Delaware County Council Announces "Delco Green Ways Grant Round 3"

Released: September 8, 2022

Delaware County is thrilled to offer a third round of its popular municipal grant program for open space, trails, and recreation. The grant program, Delco Green Ways makes funds available to municipalities and non-profit organizations working with municipalities, for projects that advance the County’s 2035 Open Space, Recreation and Greenway plan goals: Conserve, Enhance, Connect.

The Delco Green Ways program has been lauded for its ease, helping propel communities forward to get wish-list projects funded and completed. This grant program is continuing and the process to apply is easy.

Building upon the success of the previous rounds, Grant Round Three has been further tailored to meet the unique needs of Delaware County’s community. Enhancements made were driven by the guidance of the Delco Green Space Task Force (GSTF), which is comprised of thought-leader volunteers representing the fabric of Delco. Task Force members share their expertise in the fields of green space preservation, natural lands conservation, parks and recreation management, fundraising, economics, business, real estate, law, health, communications, and community organizing. The group is tasked with guiding the County’s vision and policy direction for green space and based on their recommendations, the County made the following changes to the Round 3 Grant guidelines:

While there is still no match requirement, applications including an in-kind or cash contribution receive a scoring bonus.

The County is committed to investing in communities identified by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s (DVRPC) as demonstrating “Indicators of Potential Disadvantage” and/or those mapped by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection as Environmental Justice Areas. Projects in these areas receive a scoring bonus.

Electronic signatures are now accepted for the purposes of submitting applications, executing contracts, and submitting payment requests.

There’s now an expedited contracting process with grant agreements including boiler plate municipal contracts. Applicants submit signed contract agreement signature forms at the time of application, and, if the application is selected, staff will fill in the blanks with the application’s details.

Eligible municipal or multi-municipal projects may include fee simple acquisition of land, conservation or trail easements on private land, capital improvements to existing public parkland, regreening efforts, construction of trails, and planning services such as comprehensive open space plans, feasibility studies, design, and engineering plans.

A more comprehensive list of eligible project types, program guidelines, and sample grant applications are available on the Delco Green Ways Grant Program webpage.

The application period for Round 3 of the Green Ways Grant Program officially opens September 7, 2022 and closes October 7, 2022. Awards will be announced by County Council later in the fall. During the open application period, two virtual Q & A sessions have been scheduled for September 13, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. and on September 15 from 2:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.

For additional registration information, please visit the Delco Green Ways Grant Program webpage.