Greenways Foundation Announces $82,000 in Trail Grants Supporting Projects Across Indiana

Indianapolis, IN – Greenways Foundation has announced the recipients of its 2025 grants cycle, awarding a total of $82,000 to support trail planning, construction, maintenance, and community engagement projects across Indiana.

This year, the Foundation received and carefully reviewed 21 grant applications from communities throughout the state. Over the past four years, the program averaged just four applications per year, making the 2025 cycle a significant increase in interest and demonstrated need.

Greenways Foundation recognizes the loss of NextLevel Trails (NLT) state funding and the uncertainty of federal funding, combined with Hoosiers’ growing desire for better quality of life, outdoor recreation, alternative transportation, and local economic development, as major drivers behind this surge in applications.

“The volume and diversity of applications this year clearly show how important trails are to Indiana communities,” said Executive Director Khepri Hazel. “Communities are stepping up with strong ideas and partnerships at a time when traditional funding sources have diminished.”

About the Grants Program

The Greenways Foundation Grants Program supports trail-related projects that improve access, safety, connectivity, and stewardship. Eligible projects include planning efforts, construction, maintenance, trail amenities, data collection, and nonprofit or friends group development.

The program is uniquely grassroots in nature and is fueled entirely by Hoosiers. Funding comes from individual donations and from the official Indiana “I Support Trails” Greenways Foundation specialty license plate. Each plate generates a $25 annual donation to the Foundation, and thousands of license plate holders across the state make these grants possible.

Hoosiers can support trails by purchasing the “I Support Trails” license plate when renewing vehicle registration online, even if it is not yet time for their renewal. Plates can also be purchased in person at any Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles location by requesting the Greenways Foundation specialty license plate.

More information about the grants program is available at www.greenwaysfoundation.org/grants.

2025 Grant Recipients

• Western Indiana Community Foundation – $3,000
  Trail Counters for Covington Circle Trail

• Friends of the White River – $8,000
  River clean-ups and bicycle-based river school program

• Healthy Communities of Henry County, Inc. – $10,000
  National Road Heritage Trail – East Dunreith

• Fort Wayne Trails – $1,000
  NLT 4 Matching Grant

• Friends of Clark/Deam Horse Trails – $1,000
  Friends group startup for trail maintenance

• Indy Art Center – $10,000
  Building Community Through Art Capital Campaign, including a new boardwalk connecting ARTSPARK, the White River, and the Monon Trail

• City of Terre Haute – $1,500
  Heritage Road Heritage Trail maintenance and repairs

• Midwest Equine Trail Foundation – $2,500
  Versailles State Park House Trail B erosion control, Ripley County

• Conner Prairie – $4,000
  Ongoing maintenance for Conner Prairie Trails

• Posey County Trails – $10,000
  Completion of the county’s first city-county trail plan

• Randolph County Trails – $1,000
  Nonprofit organization startup grant

• B&O Trail Association – $10,000
  Construction of a 12-foot bridge over the West Fork of White Lick Creek in Hendricks County

• Parke Trails Alliance – $10,000
  Parke Community Rail Trail Phase 4

• Hamilton County – $10,000
  Trail development at Bur Oak Bend, including a 1.65-mile closed-loop trail system

About Greenways Foundation

Greenways Foundation champions Indiana’s network of trails to enhance the sustainability and health of communities across the state. Through grassroots support, strategic partnerships, and statewide advocacy, the Foundation invests in projects that connect people to nature, to each other, and to opportunity.

For more information about Greenways Foundation, the grants program, or how to support trails through donations or the “I Support Trails” license plate, visit www.greenwaysfoundation.org.