Washington, D.C. · Public charity
Rails to Trails Conservancy
The rails-to-trails conservancy is the nations largest trails org. With a grassroots community more than 1 mil. Strong dedicated to building a nation connected by trails, reimagining public spaces to create safe ways for everyone to walk, bike & be active outdoors.
- $737k
- Granted FY2025(still arriving)
- 35
- Itemized grants FY2025
- 32
- Organizations funded FY2024
- 78%
- First-time grantees FY2024
- Itemized, FY2025
- $707k
- The rest is grants the schedule does not break out
- Median grant, FY2025
- $10,290
- Largest grant, FY2025
- $180,000
- Organizations funded a year
- 7 to 32
- FY2018 to FY2024
- States reached, FY2025
- 22
- Total assets, FY2025
- $23M
How open it is to new grantees
In FY2024, 78% of the organizations Rails to Trails Conservancy funded were first-time grantees, receiving 52% of its grant dollars.
New vs renewed · share of each year
In FY2024, 48% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $322k went to new ones.
RenewedFirst-time
Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant
EnvironmentRecreation & SportsCommunity ImprovementPhilanthropyArts & CultureYouth DevelopmentOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.
The numbers by year
| Fiscal year | Organizations funded | To those organizations | First-time grantees |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025still arriving | 35 | $707k | 66% |
| FY2024 | 32 | $622k | 78% |
| FY2023 | 23 | $393k | 78% |
| FY2022 | 19 | $368k | 63% |
| FY2021 | 29 | $358k | 86% |
| FY2020 | 7 | $1.5M | 71% |
| FY2019 | 16 | $382k | 88% |
| FY2018 | 22 | $258k | 82% |
100% classified
What it funded, over time
Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.
Recreation & Sports$3.6MCommunity Improvement$714kEnvironment$333kHealth$59kPhilanthropy$58kHuman Services$49kFood & Nutrition$33kArts & Culture$31kOther$0
Where its grants go
Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.
Which US states its grants reach
AK
ME
NH
WA
ID
MT
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
WY
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CA
UT
CO
NE
MO
WV
VA
MD
AZ
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
MS
AL
GA
TX
FL
Top grantees
Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2025, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Brownsville | $1,506,001 | 3 | n/a |
| New Jersey Bicycle Coalition Inc Dba D/B/A New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition | $380,000 | 3 | 47% |
| 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corp | $263,750 | 5 | 20% |
| Hace | $89,500 | 4 | 1% |
| Washington State Parks Department | $87,500 | 1 | n/a |
| Community Initiatives | $51,500 | 4 | 0% |
| Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Delaware River Waterfront Corporation | $50,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Hbcus Outside Incorporated | $49,500 | 3 | 13% |
| Mayor & City Council of Baltimore | $41,000 | 1 | n/a |
Show all 163 grantees
| Grantee | Total granted | Years | Share of their budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Brownsville | $1,506,001 | 3 | n/a |
| New Jersey Bicycle Coalition Inc Dba D/B/A New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition | $380,000 | 3 | 47% |
| 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corp | $263,750 | 5 | 20% |
| Hace | $89,500 | 4 | 1% |
| Washington State Parks Department | $87,500 | 1 | n/a |
| Community Initiatives | $51,500 | 4 | 0% |
| Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail | $50,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Delaware River Waterfront Corporation | $50,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Hbcus Outside Incorporated | $49,500 | 3 | 13% |
| Mayor & City Council of Baltimore | $41,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Groundwork Jacksonville Inc | $40,000 | 2 | 2% |
| Wyoming Pathways | $40,000 | 2 | 7% |
| Cowboy Trail West Inc | $40,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Pennsylvania Railroad Harsimus STEM Embankment Coalition Inc | $40,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The Urban Oasis Inc | $38,500 | 4 | 11% |
| National Road Heritage Corridor | $36,500 | 2 | 2% |
| City of Colorado Springs Parks Recreation and C | $35,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Armstrong Trails Inc | $35,000 | 1 | 11% |
| Washington Area Bicyclist Association | $35,000 | 2 | 1% |
| Rutherford County Library | $30,348 | 1 | n/a |
| Schuylkill River Greenway Association | $30,000 | 2 | 1% |
| State Forests Trust of Oregon | $30,000 | 1 | 5% |
| Manhattan Trail System Inc | $30,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation | $30,000 | 3 | 0% |
| Anchorage Park Foundation | $30,000 | 2 | 1% |
| New Hampshire Snowmobile Association | $27,600 | 1 | 4% |
| Agricultural Research Service (Usda) | $27,500 | 1 | n/a |
| Northwest Side Community Development Corporation | $27,250 | 3 | 0% |
| Regional Trail Corporation | $27,000 | 1 | 4% |
| Gearin Up Bicycles | $27,000 | 3 | 4% |
| East Bay Bicycle Coalition DBA Bike East Bay | $26,000 | 3 | 1% |
| Missouri Rock Island Trail Incorporated | $26,000 | 2 | n/a |
| East Bay Regional Park District | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Plusurbia Pr LLC | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Mountain Heritage Inc | $25,000 | 1 | 5% |
| Rock Island Rail Corridor Authority | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| American Volkssport Association Inc | $25,000 | 2 | n/a |
