LEWISBURG — The Susquehanna Greenway Partnership is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Susquehanna Greenway mini-grant program, as well as the exciting opening of a second application round to distribute funds still available.

Of the first round, congratulations are in order to the Lewisburg Neighborhoods Corporation and the Montour Area Recreation Commission for their awarded projects on the Susquehanna Greenway.

Improvements to the Lewisburg Railroad Bridge: The Lewisburg Neighborhood Corporation seeks to further long-held ambitions of converting the degrading Lewisburg Railroad Bridge into an exciting extension of the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail system. Following a recent historic renovation of the bridge’s abutment, Susquehanna Greenway Mini-Grant funds will be put towards additional improvements to bring this riverfront space to the next level.

Signage for the J. Manley Robbins Trail in Danville: The Montour Area Recreation Commission plans to create and install an interpretive sign at the Beaver Place Trailhead of the Robbins (Hess Loop) Trail at the Hess Recreation Area in Danville Borough, Montour County. The proposed sign will feature images and text explaining the trail’s history as the oldest known rail-to-trail in the United States. The sign will provide information to trail users and the research for the sign will generate content that MARC and MARC’s partners will use to advertise and promote the trail’s history, generating interest from out-of-town visitors.

In addition to funding these exciting projects, the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership is reopening the mini-grant program to a winter 2024 round of applications, which began on Jan. 8. The application window will close at 4:59 p.m. on March 1. Eligible applicants can apply online at susquehannagreenway.org/mini-grant-program.

Eligible applicants include registered non-profit organizations who are able to apply for DCNR-supported funding and public entities (such as a county, municipality, or municipal agency). Proposed activities must fit within one of the three eligible categories:

1. Education and outreach

2. Wayfinding and signage

3. Trail or access site improvement.

Detailed descriptions of these categories are available on the grant landing page at susquehannagreenway.org/mini-grant-program.

Applicants may request up to $10,000, and proposals must include a 1:1 match (cash or in-kind). While only one award will be given to each applying entity, more than one application can be submitted for consideration.

All awarded funding must be utilized within the May 1-Dec. 29, 2024 contract period.

The Susquehanna Greenway mini-grant program is financed by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnership Program, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. As such, mini-grants may not be used as match for other DCNR-funded projects, nor may DCNR funding be used to match this mini-grant. Awarded projects will be required to adhere to all DCNR’s grant guidelines and eligible expense policies, and all projects must acknowledge the SGP and DCNR on marketing materials and media releases. Grant contracts will provide more details to grant awardees.

If you are unable to submit your application online, please submit applications by email to info@susquehannagreenway.org or mail to the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership (Attn: Grant Committee) at 301 Market Street, Unit No. 649, Lewisburg PA 17837.

Awarded projects can expect to be notified in April 2024.

The Susquehanna Greenway is a corridor of connected trails, parks, river access points, and communities, linking people to the natural and cultural treasures of the Susquehanna River. The mission of the Susquehanna Greenway Partnership is to continue to grow the Greenway by building connections along the Susquehanna River, inspiring people to engage with the outdoors, and transforming communities into places where people want to live, work, and explore. Learn more at susquehannagreenway.org.