MassTrails, a collaboration between the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and MassDOT, is soliciting grant applications from community groups across the Commonwealth to fund the design and construction of new trail projects in 2020.
"Grant amounts are dependent on the project and its needs, but generally range from $5,000 to $100,000 with grants of up to $300,000 awarded to projects demonstrating critical network connections of regional significance," according to the program website.
Applications for new projects must be submitted through the state's online application portal by February 1.
MassTrails aims to fill gaps in the state’s growing network of off-street multi-use paths and trails by providing matching funds to local fundraising efforts.
Last year, the program awarded $5 million in grants that funded 71 projects across the state, and leveraged an additional $9 million in matched funds and in-kind contributions from private and local sources. Winning grants in 2019 funded design and construction for several segments of the Mass Central Rail Trail, design work for the proposed Bourne Rail Trail along the western shore of Cape Cod, and dozens of other projects.
