Parks California Opens Applications for 2027 Route to Parks Grants
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California State Parks
Newsroom@parks.ca.gov
Parks California
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Participants in programs supported by previous Route to Parks grant awardees. Clockwise from top: A City of Dreams Youth to Parks participant joins an interpreter-led activity at Candlestick Point State Recreation Area. Santa Barbara Police Activities League students visit a state park through the PALs Outdoors program. Oceano Elementary School students enjoy a day out through the Oceano Community Services District’s Field Trips to State Parks and Beaches project. Photos from Parks California.
What you need to know: California community and tribal organizations can now apply for around $1.1 million in grant funding to improve transportation and access to California’s state parks for people in underserved communities. Applications for the next grant cycle are being accepted through July 31.
SACRAMENTO – California State Parks and nonprofit partner Parks California today invited community and tribal organizations throughoutthe state to apply for the 2027 Route to Parks Grants. The program will award approximately $1.1 million to help more people in underserved communities experience California’s state parks, the largest and most diverse state park system in the nation. Route to Parks supports the Newsom Administration’s Outdoors for All Initiative by helping reduce barriers for communities that have historically faced challenges accessing nature and outdoor recreation.
“Route to Parks continues to show what’s possible when California State Parks, Parks California and community organizations work together to reduce barriers and expand access to the outdoors,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “These partnerships help more Californians experience a sense of belonging in their parks and create opportunities for communities to connect with the natural and cultural resources that make California unique.”
“Three out of four people who participate in Route to Parks programs are visiting a state park for the first time. That moment matters — not just as an introduction to a place, but as a signal that this place is for them,” said Kindley Walsh Lawlor, president and CEO, Parks California. “It's why we invest in the community and tribal organizations which lead that experience, bring the local knowledge, trust and relationships that make it real.”
“Route to Parks helps create opportunities for more Californians to experience the outdoors in ways that feel welcoming, relevant and accessible,” said Gloria Sandoval, deputy secretary for access, California Natural Resources Agency. “By investing in community-led programs and partnerships, these grants help connect people to California’s parks, waterways and public lands while advancing the state’s Outdoors for All goals.”
Applications for the 2027 grant cycle are accepted through Friday, July 31, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Parks California anticipates awarding roughly 35 grants, with awards averaging around $30,000.
Parks California is seeking proposals that:
- Remove access barriers, including transportation, to California’s280 state parks (and growing).
- Engage underserved communities to create meaningful connections with nature.
- Offer multiple recreational, environmental, cultural or historical learning experiences, with activities taking place at state parks.
- Strengthen collaboration and partnership between awardees and California State Parks.
Preference will be given to proposals that:
- Focus on programs and experiences at California State Parks that connect priority communities to inland waterways and water systems.
- Offer opportunities for participants to help shape experiences.
- Bring participants to multiple park visits.
- Demonstrate alignment with the priorities and goals of partner State Parks.
- Increase knowledge and create pathways for participants to engage in additional independent experiences.
Prior to applying, applicants are required to discuss proposed projects with California State Parks staff in each district where programs are proposed. Due to the busy summer season, organizations are encouraged to begin conversations with park, beach and/or land managers as early as possible. These conversations can help inform on-site activities and resource needs before applications are due.
About the Route to Parks Grants Program
Route to Parks is Parks California’s first grants program and supports programs that reduce transportation and access barriers, connect underserved communities to nature and create meaningful outdoor experiences at California's state parks. Powered through a public-private partnership with California State Parks’ Waterway Connections Initiative and donor investments, Route to Parks awarded more than 150 grants totaling more than $4.2 million since its launch in 2020. The program has served more than 28,000 participants, with 75 percent visiting a state park for the first time through this initiative.The Route to Parks program is supported through partnerships with organizations including BMO, Pacific Gas and Electric Company Corporation Foundation and the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation.
About Outdoors for All
California is expanding parks and outdoor spaces in communities that need them the most in partnership with local governments, community organizations and tribes, supporting programs to connect with people who lack access, fostering a sense of belonging for all Californians outdoors, and much more. That includes three innovative free access programs – the Golden Bear Pass for families who receive public assistance, the California State Park Adventure Pass for fourth graders and their families, and the California State Library Parks Pass – that allow residents from all walks of life to experience California’s unmatched natural and cultural resources.
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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.