MassTrails provides matching grants to communities, public entities, Native nations, and non-profit organizations to plan, design, create, and maintain the diverse network of trails, trail systems, and trails experiences used and enjoyed by Massachusetts residents and visitors. Applications are accepted annually for a variety of well-planned trail projects benefiting communities across the state.

Eligible grant activities include project development, design, engineering, permitting, construction, and maintenance of recreational trails, shared-use pathways, and the amenities that support trails. This can include benches and enhancements to trail access, among other things, that can support physical activity among older adults.

MassTrails provides grants to support recreational trail and shared-use pathway projects across the Commonwealth. The award maximum depends on the project type and needs and is generally $100,000 for recreational trails projects and up to $500,000 for shared-use path projects demonstrating critical network connections of regional or statewide significance.

MassTrails grants are REIMBURSEMENT grants, meaning grantees must first pay for expenditures and then submit for reimbursement using the required documentation.

MassTrails grants are MATCHING grants and require that proponents provide a minimum of 20% of the total project cost.

Eligible projects require documented land owner permission submitted with the application and are subject to all applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

MassTrails grants are reviewed and recommended by the Governor’s Inter-Agency Trails Team and the Massachusetts Recreational Trails Advisory Board (MARTAB).

MassTrails Grants are funded through two different sources:

• Commonwealth Trails grants are supported by the state’s annual Capital Investment Plan and aim to help communities design, create and maintain off-road shared-use pathway connections between where Massachusetts residents live, learn, work, shop, and recreate, especially by building out the longer distance regional networks of multi-use pathways across the state and filling in critical gaps in existing networks, or overcoming current barriers to connectivity.
• Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grants are federally funded through the United States Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), administered at the State level, providing funding for the development and maintenance of recreational trail projects. Both motorized and non-motorized trail projects qualify for assistance.

More information on MassTrails and the grant program is available here.