America the Beautiful Foundation
America The Beautiful Foundation is inviting applications for trail funding to accomplish work on National Forest System (NFS) trails that restores or improves public access and supports long-term stewardship.
America 250 Trail Grant Program
America The Beautiful Foundation
America The Beautiful Foundation is inviting applications for trail funding to accomplish work on National Forest System (NFS) trails that restores or improves public access and supports long-term stewardship.
This first year of funding is designed to support trail work across all 154 National Forests and Grasslands, with a long-term objective of supporting work and improving public access on 250 trails. America The Beautiful Foundation intends for this program to continue beyond its first year and grow alongside the number of trails maintained or improved.
Program Overview
● Program name: America 250 Trail Grant Program.
● Eligible applicants: Non-profit organizations, Tribes, and other non-Federal entities. To ensure coordination, applicants must submit an approval form signed by the local unit with their application.
● Timeline: Launch date of June 6, 2026. Initial award announcement date of July 26, 2026. Open on a continuous basis, funding permitted.
● Period of performance: All awarded work must be completed by December 31, 2027, unless otherwise approved in writing by America The Beautiful Foundation.
● Program website: America The Beautiful Foundation.
● To apply, send application materials via this form.
Program Objective and Priorities
The objective of this program is to fund projects that improve or restore public access on NFS trails by addressing a forest’s high priority trail program needs and addressing critical barriers.
Competitive applications will show how the proposed work will help provide, improve, or restore public access.
Importance is not defined solely by current trail use. America The Beautiful Foundation recognizes that trail importance may also be based on:
● Community significance.
● Cultural or historic value.
● Limited alternative access in a geographic area.
● Connectivity to other trails, campgrounds, destinations, or recreation infrastructure.
● Recovery after wildfire, severe weather, flooding, deferred maintenance, or loss of prior funding.
Eligible activities are broad and can include direct improvement (e.g. trail clearing, tread repair, trail bridge and other trail structure repair or replacement, signage) as well as trail planning, NEPA, permitting, etc.
America The Beautiful Foundation acknowledges that many trail projects are delayed by critical barriers such as environmental compliance, surveys, permitting, engineering, access constraints, and trail system planning. These elements may be supported through this program only when the application clearly demonstrates how they will lead to on-the-ground trail improvement.
Funding Structure
This grant program seeks to award an average of up to $50,000 per trail. Some trail projects may require less funding while others may justify a higher amount based on complexity, readiness, and restoration value. The amount awarded must be commensurate with the work proposed and the restoration outcomes expected.
The application should not exceed $50,000 per trail on average with a maximum application amount of $250,000. Applicants may include one trail or multiple trails in a single application. America The Beautiful Foundation will review requests on a per-trail basis and may choose to fund all, some, or none of the trails included in an application.
Payment terms are expected to be structured as:
● 50 percent at award, and
● 50 percent at midpoint or at project completion, depending on the type of work being completed and the terms established in the grant agreement.
Eligible Applicants
Non-profit organizations, Tribes, and other non-Federal entities may apply.
Prior to award, a Forest Service land manager approval form needs to be signed by the appropriate Forest Supervisor or District Ranger.
If an applicant is using a fiscal sponsor, the fiscal sponsor is the primary applicant. If a subrecipient will complete any portion of the work, that subrecipient must be identified in the application.
Eligible Uses of Funds
The focus of this program is to improve or restore public access on NFS trails. Eligible uses of funds may include direct physical trail work and related project elements or planning work.
Examples may include, but are not limited to:
● Trail clearing.
● Trail corridor clearing/vegetation management.
● Slope stabilization.
● New trail construction.
● Trail bridge construction or repair.
● Improving or replacing trail structures (steps, puncheons, turnpikes, rock walls).
● Tread repair and drainage improvements.
● Environmental compliance support.
● Surveys.
● Permitting.
● Engineering and design.
● Trail or Trail System master planning.
● Other trail improvement-related work where the applicant can clearly explain the path to physical restoration.
America The Beautiful Foundation intentionally does not define a comprehensive list of critical barriers because trail improvement constraints vary widely by forest, geography, and project history. Applicants will be asked to describe the specific barriers affecting each trail and may be asked to discuss those barriers further during follow-up meetings.
Application Requirements
Applications must be accompanied by a signed land manager approval form.
Applicants may include multiple trails in one application. For each trail, the application must include enough information for America The Beautiful Foundation to understand the trail’s condition, restoration needs, and expected outcomes.
For each trail, applicants should provide:
1. Trail name.
2. Forest name.
3. Project title.
4. Funding amount requested.
5. History of the trail/s.
6. Why the trail/s is/are important.
7. What led to the current disrepair or closure (such as funding loss, wildfire, severe weather, flood events, erosion, deferred maintenance, or other causes) or current funding need. 8. Description of proposed work.
