Round four of the Statewide Park Program (SPP), funded by Prop 68, was recently announced and HELIX can assist you in pursuing this revenue stream for your projects. The SPP grant is intended to create new parks and new recreation opportunities in critically underserved communities across California. There is $395.3 million of funding for round four, which is approximately 1.5 times as much as what was awarded in round three. The grant application must request between $200,000 and $8,500,000 and no local matching funds are required.
Am I eligible?
The SPP grant considers the eligibility of site-specific projects rather than applicants. Key eligibility requirements include the following:
- The project applicant must be a City, County, District, Joint Powers Authority, or non-profit.
- The project site must be owned or leased by the project applicant or must be a turn-key project. (Purchasing land with grant funding is allowed.)
- The project must create, expand, or renovate a park to add recreation features.
- Within a ½-mile radius of the project site, there must be a ratio of less than 3 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents OR a median household income less than $56,982.
- The project must be able to be maintained for 30 years.
Am I competitive?
There is a handy SPP table to help determine grant competitiveness available to you online.
Covered in this table are the many ways to outreach and design a project to make it highly competitive. Some of the factors that are harder to affect include median household income, number of residents in poverty, and ratio of parkland to 1,000 residents. Keep in mind, this is measured for the ½-mile radius around the project site, not the whole City/County/District. If you want to discuss how to best site your project or how competitive your project is prior to starting the outreach and design process, HELIX can help.
What is the timeframe?
- The application is due by December 14th. If you are considering applying, we recommend selecting the site and project now, as there are a number of public outreach events, partnerships to develop, the design, and the grant writing itself to complete before the application due date.
- The grant recipients will be announced the summer of 2021.
- The project is to be constructed by March 2025.
- The project must be maintained through 2055.
What if I already applied in previous rounds?
With more than $2 billion in requested funds and only $255 million awarded, many applicants were unable to get their projects funded during round three. The Office of Grants and Local Services (OGALS) is recommending applicants reapply, as this is the last round of applications for the SPP grant. HELIX can help you request and implement feedback from OGALS on your prior applications to help make your project as competitive as possible and to determine if reapplying is worth your effort and cost.
Contact us today – we’re available to assist!
HELIX’s landscape architects have extensive public outreach and park design experience and would be happy to provide design, outreach, or grant writing support services for your projects. With in-house CEQA experts and technical specialists in biology, cultural resources, noise, and air quality/greenhouse gas, HELIX is also available to conduct the CEQA work that is required to be completed within three months of the application submittal.
To discuss your questions, eligibility, competitiveness, and best approach for your projects, we are standing by to assist. Please contact Jessamyn Lett, Landscape Architect, via e-mail at JessamynL@helixepi.com.