Advocating for park grants and trail funding

It’s no secret that opportunities to enhance parks and natural areas are greatly improved by access to more funding. While there are several park grant opportunities out there, they are often competitive and heavily applied.

So, how do you make your grant application stand out? Showcasing reliable, clear visitation data is an important component to justifying requests for additional funding. What are other ways to advocate for funding and how can data help?

How can I get additional funding for my parks or trails?

There are various strategies for national park and trail organizations to advocate for additional funding, including:

- Engaging with policy makers and partnering with advocacy groups to amplify reach
- Exploring corporate or philanthropic sponsorship for events and facilities
- Building public support and awareness by sharing success stories and highlighting needs
- Leveraging crowdfunding for specific projects like new trails
- Increasing membership numbers through word of mouth or communication campaigns

Of course, one of the most direct methods of obtaining additional funding is through park grants, trail grants, and government programs.

How can count data help me get more funding?

Using automatic counters, you can provide clear, quantifiable proof that your natural area needs extra funding. For example, have visits spiked this year? This means that your maintenance will cost more. Are bikes going too fast on a shared path, raising safety concerns? This suggests that a separate lane for pedestrians might need to be built. What times of the day are people using your trail? Are people often showing up when it's dark? This means you need money to add more lighting.

Count data can also help you go beyond park grants and government programs. With data on how your park or trail is getting more popular, you can make convincing arguments for sponsorships, crowdfunding, and policy changes. You can also tell the public how many people are enjoying your facilities and inspire them to do the same, boosting visitation and memberships.

Finally, count data gives you a way to track before and after effects of an investment. Did your upgraded facility or new trail really make a difference? By showing that count volumes increased, it shows a return on investment, making it easier to secure additional funding down the line.

Case study: Weatherford, Texas

The Weatherford Mountain Bike Club (WMBC) is a volunteer organization that has rapidly grown their trail network since they started over a decade ago.

They wanted to prove to the City of Weatherford that visitors were increasing on their popular Quanah Hill Trail. They also wanted to see how many people were on the trails, what times were the busiest, and how temperature affected visitation. With all this information, they planned to justify funding for new trails and optimize their trail management.

The best part? They completed their study using only one counter! With automated counting, securing park grants and funding becomes very efficient.

Can data help me with my grant application?

Collecting count data and visitation data gives you a solid foundation for your grant applications. For example:

If your counts increase year-over-year, it is easy to suggest that you need extra money to cover rising maintenance costs.
If you observe counts during rain, heat, or night time, you can argue the need for new facilities like rain shelters, water fountains, or lamp posts.
If bicycle speeds are very high on a shared path, you can advocate for a new trail for pedestrians to protect their safety.
If count data, GPS data, and economic data are combined, creating a data fusion, you can reveal the economic impact of your park for certain grant applications.

What park and trail grants can I apply for?

There are various park and trail grants that exist in the United States and Canada. Refer to our list of funding opportunities for outdoor recreation in the U.S. and Canada.

Can data help me get funding from sources other than grants?

Count data can support ways of getting funding that aren't grants. For example:

Using data as a talking point to engage with policy makers in support of more funding
Advocating for corporate or philanthropic sponsorship of events
Building support or awareness from the public for crowdfunding or donations
Demonstrating popularity and value to your audience to increase visitation and memberships