Partnerships

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy establishes strong, critical connections at the national, regional, corporate and community level—all of which play an important role in ensuring trails and trail programs are supported and promoted across America.

Here are a few examples of how our partnerships are playing a major role in our trail development and trail promotion work.

National Sphere of Influence

Partnership for Active Transportation

Through the Partnership for Active Transportation, we’re collaborating with AARP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Public Health Association, America Walks and LOCUS to promote greater federal investment in trails, and walking and bicycling networks and to facilitate greater physical activity in Americans through increased active-transportation options.

Learn more about the Partnership and its recently released federal policy platform, Safe Routes to Everywhere.

Our Corporate Family

Our corporate partners help make it possible for us to promote and support rail-trails in the smallest communities and largest cities. Through their amazing support, we provide critical trail enhancements and trail development projects and honor some of the most unique rail-trails and interesting trail champions in America.

For more information on our corporate program and to learn how your company can get involved, contact our National Office.

REI

Since 2011, REI has supported RTC’s efforts to help build and grow the capacity of local trail groups in 15 key metropolitan areas across the country through stewardship-based activities, events and trail enhancement programs. Through this grant program, we’ve provided customized assistance and support to more than 30 trail groups, with a focus on developing or expanding programs essential to improving the conditions of trails and their surrounding environments, while creating safe and inviting spaces to encourage trail use.

Coca-Cola Foundation

In September 2008, The Coca‐Cola Foundation provided a generous two‐year grant to RTC to create the Metropolitan Grants Program (MGP), a pass‐through grant initiative that supports exemplary trail organizations and initiatives in select metropolitan areas across the country. Coca‐Cola continued to support this work annually in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. The grants facilitated through RTC are assisting communities in their efforts to increase trail use and provide easy access for more than two million people living near local trails.

Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente was an early supporter of the Partnership for Active Transportation, providing valuable support that helped the partners establish a broad-based coalition of nonprofit, for-profit and public sector groups working together at the intersection of transportation, public health and community vitality.

Fully invested in getting people out and active, Kaiser continues to play a hands-on role in elevating RTC’s connections to the health community and promoting the role of trails on improving people’s health.

Doppelt Family Foundation

For years, the Doppelt Family Foundation has supported RTC in recognizing the incredible rail-trails that, over the years, have inspired hundreds of others similar projects across the country, as well as the amazing people who have made rail-trails a reality across the country—through our Rail-Trail Hall of Fame and Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champions initiatives.

Multi-Regional Collaborations

Through two massive regional trail collaborations, including the Circuit in the Greater Philadelphia Region and the Power of 32+, a partnership that will bridge borders in 52 counties in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and New York, RTC is helping to establish massive off-road trail networks that will connect millions of people to jobs, neighborhoods, major tourism destinations, parks, schools and business districts—and serve as major catalysts for health, economic growth and social synergy.

Community Partners

The most powerful change happens at the local level. Understanding this, RTC works to help make impactful changes at the neighborhood and individual level in communities around the country.

Trail-Development

Through our trail-development team, we work with nonprofits, trail groups and state and local public agencies to provide assistance, expertise and technical support that ensure trail projects of all shapes and sizes are successfully supported and completed.

Community Programs

By working with local partners, such as YMCAs, youth advocacy organizations, and biking and walking groups in underserved communities across the country—demonstrated by our recent work in Camden, N.J.—we help inspire new generations of trail stewards and trail users.

Small-Ticket Grants

Through state partnerships we provide trail enhancement grants that help communities leverage local funds and make needed improvements to their trail systems.

Events

Through major initiatives such as our annual Opening Day for Trails and our annual Sojourns, we partner with local trail groups and local communities to celebrate trail use and demonstrate their impact of trails on our economies, our health and well being, and our society.