Parks and Recreation Grant Cycle Available to Local Governments in West Tennessee Region
Thursday, November 18, 2010 | 04:55am
January 31 Deadline Set for Tennessee Recreation Initiative Program Applications
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is soliciting Tennessee Recreation Initiative Program grant applications from local governments that do not currently have parks or recreation departments. TRIP grants help communities create recreation opportunities for citizens by assisting with the establishment of a parks department.
Applications will be accepted beginning December 1, 2010, through January 31, 2011. Award recipients will be announced in late February, with grant funding slated to begin in July 2011.
The Tennessee Recreation Initiative Program was created in 1995 by the General Assembly. TRIP grants are administered through the Department of Environment and Conservation’s Recreation Educational Services Division and provide funding to governments that do not currently have parks and recreation services within their jurisdictions. Any incorporated city or county government may apply for funding through a competitive matching grant process.
The grant is offered over a three-year period. During the first two years of the program, the community will be required to match up to $50,000. The community is responsible for 100 percent of the funding during the third year.
“Currently, more than 35 percent of Tennesseans are not served by an organized local parks and recreation program,” said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Jim Fyke. “Recreation is vital to achieving quality of life standards in our communities and I am always pleased to see communities access this program to help provide parks amenities for their citizens.”
The TRIP program provides grants to hire a professional director, establish a recreation office and to hire other staff as needed. Three grants are awarded annually during the fiscal year, with the goal to give one award to each of Tennessee’s grand divisions. Grants were awarded in the Middle and East Tennessee regions earlier this year. During this particular application cycle, one grant will be awarded on the basis of need and population for any city or county in the West Tennessee region.
TDEC’s Recreation Educational Services Division will begin accepting TRIP grant applications on December 1, 2010. All applications should be submitted no later than January 31, 2011, at 4 p.m. (CST) at the following address: RES Division, L&C Tower, 10th Floor, 401 N. Church Street, 37243. To obtain an application or to learn more about the TRIP grant program and other recreation grant programs available, please visit http://tn.gov/environment/recreation/grants.shtml or contact Gerald Parish at (615) 532-0538 or Gerald.Parish@tn.gov.
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