley Walsh Lawlor, president and CEO of Parks California. “Career Pathways opens doors by creating real opportunities for people to gain experience and build necessary skills. By investing in community and tribal partners, we’re helping ensure future park leaders reflect the diversity of California.”
“Expanding access to the outdoors also means expanding access to the careers that care for these places,” said California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. “Programs like Career Pathways help connect Californians – especially those from underserved communities – to real opportunities to care for public lands, building a workforce that reflects our entire state and is prepared to meet California’s climate and conservation goals.”
In addition to providing hands-on experiences, Career Pathways grantees also connect participants to job networks and provide career advice and additional resources, such as equipment, wages, meals and travel reimbursement.
2026 Career Pathways Grantees include:
- Lomakatsi Restoration Project – Northeastern California – Planning and Development grantee: Works with the Ajumawi Band of the Pit River Tribe and State Parks to develop a tribal workforce training program and restoration plan at Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park, focused on reducing wildfire risk, improving ecological health, enhancing First Foods and other cultural resources, and creating career pathways for tribal young adults.
- Foundation for California Community Colleges – Statewide – Planning and Development grantee: Works with community colleges and State Parks to create training and internship opportunities that help build pathways to careers in interpretation, education, facilities and maintenance.
- Borrego Village Association – Inland Empire – Implementation grantee: Provides high school students with hands-on training and internships at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, including field-based learning, park operations experience and industry-recognized certifications.
- Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps – Eastern Sierra – Implementation grantee: Offers a paid apprenticeship for corpsmembers to work alongside State Parks trail crews on large-scale projects, building leadership skills and hands-on experience to prepare for careers in park operations and conservation.
“The program allows us to provide an innovative initiative that prepares students and helps them gain the skills needed for careers with California State Parks, as well as in hospitality, public service and environmental interpretation,” said Jim Dion, executive director of Borrego Village Association. “Students in isolated communities such as ours often face limited access to career exploration opportunities, professional certifications and paid work-based learning. With this support, we can address these gaps by providing structured pathways into local and regional employment, particularly in public lands management, tourism and community-based organizations.”
“The funding from Parks California allows us to design an innovative pilot program to connect California State Parks with nearby California Community Colleges," said Courtney Cagle, workforce development manager at the Foundation for California Community Colleges. “With this support, we can build a robust pipeline of well-trained students to fill needed roles in education and interpretation, and facilities and maintenance at State Parks, while providing them the support to access sustainable and meaningful career pathways.”
A complete list of 2026 Career Pathways grant recipients is available online.
Organizations have worked in partnership with selected state parks to implement multi-month training programs that provide participants with on-the-ground experiences.
Results Snapshot
2024 Career Pathways grants program by the numbers:
- $1.7 million-plus invested in local partners.
- 15 grantees statewide.
- Approximately 250 participants.
- 93 percent of participants expressed interest in future parks careers.
“I look at this program as a second chance for me and for other people who may not have the same opportunities as others, like getting a high school diploma,” said Julian Garcia, a 2024 Career Pathways participant with grantee Greater Valley Conservation Corps. “I get a lot of hands-on training with a lot of equipment that we run on projects and work sites. This program is really going to help me get to where I need to be in life.”
Subscribe to California State Parks News via e-mail at NewsRoom@parks.ca.gov
California State Parks provides for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high quality outdoor recreation.