9. Description of any critical barriers that must be addressed to improve or restore public access. 10. Clear explanation of how all requested work leads to improved public access. 11. Schedule for completion.
12. Maps and supporting documentation:
● A map showing the location of each trail.
● A project map showing the trail segment, restoration area, or barrier area in enough detail to evaluate the request.
● Shapefiles, GeoPackage files, or equivalent location-based data where available. If not available during application submission, if selected geo-spatial information will be required. ● Recent photos where available.
● Any helpful supporting material such as design notes, environmental status notes, or implementation planning documents.
Site Visits
America The Beautiful Foundation reserves the right to schedule a site visit during application consideration, implementation, and at project conclusion. Site visits may be conducted by America The Beautiful Foundation or one of its partners.
Selection Considerations
Applications will be reviewed based on factors, including:
● Likelihood that the proposed work will result in actual public access improvement. ● Importance of the trail to access, community value, historic significance, or landscape function. ● Severity and cause of disrepair.
● Readiness and feasibility.
● Clarity of restoration pathway where non-implementation work is requested. ● Reasonableness of budget relative to work proposed.
● Potential for the grant to unlock additional restoration work.
● Organizational capacity to complete and report on the work.
● Completion of the land manager approval form.
America The Beautiful Foundation may choose to:
● Fund only one trail within a multi-trail application.
● Fund some but not all components of a single-trail application.
● Request revisions before award.
● Conduct follow-up meetings or site visits prior to making a decision.
Claims Matrix Guidance
America The Beautiful Foundation seeks the highest level of integrity in documenting program impact. Applicants and recipients must distinguish between primary and secondary outcomes.
Primary outcomes
Primary outcomes are those directly supported by this grant where no other entity can reasonably claim those same outcomes as their own direct work. In some cases, attribution may be straightforward. In others, particularly where this grant supports a larger trail improvement package, careful proportional attribution may be required.
Secondary outcomes
Secondary outcomes are broader project outcomes that were supported, matched, or unlocked in part by this grant but were not directly delivered solely through this funding. Secondary claims may arise as part of a larger project, but they should not be overstated.
Direct implementation
Direct implementation means physical trail restoration work, such as:
● Clearing trails.
● Trail corridor clearing/vegetation management.
● Stabilizing slopes.
● Constructing or repairing trail bridges.
● Improving or replacing trail structures (steps, puncheons, turnpikes, rock walls). ● Completing a physical improvement to the trail.
Example
If a trail project includes 10 miles of clearing and America The Beautiful Foundation funding directly and uniquely supports 2 miles of that work, then 2 miles may be reported as primary and the remaining 8 miles may be reported as secondary only if the recipient can credibly demonstrate that the grant contributed to unlocking or supporting that broader outcome.
Secondary metrics should not be claimed for work that was not directly supported by the project. For example, if this grant supports matching funds under an MSA & SPA, the grant should not automatically claim the full breadth of those agreements.
Quarterly Reporting
Each selected recipient must submit a quarterly report for the duration of the grant period whether or not measurable progress occurred during that quarter.
Each quarterly report must include, at minimum:
● Financial expenditures during the quarter.
● Cumulative expenditures to date.
● Summary of physical work completed.
● Summary of non-physical work completed.
● Metrics achieved during the quarter.
● Cumulative metrics to date.
● Primary metrics.
● Secondary metrics.
● Secondary match sources or leveraged funding sources.
● Budget changes approved in writing by America The Beautiful Foundation. ● Key risks, delays, or implementation issues.
Budget changes require prior written approval from America The Beautiful Foundation. Any approved budget changes must be noted in the quarterly report and final report.
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Recipients are expected to maintain adequate internal quality assurance and quality control processes. Supporting documentation should be retained for expenditures, work completed, metrics reported, and other key project records.
America The Beautiful Foundation reserves the right to review documents, request clarification, and verify reported claims, expenditures, and deliverables.
Publicity and Signage
Recipients and subrecipients agree that America The Beautiful Foundation may use their names and logos on the Foundation’s website and in promotional materials related to the program.
Where appropriate, America The Beautiful Foundation would like signage to be included on trails that acknowledges the participation of America The Beautiful Foundation, the U.S. Forest Service, the recipient, and any subrecipient involved in the restoration. Such signs may be functional and integrated into trail name signs, directional signs, rest area signage, campground signage, or similar infrastructure, with names and or logos placed appropriately.
Legal and Administrative Terms
Conflict of interest
Applicants must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest involving project partners, contractors, consultants, subrecipients, or decision-makers connected to the proposed work. America The Beautiful Foundation may request additional information and may impose conditions or decline funding where a conflict cannot be adequately addressed.
