Playground equipment grants in Kentucky

DLG's Office of Federal Grants runs the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in Kentucky. Per the DLG LWCF page, a request must be at least $25,000 and no more than $1,000,000. Cities, counties, and state and federal agencies may apply.

It is a 50/50 matching reimbursement program. Your government pays the costs, then DLG repays half of the approved total. One step catches new sponsors. You must file a separate deed restriction before any money comes back.

The 2026 applications are due Friday, October 30, 2026, by email to the Office of Federal Grants. Before that date you also need a State Clearinghouse review. A letter from the State Historic Preservation Office is required too. DLG says a quick preliminary site check does not count.

The 2026 Kentucky application scores every project out of 125 points. A few rows carry most of the weight for a playground.

• Up to 30 points for meeting 8 to 10 goals in the SCORP, the state's outdoor recreation plan. A project that meets none is ineligible.
• Up to 25 points if a full-time park or recreation department will maintain the site. A designated outside group earns 5 points.
• 10 points if the project serves two or more special populations, such as people with disabilities or older residents.
• 10 points if the applicant has no open LWCF project.

Another 10 points go to plans where at least half of the request pays for the main facility. For you, that is the play equipment itself, not restrooms or lighting. Kentucky is also renewing its SCORP, and DLG takes public comments until November 6, 2026.

The site needs a public owner. A lease works only if a government agency owns the land, and the lease must have 25 years left at approval. The whole park boundary becomes protected for recreation forever, not just the new play area.

Churches, PTOs and nonprofits cannot sponsor LWCF in Kentucky. They still have real jobs. The match sheet lists donations, donated labor, donated equipment and donated materials as accepted sources. Each must be counted in the detailed budget, with hours and wages for any labor.

Your group can also fill the public meeting. DLG wants it advertised with at least a week's notice, and it asks for sign-in sheets and minutes.

The Energy and Environment Cabinet runs the Crumb Rubber/Tire-Derived Products grant. Money comes from the Waste Tire Trust Fund, which collects fees on new tire sales. The waste tire page lists poured-in-place playgrounds among eligible projects. Loose crumb-rubber playground fill is not eligible.

This grant is open well beyond town hall. Public school districts, private schools, private entities, park operators, and city and county governments may all apply. You put up at least 25% of the cost. The grant pays only for the rubber product and its shipping. Install costs do not qualify, but they can count toward your share.

Funding is approved up front, so a finished project cannot be paid back later. The 2026 round closed at 4:30 p.m. on April 1, 2026, after a February call for proposals. One more rule: if your county is out of step with its solid waste plan, nobody there can receive this grant.

The FY2025 tire program report shows who wins. Our Savior Lutheran School in Jefferson County got $94,100 for a poured-in-place playground. Independence received $90,000 for two playgrounds at Memorial Park. Paducah's school board got $56,000 for Clark Elementary.

Governor Andy Beshear's 2024 LWCF selections put $3.9 million into 32 Kentucky projects. Crescent Springs planned $245,000 for new playground equipment at Lou Hartfiel Memorial Park. Harrodsburg planned $217,730 for a new playground and a sprinkler system at Anderson Dean Park. Each still needed final review by the National Park Service.

The two state sources pay for different things. LWCF can cover equipment and site work, while the tire grant buys only the rubber surface. National grants and private matching offers are on our playground grants overview.

DLG asks for quotes in the detailed budget, so collect them early. Use our quote request to hear from Kentucky dealers and manufacturers' reps. Ask them to price the equipment and the poured-in-place surfacing as separate lines.