Opportunity Overview
The New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division (ORD), a division of Economic Development New Mexico, is accepting FY27 applications for the Outdoor Recreation Trails+ Grant. The statewide program funds nature-based outdoor recreation infrastructure that expands access, improves community health, strengthens local economies, and preserves New Mexico natural and cultural resources.
Funding and Deadline
ORD states that $12 million is available for the FY27 Trails+ Grant round. Funding tiers are Tier 1: $25,000-$99,999, Tier 2: $100,000-$499,999, and Tier 3: $500,000-$1,000,000. Applications close September 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM Mountain Time through the New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division Submittable portal.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants are Tribes, Pueblos, and Nations; municipalities and counties; nonprofit organizations for Tier 1 and Tier 2 only; public schools and school districts; public colleges and universities; soil and water conservation districts; and acequia and land grant associations. ORD defines Tribal applicants to include Tribes, Pueblos, Nations, Tribal schools, and Native-led nonprofit organizations that specifically serve Indigenous youth.
Realistic screening candidates include eligible New Mexico public schools and districts with outdoor-classroom or active-transportation infrastructure projects, Tribes and Pueblos, municipalities and counties, and public colleges such as Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell, which ORD identifies as a featured prior Trails+ recipient. Any current application still requires a distinct eligible FY27 project, match, readiness, and capacity.
Match and Project Requirements
The grant requires a 1:1 match (100%) for urban applicants and a 1:2 match (50%) for rural and Tribal applicants. Matching funds may combine cash and in-kind contributions, including volunteer hours, prior site work, land purchase, permitting, professional staff services, staff training and certifications, annual maintenance, donated equipment, services, or materials. Other state and federal funds may also count toward the match.
Projects must support nature-based outdoor recreation infrastructure, begin within three months of award notification, and be completed within 24 months. One application is allowed per entity per fiscal year. Tier 2 and Tier 3 applicants present to the review committee; Tier 2 projects must demonstrate regional collaboration and strong multi-partner involvement, while Tier 3 projects carry the same regional expectations and nonprofits are not eligible for Tier 3.
Allowable and Ineligible Costs
Eligible uses include design, engineering and planning; maintenance and upgrades; trails, trailheads, access points and active-transportation routes; river and water-access infrastructure; snow-sport infrastructure; signage and wayfinding; outdoor classrooms and learning spaces; adaptive outdoor recreation; conservation and restoration; pump, skate and bike parks; visitor facilities; outdoor fitness parks; wildlife-viewing areas; rock climbing; and off-road motorized trail infrastructure. Project-specific equipment may comprise up to 30% of the request, administrative costs up to 10%, and billed labor is allowable.
Ineligible uses include land acquisition; indoor or traditional sports facilities; golf courses, pools, playgrounds or water parks; landscaping-only or beautification-only projects; infrastructure owned by for-profit entities except Tribal entities; and infrastructure that is not publicly accessible except Tribal entities.
Submission, Forms, Attachments, and Administration
Applications are submitted through nmoutside.submittable.com. The public FY27 guide expressly requires a written quote for any subcontract over $20,000 to be included with the application. Community-support evidence such as letters of support, resolutions, MOUs, and partnerships is part of evaluation. The public guide also states that funds are disbursed in full after grant-agreement execution, invoice submission, and required documentation, and warns that an incomplete or incorrect W-9 will delay payment. The detailed Submittable application is login-gated, so Atlas does not fabricate any additional portal-only form or attachment requirement that is not publicly visible.
Awardees must submit one progress report and one final report with expenditure reporting, host an in-person ORD site visit during the grant cycle, and acknowledge the ORD logo on project signage when applicable.
Contact
Carl Colonius, Program Manager
carl.colonius@edd.nm.gov
Atlas Analysis
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. Trails+ is an outdoor infrastructure program. No legitimate N9+ remote-examination or clinical-technology use case is established, and Atlas will not force one.
Atlas Opportunity Score: 78/100. This is a substantial statewide infrastructure opportunity with explicit public-school eligibility, outdoor-classroom and active-transportation uses, defined funding tiers, and clear public-health and student-wellness benefits. The score is moderated by the substantial mandatory match and the fact that it is not a core healthcare or instructional-services program.
Dr. Miltie/QC Healthcare direct applicant: No Bid. For-profit businesses are not listed as eligible applicants, for-profit-owned infrastructure is expressly ineligible except for Tribal entities, and the mandatory non-Federal match cannot be committed on an applicant’s behalf. Any vendor role would need to be initiated by an eligible applicant and relate to an allowable infrastructure project.
Outreach status: held. The deadline is more than 48 hours away, but no applicant-specific FY27 project, match commitment, authorized recipient, or applicant-controlled scope has been independently verified. No external outreach is authorized on generic eligibility alone.
Official Sources
New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division — Outdoor Recreation Trails+ Grant
FY27 Outdoor Recreation Trails+ Grant Guide
New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division Grant Portal