Records retention
Recipients must retain financial records, supporting documentation, reports, maps, and related project records for at least three years after submission of the final report, unless a longer period is required by law or by the governing U.S. Forest Service agreement. Right to audit and document review
America The Beautiful Foundation reserves the right to review project records, source documentation, and other supporting materials reasonably related to the grant. This may include desk review, virtual review, or site-based review during the grant term and during the records retention period.
Indemnification
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the recipient shall be responsible for its own acts and omissions and those of its employees, contractors, agents, volunteers, and subrecipients in connection with the grant-funded work. The recipient shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless America The Beautiful Foundation, its directors, officers, employees, agents, representatives, and partners from and against claims, damages, liabilities, losses, and expenses arising out of or related to the recipient’s or subrecipient’s performance of the project, except to the extent caused by the gross negligence or willful misconduct of America The Beautiful Foundation.
Program Terms America The Beautiful Foundation reserves the right to:
● Open and close funding rounds as funding permits.
● Request additional information.
● Conduct follow-up meetings.
● Conduct site visits during consideration, implementation, or closeout.
● Fund all, part, or none of an application.
● Fund one or more trails within a larger application.
● Fund selected elements of a larger single-trail project.
● Approve, deny, or condition requested budget changes.
● Verify and adjust reported claims or metrics where documentation is insufficient. ● Publicize awarded projects and participating organizations.
Submission of an application does not guarantee funding.
Contact
Please email info@americathebeautifulfoundation.org with questions.
Program Dates
● Launch: June 6, 2026
● Continuous submissions: Open while funding remains available
● Initial award announcement: July 26, 2026
● Completion deadline: December 31, 2027
FAQs
General Questions and Answers
Q: What is the America 250 Trail Grant Program?
A: It is a trail grant program managed by America The Beautiful Foundation to support access to National Forest System trails.
The objective is to address critical barriers and high-priority needs with a goal of funding at least one project per forest and addressing work on 250 trails to reopen, restore and improve access, and increase long-term stewardship of National Forest System trails for the benefit of the public.
Foundation website and additional resources:
America The Beautiful grants website: https://www.americathebeautifulfoundation.org/grants
Webinar PowerPoint slides: https://usfs-public.box.com/s/zcyj6dkrbamzrbzjj5txt72mzaimxhy5
Foundation contact email (Executive Vice President of Natural Assets, Johann Lockard): jlockard@americathebeautifulfoundation.org
Forest Service contact email (Acting Assistant National Trail Program Manager, Zach Jarrett): zachary.jarrett@usda.gov
Required grant application documents:
Q: What are the grant timelines for award and implementation?
A: Launch date: June 6, 2026.
Submission window: Open on a continuous basis, funding permitted.
Initial award announcement date: July 26, 2026.
Implementation Period: All awarded work must be completed by December 31, 2027, unless otherwise approved in writing by America The Beautiful Foundation.
Q: How are the grants structured?
A: Grants are awarded directly to Tribes and 501(c)(3) organizations.
Maximum funds will be awarded: $50K per trail, $250K per entity, with average individual awards around $5–$50K.
Cash, in-kind, or other leveraged match is encouraged, but not required.
Multiple trail projects can be included in one application, although not every trail project may be funded.
Q: How are payments structured?
A: 50 percent at award, and 50 percent at midpoint or at project completion, depending on the type of work being completed and the terms established in the grant agreement.
Eligibility
Q: Who is eligible to apply?
A: Any Tribal entity or 501(c)(3) tax‑exempt nonprofit organization, which may include trail stewardship nonprofits, “friends of” trail organizations, trail alliances and regional trail coalitions, conservation corps, land‑trust organizations involved in trail access or easements, backcountry or wilderness volunteer groups, outdoor education nonprofits, local and/or state governments.
If a fiscal sponsor is involved, they are considered the primary applicant. Subrecipients must be identified in the application.
Q: Is Forest Service support required?
A: Yes, a Forest Service Land Manager Approval Form is a required component of the grant submission package. Applicants should work closely with the Forest Service to develop and approve the scope of work prior to application submission.
Applications covering trails on multiple ranger districts or forests and grasslands must have approval from all the applicable Forest Service line officers at the time of submitting an application.
Q: Are applicants required to have an agreement with the Forest Service?
A: Applicants will need to have written authorization to implement the project prior to the project start date. Potential authorization mechanisms include but are not limited to; group/individual volunteer agreements, partnership agreements, trail work permit.
More information about volunteering and partnering with the Forest Service can be found on the agency volunteer and partnership websites. Your local Forest Service contact will work with you to get the appropriate authorization in place prior to project implementation.
Q: Are entities with multiple programs operating in different locations considered one entity?
A: Yes, some entities are organized by state or community geographies, while some may be regional. The max award across all applications for any one Tribal entity or a nonprofit entity with a unique EIN is $250K.
