July 2025 Newsletter

RTC’s TrailNation™ Collaborative is a multidisciplinary learning community for anyone interested in working in trail and active transportation. Join the email list.

Federal Policy Update

Reconciliation Bill Claws Back Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Trails, Walking and Biking

When One Big Beautiful Bill was signed into law on July 4, Congress rescinded unobligated funding from the Neighborhood Access and Equity Program (NAE), including approximately $750 million for trails. As a result, hundreds of projects nationwide lost critical funding for locally driven initiatives to reconnect communities—many centered on making it safer and easier for people to walk and bike. This is a blow to the communities whose funding was eliminated, and to our movement to connect the nation’s trails and active transportation infrastructure. 

Looking ahead, Rails to Trails Conservancy will remain vigilant in advancing a federal policy agenda that provides opportunities to overcome this setback, making trails as well as safe, connected active-transportation infrastructure accessible to all Americans. We will continue to share updates, including our analysis of the impact of this loss of funding and ways to organize in the weeks and months ahead. In the meantime, we encourage you to read more about these funding recissions here.

Inside the TrailNation Summit Agenda

Rails to Trails Conservancy’s TrailNation^™ Summit is an upcoming, one-of-a-kind gathering designed to engage, inspire and offer actionable solutions for building trail networks across the country. At the heart of the Summit are master class sessions, where we’ll gather in groups for deep collaboration, knowledge sharing and relationship–building—the key ingredients to a successful trail network.

Master class sessions are designed for everyone, at all experience levels, involved in trail network development! These classes will feature expert instructors from RTC and across the country, who will speak about how to troubleshoot real-life challenges and identify scalable solutions for advancing our work long after the Summit concludes. Certified planners attending the Summit will be eligible for more than 12 AICP CM credits!

Learning Opportunity

Dig Into What It Takes to Engage People in Building Out Your Trail Network—and Why It Matters! 

RTC’s next TrailNation Spotlight Series on July 24 offers a preview of the TrailNation Summit master class sessions, featuring a conversation with Becky Flynn, deputy director of the Arkansas Office of Outdoor Recreation. We’ll explore how the Delta Heritage Trail in Eastern Arkansas is a tool for supporting tourism from outside the region, engaging local weekend warriors, and providing access for people to walk and bike safely every day! We’ll also learn more about how the team behind the trail engages this range of people in building more support to achieve its goals.

Apply Today

Trails Across America Historical Marker Program

Deadline extended to July 21! Don’t miss the opportunity to apply for the first round of RTC’s Trails Across America historical marker program! In collaboration with one of the nation’s leading funders of historical markers, we will make available premium cast-aluminum markers featuring unique places, people and history along greenways, canal towpaths and rail-trails—linking and inspiring communities by honoring their pasts. RTC will work in collaboration with community partners to select, develop and install the markers, which are fully funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation.

Ideas will be accepted in multiple rolling rounds through our quick pre-application process (the form takes about 15 minutes), with submissions for our first round due by July 21, 2025. Learn more about the grant program and how to apply on RTC’s Trails Across America web page. Got questions? Email Amy Kapp at amy@railstotrails.org.

Looking for inspiration? Check out how RTC and the Pomeroy Foundation commemorated these 12 rich histories along the route of the Great American Rail-Trail^™.

Upcoming TrailNation Collaborative Events

Our learning events, webinars and interactive online dialogues provide opportunities to connect with other trail experts and advocates, all while giving you the tools and resources you need to advance your trail network. Mark your calendars for the events coming up this year!

Trails and Economic Development: Showcasing Impact
Wednesday, July 23 | Register Here
1.0 AICP CM credits available

TrailNation Spotlight: Delta Heritage Trail
Thursday, July 24 | Register Here
1.0 AICP CM credits available

TrailNation Spotlight: August Edition
Wednesday, August 27 | Registration Coming Soon

TrailNation Spotlight: September Edition
Wednesday, September 17 | Registration Coming Soon

Historical Preservation and Trail Engagement: Trails Across America Historical Marker Grant Program
Wednesday, September 10 | Submit Your Marker Idea

TrailNation Summit (Cleveland, Ohio)
Monday, Oct. 27—Wednesday, Oct. 29 | Register Here
AICP CM credits available

Find registration links for all sessions at railstotrails.org/webinars.

Funding Opportunities

APPLY NOW: Lululemon Community Wellbeing Grants
Deadline: Friday, Aug. 1
Powered by the Lululemon Centre for Social Impact, the Community Wellbeing Grant is our annual application-based grant program that accelerates the work of nonprofit organizations around the globe that are advancing the well-being of their communities through creating equitable access to movement and mindful programming. Interested organizations can apply for up to $50,000 USD, which should not exceed 40% of their most recently completed fiscal year’s operating budget. 

NOW OPEN: T-Mobile Hometown Grant Program
Deadline: Tuesday, Sept. 30
For communities with populations of 50,000 or less, the program provides grants of up to $50,000 to help build stronger, more prosperous small towns and rural communities. Nonprofits and municipalities are encouraged to apply.

Get more information about funding sources for trails and active transportation on RTC’s Federal Funding Resources page.

Resources

PeopleforBikes: 2025 City Ratings
The latest city rankings are now available from PeopleforBikes, which evaluates the bikeablity of cities worldwide. This year, 234 cities in the United States received a score of 50 out of 100 or higher, a significant increase from years prior.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection: Transportation Needs Index
Developed in conjunction with the New Jersey State Office of Innovation, the index is a data-driven analysis tool that helps to identify areas for potential transportation investments and may serve as a model for other states and regions across the country.

Transportation Safety for Tribes: Pedestrian Safety in Tribal Areas
This study report discusses available resources and provides new tools for Tribal agencies and others who may be involved with pedestrian safety to help determine high-risk areas within Tribal communities, identify potential safety improvements and prioritize potential improvements or locations.

RTC: Webinars From the Archive
Miss a recent webinar or online dialogue? You can find free access to all of our recent RTC virtual events in the webinar archive or Resource Library on our website. This includes the newest addition to our TrailNation Playbook in Action series, Building Investment Strategies That Unlock Funding, which was designed to spark your imagination for vibrant and inclusive trail programming!

Other Events You Won’t Want to Miss!

APBP: Understanding the Bike-Train Connection: Best Practices & How to Collect Data on Experiences
Wednesday, July 16

Main Street America: Sowing the Seeds of Service: Creating Committed Volunteers for Life
Thursday, July 17

American Trails: National Trails Legislative Update 2025
Thursday, July 24

Main Street America: Bridging Humanities and Preservation Through Community Storytelling
Thursday, July 24

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center: AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities Webinar Series

Part 2: Design Principles of High-Comfort Bikeways | Thursday, July 31

Part 3: Additional Advances in Bicycling Design | Thursday, September 11

Main Street America: Strengthening Together: Shared Strategies for Disaster Preparedness
Thursday, July 31

Registration links to these events and more can be found on the TrailNation Collaborative web page.

Tools for Collaborative Members

Get access to all the resources you need to create a vibrant trail network for your community—from funding opportunities to technical assistance.

• Sign up for the TrailNation Collaborative.
• Connect with the TrailNation Collaborative on Facebook.
• Explore our TrailNation Playbook.
• Learn about federal transportation funding for trails.
• Visit our Trail-Building Toolbox.