America The Beautiful Foundation Launches Trail Grant Program with U.S. Forest Service

New program to fund work on National Forest System trails across national forests and grasslands to improve public access on 250 trails - open to nonprofits, Tribes, and other non-Federal entities nationwide

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Aug. 12, 2026 – On National Trails Day, America The Beautiful Foundation opened applications for the America The Beautiful Trail Grant Program, a new initiative in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to restore and improve public access on National Forest System (NFS) trails.

This funding is designed to support trail work with an objective of improving public access on 250 trails - a milestone chosen to mark the nation's 250th anniversary. "People picture trail work as crews with saws and shovels, and it is - but for every mile you can see, there's a stack of surveys, permits, and engineering that has to come first. That's where good projects stall out and stay stalled,” said Dr. Emily Weeks, Founder and Executive Director of America The Beautiful Foundation. “What matters about this program is that it funds that groundwork alongside the boots on the ground - whether the goal is bringing a damaged trail back or building a new one, the aim is the same: getting people back onto the land."

Johann Lockard, Executive Vice President of Natural Assets at America The Beautiful Foundation, agrees. 

"Trails are how most Americans experience public land - on foot, at human scale, in places that ask something of you. When a trail fails, it doesn't just close a route; it cuts a community off from something irreplaceable,” he said. “This program is our commitment to meeting that need where it's most acute, one forest and one trail at a time. We're looking for partners who know their land, know what needs doing, and are ready to get to work."

A decade of hotter summers, larger fires, heavier storms, and record visitation has pushed thousands of miles of trail past the maintenance threshold for which their original builders designed them. Tread has eroded to mineral soil, drainage structures have failed, and washouts and downfall have cut off routes entirely. The agencies and partners who steward these trails increasingly cannot keep pace. The America 250 Trail Grant Program was built to help close that gap -  funding both on-the-ground restoration and the planning, compliance, and engineering work that so often stalls a project before a crew can ever break ground.

“The Forest Service manages the largest recreational trail system in the world and maintaining that 165,000-mile network requires an all-hands approach to ensure these trails provide access and a variety of recreation opportunities for the nearly 164 million visitors we welcome each year to our national forests and grasslands,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz. “Thanks to the generosity and partnership with the America The Beautiful Foundation, we will be able to steward and maintain additional miles of trails this year that will continue to inspire and delight for generations to come.” 

WHAT THE PROGRAM FUNDS

The program seeks to award a minimum of $5,000 with a maximum request of $250,000 per applicant. Awards must be commensurate with the work proposed and the restoration outcomes expected; some projects may justify less, and more complex or higher-value projects may justify more. Applicants may include a single trail or multiple trails in one application, and the Foundation may choose to fund all, some, or none of the trails in a given application. Payments are structured as 50 percent at award and 50 percent at project completion.

Importance is not defined by current use alone. The Foundation recognizes that a trail may matter because of its community significance, cultural or historic value, limited alternative access in a region, connectivity to other trails and destinations, or the need for recovery after wildfire, flooding, severe weather, deferred maintenance, or loss of prior funding.

Eligible activities are broad and can include trail clearing and corridor and vegetation management, tread repair and drainage work, slope stabilization, new trail construction, bridge and structure repair or replacement, and signage - as well as the planning-stage work that unlocks construction, such as environmental compliance, surveys, permitting, engineering and design, and trail system planning. Where non-implementation work is requested, applicants must clearly explain how it leads to physical, on-the-ground improvement.

WHO CAN APPLY

Eligible applicants include 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, federally recognized Tribes, and other non-Federal entities - among them trail stewardship groups, "friends of" organizations, trail alliances and coalitions, conservation and youth corps, land trusts, backcountry and wilderness volunteer groups, outdoor education nonprofits, and local and state governments. The Foundation strongly encourages applications developed in partnership with these organizations.

Every application must include a Forest Service Land Manager Approval Form signed by the appropriate Forest Supervisor or District Ranger. Applicants should work closely with their local Forest Service unit to develop the scope of work before submitting, and projects spanning multiple ranger districts or forests must carry approval from all applicable line officers.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications are submitted online through the program website at www.americathebeautifulfoundation.org/grants. Each trail submission should describe the trail's history and importance, the cause of its current disrepair or closure, the proposed work and any critical barriers, and a clear path to improved public access, along with maps, spatial data where available, and recent photos.

All awarded work must be completed by December 31, 2027, unless otherwise approved in writing by the Foundation.

Grant questions may be directed to info@americathebeautifulfoundation.org.

Media inquiries may be directed to Kelly Ann Collins at kcollins@americathebeautifulfoundation.org.

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ABOUT AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL FOUNDATION

America The Beautiful Foundation is a national nonprofit working to renew America's lands, waters, communities, and economy.

The Foundation unites public and private partners across five pillars, each housing several programs:

• GROW - Developing the next generation of stewards through trails, gardening, education, and youth programs

• SAFE - Wildfire early detection and AI-driven emergency response with frontline fire partners

• BLUE IMPACT - Protecting clean water and restoring reefs, shorelines, and coastal ecosystems

• RESTORE - Helping communities prepare for, and recover from, disaster while restoring forests and ecosystems

• POWER AMERICA - Building resilient technology infrastructure
  

As a cornerstone of the nation's 250th anniversary, the Foundation will premiere the America The Beautiful film, narrated by Kelsey Grammer, on Nov. 11, 2026, in IMAX® and giant-screen theaters nationwide - honoring 250 years of American beauty and resilience while inspiring the stewardship of the next 250. Learn more at www.americathebeautifulfoundation.org.

ABOUT THE FOREST SERVICE

The Forest Service has brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation for more than 100 years. Grounded in world-class science and technology — and rooted in communities — the Forest Service connects people to nature and recreation opportunities. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, supports the nation’s forest industry and energy needs, and operates the largest and most respected wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. By providing assistance to state and private landowners and working with tribes and other partners, the Forest Service also helps steward an additional 900 million forested acres within the U.S.