Answers for Current Forest Service Partners
Q: Can current Forest Service partners apply?
A: Yes. Existing partners working under current Forest Service agreements that cover the scope of the project work in the grant application are encouraged to apply.
Potential partners who are not currently under an agreement or a trail work permit are also eligible to apply and are encouraged to work with the local Forest/District to identify which type of agreement or permit would be most appropriate to authorize the project work if the grant funding is awarded.
Q: Can existing Forest Service letters of support for the same or similar work suffice?
A: No, applicants must provide a signed Forest Service Land Manager Approval Form as part of the application package.
Q: Are project timelines constrained by existing Forest Service agreement timelines?
A: No, applicants will need to work with the local Forest Service unit to get another agreement in place to cover the rest of the implementation period should an existing agreement or trail work permit expire prior to project completion.
Eligible Projects
Q: What types of projects are eligible?
A: Projects addressing physical barriers to access of any National Forest System trail, including maintenance and construction of elements in and around the trail, including the tread, signage (including trailhead, wayfinding, and interpretive signing), corridor, structures, and trail bridges. General trail maintenance is eligible, even if the tasks are not fully defined yet.
On-the-ground maintenance and construction projects must follow Forest Service standards for trail maintenance. These standards are summarized in the Trail Maintenance and Construction Notebook.
Projects that clearly support future on-the-ground improvements, including trail planning, environmental compliance, surveys, engineering, construction, and design.
Project planning and implementation must comply with land management laws and regulations including, unit-specific forest orders, including closure orders, the Endangered Species Act, Wilderness Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and Clean Water Act.
Q: Can projects cross multiple jurisdictions?
A: Yes, if the work benefits National Forest System trails. Applicants must explain cross-boundary connections.
Applications covering trails in multiple ranger districts or forests/grasslands must have approval from the applicable Forest Supervisor/s/District Ranger/s before the project begins.
Q: What costs are allowable or prohibited?
A: Most costs are allowable, including staff labor, overhead, contractors, equipment rental or purchase, materials, or subcontracting, if tied to a critical barrier to trail access.
There are no explicitly prohibited costs.
Q: Can private funds serve as match to other grants?
A: Yes, but whether it counts depends on the rules of the other funding source.
Application Process
Q: How do eligible entities apply?
A: 1. Complete the application form here: America 250 Trail Grant Application Form
2. Complete the land manager approval form here: Forest Service Land Manager Approval Form
Q: When are applications due?
A: Applications are accepted on a continuous basis while funding remains available. The initial award announcement is scheduled for July 26, 2026.
Q: How will applications be evaluated?
A: Strong applications show how proposed work will improve or restore trail access on the ground. Evaluation will consider the project’s likelihood of meaningful trail improvement, the severity and causes of disrepair, the clarity of the restoration pathway, its leverage potential, the trail’s community or historical importance, overall readiness and feasibility, the reasonableness of the budget relative to expected outcomes, and the applicant’s capacity to complete and report on the work within the grant period.
Q: Who will evaluate the projects?
A: America the Beautiful Foundation staff and Forest Service representatives will review applications. Forest or grassland trail managers and line officers have the ability to assist with project prioritization for their respective units.
Award and Reporting
Q: What Happens After Projects are Selected
A: Successful applicants will be notified after July 26, 2026.
To receive funds, entities must be authorized by the Forest Service to complete the proposed work. Applicants should work closely with the Forest Service to develop an application for work that will be authorized under an agreement.
All awarded work must be completed by December 31, 2027, unless otherwise approved in writing by America The Beautiful Foundation.
Q: What reporting is required?
A: Each awarded entity must submit a quarterly report for the duration of the grant period whether or not measurable progress occurred during that quarter. Quarterly reports should describe activities (including the type of activity, number of volunteers, total hours worked, and miles maintained), spending, outcomes, delays, risks, and budget changes; records must be kept for 3 years.
Quarterly reports should use this form and be sent via email to info@americathebeautifulfoundation.org and the local Forest Service contact. Include the project title and quarter in the email subject line.
Q: Can successful applicants install signage?
A: Yes, in most cases. All signage designs must be approved by the Forest Service before installation and must follow Forest Service sign standards. Signs should acknowledge the America The Beautiful Foundation (ATBF), the Forest Service, the recipient, and any subrecipient. Some units may require applicants to complete all or part of the approved restoration work before signs or stickers can be installed. Most units also restrict certain types of content. They may specify that signage cannot include:
· Titles (individual names are allowed, but not titles such as “Senator John Smith”)
· References to, or promotion of, specific political candidates (political party names are allowed)
· Business logos, special lettering, or additional colors
· Messages, product names, slogans, or advertising
· Directions to business locations or business addresses
· Any content that may be controversial or offensive to residents or businesses