Maine Trails Program

Grants may be awarded to Municipalities, other qualified subdivisions of State Government, including executive branch departments and agencies; and Non-profit organizations under guidelines established by the Bureau of Parks and Lands as advised by the Maine Trails Advisory Committee.

Eligible projects MUST include:

• Public Use and Access: Applications for MTP funding must ensure public access to the recreation improvements funded by the grant for the greatest duration possible.

Eligible projects may include:

• Restoration of existing recreational trails, trailheads and trailside amenities.
• Development of new trails, trailheads and trailside amenities. Acquisition of easements or fee simple title to property for recreational trails or recreational trail corridors.

The MTP grants are made on a matching basis and can fund up to 90% of eligible project costs. The balance must come from the project sponsor and can include cash and or in-kind / donated services and materials.

MTP funding must be allocated to projects according to the trail types below.

1. 25% of MTP funds allocated to the state shall be reserved for uses related to motorized trail recreation
2. 25% of MTP funds allocated to the state shall be reserved for uses related to non-motorized trail recreation.
3. The remaining 50% of funds shall be used for recreational projects that facilitate diverse trail use.

While the application itself is not overly complex, attendance at one of the regional grant workshops is recommended to help answer questions about the program and the application process.

Applications must be received by the announced deadline and must contain all required material to be eligible for review / scoring and possible funding. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Applications will be evaluated by Bureau staff and the Maine Trails Advisory Committee to determine their compliance with the established state goals for the program. All applicants will be notified whether or not they have been selected for funding.

The first-year grant award cap is set at $250,000.

Yes. Upon execution of a project agreement, sponsors can ask for up to 25% of their total award amount as an advance against future reimbursements.

Yes, any other funding source is eligible for use as MTP match.

Match is the portion of the project costs that the project sponsor covers themselves.

• In a reimbursement grant environment, all costs must be paid first by the grant recipient. Then, upon submitting for reimbursement, you provide documentation of invoices and bills paid. The grant will reimburse these at 90% which means the grant recipient provided the 10% match.
• 100% of out-of-pocket costs can be recovered however, if the grant recipient leverages in-kind match (donated goods, materials, services). In this case, the total value of the project remains the same, but the donated items, services, labor offset the out of pocket cost the project would otherwise have to incur. In-kind is an eligible match, Wednesday, July 30, 2025 and if you have enough of in-kind you could recover 100% of your out-of-pocket expenses.

• Yes, this is encouraged to share the burden of the application process and the benefits of a larger award.
• This “umbrella” approach will require one fiscal agent / grant lead who will be able to manage the finances.
• A project manager can be hired and paid for by the grant, to keep all the pieces moving in the right direction toward successful project completion.

• This is up to you, but it is not necessary. Don’t over think the questions, answer them as simply as you can.
• If you are going to hire someone, hire a trail planner to help you develop a plan that will result in a sustainable and resilient outcome. The trail planner could also help you with the mapping requirements.
• Note that costs for this kind of design and engineering in advance are eligible for reimbursement or match if costs are incurred withing two years of the project agreement.

Yes, if the applicant has adequate control of those trail locations, a single application and award can benefit multiple sites.

Any Maine nonprofit is eligible with documented control or tenure.

No. If your nonprofit is essentially a trail building endeavor (not a landowner or manager) and you are partnering with landowners or managers to work on their trails, you cannot apply on behalf of that project sponsor to perform work for that sponsor.

However, if your nonprofit has a standing relationship (formal agreement of control) with the landowner to steward the trails on their land, then you could be the applicant and perform the work.

Yes. The grant recipient must record the time volunteers are working on the project, and the type and duration of use of any equipment donated for use to be able to claim the values generated by these donations. Forms are available from the GCR office, but any paper record will work. Without proper documentation we will not be able to count the claimed value as match.

The Independent Sector has set Maine’s volunteer value at $32.13/hr.

Use FEMA. The values are higher, and the equipment listed is more diverse.

MTP is a new grant program funded through state bonds. It does not replace or have any relationship with the existing ORV grant programs for ATV and Snowmobile trails. ATV / Snowmobile clubs and municipalities could use ORV funding however as match for a MTP project as long as the project itself was eligible under MTP guidelines.

No. Just answer the questions in the application, and we will determine which funding stream your project best aligns with.

Even multi-use trails should be designed for the anticipated primary use / user group. Select what you feel will be the dominant use. Then select the others in the next question.

No.The two primary criteria the application / project will be judged by will be the viability of the project and the likelihood the outcome will be used. All trails are equal in the eyes of MTP.

Ideally you would have requested these letters far enough in advance to get them back and to have adjusted your proposal based on their feedback. However, if you have requested clearance in a reasonable lead time ahead of application and you have not received a response by the time you need to submit your application, please include a copy of your communication requesting clearance as evidence of your attempt.

Yes. Work with your local municipality and ask them to request assistance from the county.

You can work with your local municipality and ask them to request assistance from the county. Counties currently have ARPA funded staff who could help with the application process.

We have trained several MTP Ambassadors to help. Please go to Maine Trails Coalition, Maine Snowmobile Association, Maine ATV Coalition, Maine LandTrust Network, Maine Recreation and Parks Association, Natural Resource Council of Maine to find someone near you who can help.

We have a Trails Planner who you can reach out to with program and application questions. His email is adam.c.n.fisher@maine.gov.