In the spirit of helping one or more Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grant applicants move closer to the goal of completing a trails project, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will offer one or more $90,000 Big Grants in this grant cycle.

The following are guidelines for the Big Grant application process:

• A Big Grant application may be submitted in any one of the following categories:
  • motorized
  • non-motorized
  • diversified categories
• Standard RTP scoring criteria will be utilized.
• If a project sponsor applies for the $90,000 Big Grant and is not successful, the applicant drops automatically into the group of applications competing for a maximum of $45,000.
• The following projects are not eligible to receive a Big Grant:
  • educational projects
  • brochures
  • displays
  • routine winter snow-trail grooming (snowmobile, X-country ski, etc.)
  • trail rangers

Deadline

Deadline for submission of the Big Grant application will be the same as any RTP grant application July 1, 2011.

If no project applications are received for a Big Grant in a given year, or if none of the applications are appropriate or score high enough to be granted, no Big Grant will be awarded.