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Complete the Trails (CCST): Connecting Communities to State Trails is a grant from the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation that funds planning, construction, promotion, and maintenance of state trails. Created by historic 2021 legislation with over million in funding as of 2023, the program requires the majority of funds to be distributed to a nonprofit or local government partner for execution.
The program connects communities to North Carolina's state trail system, expanding outdoor recreation access statewide. Eligible applicants include nonprofits and local government entities that can partner on trail development and stewardship projects.
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NC Complete the Trails Program | North Carolina Trails Historic legislation passed in 2021 provides an unprecedented level of funding for the planning, construction, promotion, and maintenance of state trails in North Carolina. This legislation created the Complete the Trail Program (CTP) with over $30 million in funding as of 2023.
The legislation requires that the majority of CTP funds be distributed by the Division of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to a nonprofit or local government partner for each state trail. To be a recognized partner, an organization must have a Memorandum of Understanding with DPR and an approved 3- to 5-year plan for deploying the funds to develop the state trail. A portion of the CTP funds, $1.
9 million, will also go to small communities to support the development of trails that will connect communities to the state trails. There are 14 state trails authorized by the General Assembly: nine land-based trails and five paddle trails. The planned mileage for the state trail system is over 3,500 miles.
More than 30 state parks, state natural areas, and state recreation areas host or are adjacent to state trail segments. Connecting Communities to State Trails Grants (CCST) A portion of CTP are funds ($1. 9 million) for connecting eligible local governments to state trails.
How Grant Recipients Are Selected North Carolina municipalities with less than 25,000 in population and located within 6 miles of an existing or planned segment of a state trail are eligible for CCST grants. Two or more local governments may apply jointly, with one serving as the primary sponsor. View the eligible municipalities: CCST grant requests can be for the planning or development of connecting trails to the state trails system.
All constructed land trails must be natural surface. Trails and trail facilities must be open and accessible to the public, with no restrictions such as membership. Property acquired and trail facilities built or renovated with CCST assistance must be dedicated forever for public recreational use.
Land acquisition projects must record this use on the deed of the land. Applicants from municipalities with populations greater than 5,000 but less than 25,000 must match the grant at least dollar-for-dollar with non-state funds. Applicants from municipalities with less than 5,000 are not required to match the grant.
The appraised value of land to be donated to the applicant can be used as matching funds. The value of in-kind services, such as the applicant's force account labor or volunteer work, can be used as part of the match. The grantee is required to provide documentation of all matching funds within the 3-year grant period.
Apply for a CCST Grant Online Using WebGrants Create an account with WebGrants to fill out the CCST application packet, now due on October 8, 2026. October 6, 2025 DPR begins accepting applications October 8, 2026 Application deadline Winter/Spring 2027 Grant recipient selection $1,535,580 is available for the entire grants program. $992,086 is reserved for communities with less than 5,000 population.
$543,494 is reserved for communities with a population greater than 5,000 but less than 25,000. Minimum/Maximum Request: Applicants can request a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $100,000 with each application. Match Requirement: Applicants from municipalities with populations greater than 5,000 but less than 25,000 must match the grant at least dollar-for-dollar with non-state funds.
The appraised value of land to be donated to the applicant can be used as matching funds. The value of in-kind services, such as the applicant's force account labor or volunteer work, can be used as part of the match. The grantee is required to provide documentation of all matching funds within the 3-year grant period.
How Grant Recipients Are Selected DPR selects grant recipients using the following factors: the applicant's description / justification for the project the applicant's ranking based on the CCST scoring system the geographic distribution of grants across North Carolina the distribution of grants to local governments with populations less than 5,000 and over 5,000 the amount of CCST funds that the applicant is requesting the amount of CCST funds available The map below can be viewed in a full window on the ARCGIS website .
Contact the State Trail Planner respective to the state trail for which you are applying to connect: Kat Deutsch ( kat. deutsch@ncparks.
gov ) State Trail State Trail Partner Dan River State Trail Dan River Basin Association Deep River State Trail Piedmont Land Conservancy East Coast Greenway State Trail East Coast Greenway Alliance Equine State Trail* North Carolina Horse Council (in progress) Haw River State Trail* Alamance County Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail Conserving Carolina French Broad River State Trail MountainTrue Fonta Flora State Trail Friends of Fonta Flora State Trail Mountains-to-Sea State Trail Friends of Mountains to Sea Trail Northern Peaks State Trail Blue Ridge Conservancy Overmountain Victory State Trail Overmountain Victory North Carolina State Trail Friends Roanoke River State Trail Roanoke River Partners South Fork Passage State Trail TBD Wilderness Gateway State Trail Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina Yadkin River State Trail Yadkin Riverkeeper State Trail Planning Staff Program Manager Kat Deutsch kat.
deutsch@ncparks. gov State Trails Planners Vacant State Trails Grant Manager Vacant
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: See official notice for specific eligibility. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
Applications for Complete the Trails (CCST): Connecting Communities to State Trails Grant are due October 8, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, and final submission checks.
Complete the Trails (CCST): Connecting Communities to State Trails Grant is funded by NC State Parks (North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources). Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
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