| Friends of the Northern Rail Trail | $25,000 | 1 | 25% |
| Friends and Neighbors of Swannanoa Inc | $25,000 | 1 | 21% |
| Missouri Coalition for the Environment Foundation | $25,000 | 1 | 3% |
| Friends of the Market Inc | $25,000 | 1 | 14% |
| City of Trotwood | $25,000 | 1 | n/a |
| City of Solon | $24,556 | 1 | n/a |
| Friends of Madison County Parks & Trails | $20,000 | 2 | 17% |
| Baltimore Civic Fund Inc | $20,000 | 1 | 0% |
| New Kensington Community Development Corp | $20,000 | 1 | 1% |
| University of Texas Health Science Center Houston | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Park County | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Harrison County Commissioners | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Brookville Trail Hub | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Camden Greenways Inc | $20,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Bikemore Inc | $18,000 | 2 | 9% |
| Miami River Fund Inc | $18,000 | 2 | 2% |
| Friends of Herring Run Parks Inc | $17,500 | 2 | 6% |
| Bay Area Ridge Trail Council | $17,500 | 2 | 1% |
| West Creek Conservancy | $16,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Friends of the Bourne Rail Trail Inc | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Delaware River City Corporation | $15,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Laramie County Wyoming | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Capital Area Greenbelt Assoc Inc | $15,000 | 1 | 6% |
| Catawba Lands Conservancy | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Shelby Farms Park Conservancy | $15,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Dallas County Iowa | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The Elizabeth River Trail Foundation | $15,000 | 1 | 4% |
| Friends of Northeast Georgia Inc | $15,000 | 1 | 27% |
| Black People Ride Bikes | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Cleveland Metropolitan Park District | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Parks & Trails New York Inc | $15,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Town of Cowen | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Bronzeville Trail Task Force Inc | $15,000 | 1 | 45% |
| Brooke-Hancock-Jefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Play Marin | $15,000 | 1 | 2% |
| City of Dayton | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Friends of the Merrimack River Greenway Trail | $15,000 | 1 | 21% |
| City of Farragut | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| City of Greeley | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| City of Union Point | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers Inc | $15,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Arizona Trail Association | $15,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Georgia Bikes Inc | $15,000 | 1 | 4% |
| Action Greensboro | $15,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Friends of River Park | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Rivanna Trails Foundation | $15,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Havenwoods Neighborhood Partnership Inc | $14,250 | 2 | 2% |
| Marin County Bicycle Coalition | $12,500 | 2 | 1% |
| Trumbull County Metroparks | $12,500 | 1 | n/a |
| City of Fairmont Wv | $12,500 | 1 | n/a |
| Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina Inc | $12,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Unplug Collaborative | $12,000 | 1 | 2% |
| New Jersey Tree Foundation | $12,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Kansas Association of Trail Stewards | $12,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Bicycle Federation of Wisconsin Educational Foundation Inc | $10,290 | 1 | n/a |
| Ohio Valley Riverfront Development Corporation | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Communities Unlimited Inc | $10,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Adrc of Ozaukee County | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| City of Oak Hill | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Southwest Renewal Foundation of High Point Inc | $10,000 | 1 | 8% |
| Peninsula Trails Coalition | $10,000 | 1 | 3% |
| Cedar Valley Trails Partnership | $10,000 | 1 | 11% |
| Town of Salem | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Board of Parks and Recreation Commission | $10,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Bike Cleveland | $10,000 | 1 | 2% |
| Powell County Montana | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| In Color Birding Club | $10,000 | 1 | 15% |
| Headwaters Trail System | $10,000 | 1 | 11% |
| Knox County Park District | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Water Valley Main Streetassociation Inc | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Black Women in Nature | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Kellogg Project Uplift | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Town of Pittsfield | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Nickel Plate Trail Inc | $10,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Rails to Trails of Wayne County | $10,000 | 1 | 9% |
| Palouse to Cascades Trail Coalition | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Yellowstone Historic Center Inc | $10,000 | 1 | 2% |
| Tookany Tacony Frankford Watershed Partn Ership | $10,000 | 1 | 2% |
| Remember Us Urban Scouts Inc | $10,000 | 1 | 2% |
| Cardinal Greenway Inc | $10,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Midtown Greenway Coalition | $10,000 | 1 | 11% |
