Why it matters:

Close-to-home access to park and recreation facilities is a proven indicator of improved physical and mental health outcomes. Local parks are also significant drivers of economic activity – around $200 billion and over 1 million jobs are generated by local parks each year alone. 

Parks also deliver conservation and resiliency outcomes that protect our environment while fostering higher property values and increasing tourism. Critically, park and recreation amenities are the cornerstones of a community’s quality of life — a significant factor in attracting employers and workers to an area.

The problem:

The benefits of parks and recreation are not spread evenly in communities across the U.S. Nearly one in three U.S. residents say they do not live within a walkable distance of at least one local park or recreation facility. It is critical to close this gap so that every community, regardless of zip code, can enjoy the multitude of benefits that stem from park and recreation access.

Our goal:

Pass legislation to create a permanent federal funding stream to invest in local park access in disadvantaged communities.

What we did:

• Supported reintroduction and reinvigorated a coalition in support of H.R. 1065/S. 448 – the Outdoors for All Act – legislation to codify the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership (ORLP) program into law, guaranteeing permanent federal funding for local park access.  

• Built a congressional strategy to generate bipartisan, bicameral support for the bill, resulting in over 100 cosponsors.

• Led strategic communications efforts in support of the bill, including hosting a press conference with champion lawmakers to push for final passage and regular action alerts to both members of Congress and NRPA members. 

• Secured final passage of the bill in 2024, with a unanimous vote in both the House and Senate.

• Supported ongoing implementation by working with the Department of the Interior to support timely and effective distribution of funding to eligible projects, as well as working with the House and Senate Appropriations Committee to effectively protect and increase this funding source in annual spending bills.

• Increased annual appropriations for the program in FY26, a nearly $10 million increase from the previous years of appropriations.

The bottom line:

A permanent–and growing–federal funding stream to invest in local park access in disadvantaged communities is now codified into federal law, and funding is flowing from the Department of the Interior. Our advocacy to protect and increase funds has also been effective, as we have successfully lobbied to grow funding for the Stateside LWCF programs in recent years.