1. E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior State and Local Assistance Programs 2014 LWCF Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program (ORLP)

2. ORLP Background Authorized by Congress in FY2014 Appropriations $3M in addition to funding for formula allocation Little guidance beyond nationally competitive Consultation NPS met with Congressional staff to get further clarification about intent Recommendations and input from State partners and other interested parties NPS Obligations 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Administrative Requirements, Costs Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards and DOI and NPS Policy require agency programs to design and implement a merit-based review process for awarding discretionary funds

3. ORLP Goals and Target Communities Program Goals Help urban communities acquire and/or develop land to create or reinvigorate public parks and other outdoor recreation spaces. Priority given to projects in communities that are economically disadvantaged and underserved in terms of recreation resources. Eligible Applicants Include state and local government agencies (e.g., cities, counties, legal subdivisions such as park districts, etc.) and federally- recognized tribes Within or serving areas delineated by the Census Bureau from the 2010 census as having populations of 50,000 or more people and consisting of a “densely settled territory.”

4. FY2014 Project Proposal Response Notice published on Grants.gov in June 2014; States could submit up to two proposals each for projects worth $250,000 to $500,000 NPS received 47 project proposals 32 states requesting a total of $19.1 million Technical review by NPS staff; merit review by panels comprised of peers (state staff, NPS staff outside program, outside experts) NPS Director Jon Jarvis made final selections based on work of merit panels

5. Selected FY2014 Projects CitySt.Project TitleFed. Share MobileALThree Mile Creek Greenway Project $ 386,525 DenverCOMontbello Open Space Project $ 250,000 AtlantaGAProctor Creek Park - Phase I Development $ 280,000 PortlandORThomas Cully Park Development $ 500,000 BridgeportCTJohnson Oak Park Redevelopment $ 375,000 DetroitMIBelle Isle Park Athletic Complex Renovation $ 325,000 MinneapolisMNSheridan Memorial Park - Initial Development $ 500,000 MadisonWICentral Park - Skate Park Development $ 295,308

6. ORLP Targeted Improvement in FY15/16 Grants.gov announcement/application instructions Improve explanation/clarification of submission materials, eligible jurisdictions, match requirements, contingency funding, multiple site projects, etc. Project Selection Criteria Eliminated one criteria, total of 10 criteria Expanded guidance for Merit Reviewers Reduced the number of evaluation factors from 5-6 per criteria to 4-3 factors Conducted evaluation/research on minority/economic disadvantaged neighborhoods/communities

7. ORLP Targeted Improvement in FY15/16 Internal / NPS Project review Improve pre-merit review of applications Improve guidance on evaluating proposed projects and fundable elements Develop a US Census data sheet Merit Review Process Reducing or dividing the evaluation criteria between merit panel and technical reviewers Allowing merit reviewers to discuss their evaluations among the teams