| Western New York Land Conservancy Inc | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Bike Walk Nebraska | $10,000 | 1 | 4% |
| Hike Heal Wellness | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| University of Maryland College Park | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| City of Great Falls | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| The Erie Area Council of Governments | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Montana Trails Coalition | $10,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Riverworks Development Corporation | $10,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Cascade Bicycle Club | $10,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Urban Tilth | $9,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Michigan Trails & Greenways Alliance | $8,500 | 1 | 0% |
| Adrc of Washington County | $8,000 | 1 | n/a |
| University of Miami | $8,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Move Arkansas | $8,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Apiary Studio LLC | $8,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Prairie Trails Club Inc | $7,500 | 1 | n/a |
| The San Francisco Bay Trail Project | $7,500 | 1 | 20% |
| Bentonville Bella Vista Trailblazers | $7,500 | 1 | 0% |
| Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor Inc | $7,500 | 1 | 0% |
| Active Transportation Alliance | $7,500 | 1 | 0% |
| Pinnacle Prevention Corp | $7,500 | 1 | n/a |
| New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition | $7,500 | 1 | n/a |
| Near West Side Partners Inc | $7,250 | 1 | 1% |
| Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota | $7,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Union Grove Rails to Trails Inc | $7,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Rutgers the State University | $7,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Trailkeepers of Oregon | $7,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Wenatchee Valley Tread | $7,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Freshwater Land Trust | $7,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Bike Utah | $7,000 | 1 | n/a |
| City of Hot Springs | $7,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Alaska Trails | $6,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Greater Milwaukee Committee for Community Development | $6,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Fusion Partnership Inc | $6,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Wv Trail Inc | $6,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Hampton Inn & Suites | $5,667 | 1 | n/a |
| Cycles of Change | $5,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Detroit Greenways Coalition | $5,000 | 1 | 7% |
| Southeast Community Development Corporation Inc | $5,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Camden County Municipal Utilities Author | $5,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Montgomery County Parks Foundation Inc | $5,000 | 1 | 1% |
| Friends of Clare County Parks Andrecreation | $5,000 | 1 | n/a |
| Transformca dba Transform | $5,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition | $5,000 | 1 | 0% |
| Monongahela River Trails Conservancy Limited | $5,000 | 1 | n/a |
Where it is load-bearing
Rails to Trails Conservancy supplied at least a quarter of the budget for 4 of its grantees at some point. The chart plots its 89 largest grantees; load-bearing ones sit top left.
Tap a dot to name the grantee.
How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 89.
Co-funders
Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.
National Fish and Wildlife FoundationDC23× affinity17 shared granteesties to 10 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →
Open a dossier: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation · Rei Cooperative Action Fund · AARP · Clif Family Foundation · Greater Milwaukee Foundation Inc · The William Penn Foundation · National Forest Foundation · Outride fka The Specialized Foundation · Abc Foundation Charitable Trust · Justice Outside · Joseph and Vera Zilber Family Foundation Inc · National Recreation and Park Association
How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.
About Rails to Trails Conservancy
- How much does Rails to Trails Conservancy give?
- Rails to Trails Conservancy reported 35 itemized grants totaling $707,390, out of $737,390 in total grant expense reported on the return in its FY2025 IRS filing. It funded between 7 and 32 organizations a year over FY2018 to FY2024.
- What does Rails to Trails Conservancy fund?
- By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2025, its largest causes are Recreation & Sports (73%), Community Improvement (14%), Environment (7%).
- Who are Rails to Trails Conservancy's largest grantees?
- By total granted over FY2017 to FY2025: City of Brownsville ($1.5M), New Jersey Bicycle Coalition Inc Dba D/B/A New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition ($380k), 30th Street Industrial Corridor Corp ($264k).
- Does Rails to Trails Conservancy fund new organizations?
- In FY2024, 78% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
- Which funders back the same organizations as Rails to Trails Conservancy?
- Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Rei Cooperative Action Fund, AARP.
- Where is Rails to Trails Conservancy based?
- Rails to Trails Conservancy is based in DC.
Play a game based on Rails to Trails Conservancy’s filings →
More from the funding graph
The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home