Outdoor recreation grants awarded

Gov. Sarah Sanders joined Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Shea Lewis, Health Secretary Renee Mallory, and Office of Outdoor Recreation Director Katherine Andrews to present $468,838.69 in Outdoor Recreation Grants to projects in four cities across the state.

The 2025 Great Strides grant recipients are:

• Denning, $73,897.50, City of Denning Park Trail
• Keo, $114,192, City of Keo Park Trail
• Ozan, $121,200, City of Ozan Park Trail
• Sulphur Springs, $159,550, City of Sulphur Springs Park Trail

Recipient communities will use these grant funds to establish health and fitness trails that encourage physical activity and provide health benefits through safe and easily accessible facilities.

The Sanders administration revived Great Strides in 2024 after the program went dormant in 2017. The funding for this grant program comes from Arkansas’ Tobacco Settlement Fund.

“The focus of the Great Strides program since we restarted it has been to make every part of Arkansas, particularly our smaller communities, great places to live and raise a family by investing in outdoor recreation opportunities,” said Sanders. “Thank you to the teams at the Departments of Health and Parks, Heritage and Tourism who made these investments possible – and more importantly, thank you to the four communities receiving this funding for their desire and hard work to improve every Arkansans’ quality of life.”

“These grants exemplify our shared commitment to enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities for all Arkansans, reflecting the bold vision of the Governor’s Natural State Initiative,” said Lewis. “When we support outdoor recreation, we’re doing more than improving parks and pathways—we’re investing in public health, economic growth, and quality of life.”

“We are thrilled to be able to give communities the resources they need to design outdoor spaces that provide more opportunities for healthy living,” said Mallory. “Outdoor trails can improve our physical, mental, and social health and wellness and allow for healthier lifestyle choices for ourselves, our families, and our communities.”

“Today, we celebrate four different communities in Arkansas that now have the opportunity to expand and improve their access to outdoor recreation,” said Andrews. “It is an honor that we can continue to provide these grants to communities that want to create new connections to the outdoors for their residents.”

Since 2001, the Great Strides program has funded 105 projects in 58 counties, totaling $3,832,315.60.