The Montana Trail Stewardship Grant Program (MTSGP) is a state program that provides funding for the development, renovation, and maintenance of motorized and non-motorized recreational trails and trailside facilities throughout Montana and in its communities (23-2-108 and 23-2-109, MCA). The MTSGP is administered by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.
Eligible funding areas include:
- New trail and shared-use path construction;
- Rehabilitation and maintenance of existing trails and shared-use paths, including grooming of trails for motorized and nonmotorized winter recreation; and
- Construction and maintenance of trailside and trailhead facilities, including but not limited to bridges, fencing, parking, bathrooms, latrines, picnic shelters, interpretation, trail signs, and trailside weed management.
Noneligible funding areas include:
- Development of trail safety and education programs
- Design and engineering
- Equipment purchases
- Land acquisitions
Additional eligible and ineligible project types are discussed in Appendix A of the 2022 Application Guidelines.
The MTSGP will allocate at least 30% of all annual funding to uses related to motorized recreation and at least 30% to uses related to nonmotorized recreation.
Grant applicants may include federal, tribal, state, county, or municipal agencies (including school districts), and nonprofit recreational associations and clubs.
Applications are accepted on an annual basis. Funded projects are typically awarded in late spring and may begin work in mid-summer. Grant awardees have two years to complete project work. The MTSGP is a reimbursement program. If awarded, an entity may receive reimbursement only after the entity has expended funds on an eligible expense and submitted adequate documentation.
The State Trail Advisory Committee (STAC) serves as an advisory committee to the MTGP. Read more about the STAC on its webpage.
The 2022 application cycle will open on December 15, 2021. Applications will be accepted until February 15, 2022 via WebGrants at funding.mt.gov. An anticipated $1.0 million will be awarded this cycle. Awards will be announced in April. Contracts will be issued, and project work may begin, in July.
Application training sessions will be held virtually via Zoom. See “Upcoming Training Sessions” for details.
2022 MTSGP Applicant Guidelines are now available.
Additional Application Forms:
There are currently no application training sessions scheduled.
The presentation for the 2022 RTP & MTSGP application cycles can be downloaded as a PDF here: 2022 Training Presentation.
Grant Management System: In 2020, the State of Montana switched to a new grant management platform – AmpliFund. After encountering difficulties with AmpliFund’s functionality that require more time to resolve, FWP is returning to WebGrants. All MTSGP awards have been transitioned back to WebGrants.
WebGrants Help Documents
Grant Management Forms
