California State Parks Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) is inviting eligible applicants across California to apply for the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program (SPP). Funded by Proposition 4 (Climate Bond) and aimed at expanding access to outdoor recreation in critically underserved and climate-vulnerable communities. In the fifth round of this competitive grant program, approximately $188.5 million in funding is available statewide and applicants may request up to $8.5 million per project.
Applications must be submitted here by or before December 17, 2026. This system will close at 11:59 p.m. on December 17, 2026.
- Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit by 5:00 p.m.
- Technical assistance is available until 5:00 p.m.
- There will be no OGALS or Submittable support after 5:00 p.m.
- If an applicant experiences a technical issue after 5:00 p.m., they need to email OGALS@parks.ca.gov before 11:59 p.m. explaining the issue with screenshots as necessary.
- Paper applications will no longer be accepted.
SPP Technical Assistance:
For technical assistance to help you with submitting your application please visit the SPP Website Documents, Forms, and Resources can be found that are useful tools to help you prepare the application including:
- SPP Application Guide
- SPP Grant Administration Guide
- Competitive Chart
- SPP Frequently Asked Questions
- Community FactFinder Tutorial Video
- 2026 Nonprofit Guidance Information Booklet
In addition to the technical assistance resources found on the website. Applicants are encouraged to reach out and discuss their project with their Competitive Project Officer.
- Your application will auto-save every few seconds, so you don't need to worry about losing your work. You can also manually save by clicking the Save Draft button at the end of this application system.
- The platform does not support the use of Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.
- You can invite other team members to collaborate on the application: click here to learn more.
- Red Asterisks are required fields.
- Only click the blue "Submit Round 5 Application" button at the end of this online application system when you are ready to submit the final application.
- There may be other California state grant programs opportunities open, applicants should make sure you are applying to the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program (SPP).
- OGALS cannot access the application in Submittable until the application has clicked the "Submit Round 5 Application" blue button and the applicant has received confirmation that the application has been submitted.
- For help within the Submittable application with things like resetting your password, visit the Submittable help page.
Application Deadline:
- Applications must be submitted through this online portal. Paper applications will not be accepted.
- This online portal will close at 11:59 p.m., therefore, Applicants must click the blue submit button at the bottom of the application before 11:59 P.M. on January 14th, 2027.
- Applicants are responsible for taking potential system delays and slowdowns into account when planning their submission.
- No extensions to the deadline will be granted.
Technical assistance links can be found throughout this online application to assist applicants with submission. Important technical assistance documents include:
- LWCF Competitive Program Website, including fillable forms
- Application Guide
- Eligibility Card
Please also keep the following in mind in preparing an application:
- The online application platform operates best on Google Chrome, Mozilla FireFox, and Apple Safari web browsers.
- The platform does not support the use of Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.
- The person who starts the application is called an "owner" in the online Submittable system. Only the owner will be able to see and click the submit button.
- Applicants can invite other team members to collaborate on the application: click here to learn more.
- Applicants can manually save by clicking the Save Draft button at the end of this application system.
- Red Asterisks are required fields.
- A blue submit button is found at the end of this online application system. Only click the blue submit button when the application is final and no further changes need to be made.
- When the account owner clicks the blue submit button, an automated confirmation e-mail will be sent. Keep the confirmation e-mail for your records. If you click the submit button and do not receive an e-mail confirmation, please email the OGALS National Park Service Grant Project Officer assigned to your county. The Competitive Project Officer will confirm receipt of your application and send you the confirmation e-mail for your records.
- Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) staff cannot see or review the application in this system until the applicant clicks the submit button. However, staff can assist with any questions applicants have. Please see the OGALS Project Officer contact page and use the blue column to find your assigned National Park Service Grants Project Officer.
- Directions on resetting your password can be found here.
Overview:
The Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) Program is a federal National Park Service (NPS) grant program. ORLP involves two competitive layers. First the California Department of Parks and Recreation's Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) competitively reviews applications. Second, OGALS forwards selected applications to NPS to compete in the nationwide competition.
ORLP focuses on communities with little to no access to publicly available, close-by, outdoor recreation opportunities in urban areas. ORLP funds the acquisition and/or development of new parks, or substantial renovations to parks in urban areas that meet certain population requirements:
- An Urban Area with at least 25,000 people shown in purple on the US Census TIGERWeb Tool
OR
- An Urban Area adjacent to another urban area where the combined population is 25,000 or more
OR
- A Federally Recognized Tribe’s land with any population.
How to Apply:
This application is for Round 8, due before 11:59 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2026. State Parks will select a limited number of proposals using the State Competitive Criteria found on the ORLP webpage. Applicants with a successful initial proposal will receive guidance from State Parks to complete the full federal application for the National Review Committee's consideration.
Technical Assistance & Defined Terms
Technical Assistance is available within the application at the end of each criteria and also on the ORLP California Application Requirements webpage.
This webpage includes:
- Application Overview
- Eligible/Ineligible Costs
- Technical Assistance
- Defined Terms that are in ALL CAPS throughout the webpage and defined at the bottom of the webpage.
Keep the following in mind when preparing an application:
- The online application platform operates best on Google Chrome, Mozilla FireFox, and Apple Safari web browsers.
- The platform does not support the use of Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge.
- The person who starts the application is called an "owner" in the online Submittable system. Only the owner will be able to see and click the submit application button.
- Applicants can invite other team members to collaborate on the application: click here to learn more.
- Applicants can manually save by clicking the Save Draft button at the end of this application system.
- Submittable recommends not leaving the application open for several hours at a time, as this can occasionally cause a save error. Applicants who work on the proposal throughout the day are recommended to exit the application when not working on it, rather than leaving it open in the background.
- Red Asterisks are required fields.
- A blue Submit button is found at the end of this online application system. Only click the blue Submit button when you are ready to submit the final application.
- Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) staff cannot see or review the application in this system until the applicant clicks the submit button. However, staff can assist with any questions applicants have. Please contact the National Park Service Project Officer of the county where the project is located.
- Directions on resetting your password can be found here.