A. The "outdoor equity grant program" is created in the department to be administered by the commission.

B. Each fiscal year, competitive grants shall be awarded to applicants for the sole purpose of funding outdoor recreation programs, in whole or in part, for youth up to the age of eighteen.

C. Annually, the commission shall establish a minimum and maximum number of grants available based on the funding appropriated to the outdoor equity grant program fund for that fiscal year.

D. The commission shall award grants to applicants through a competitive process and based upon the following minimum criteria:

(1) at least forty percent of the population served by the applicant are low-income youth up to the age of eighteen;

(2) the applicant has a well-developed, written plan to engage low-income youth in outdoor recreation activities; and

(3) the applicant has an educational plan to educate youth about climate and the environment as part of its outdoor recreation program.

E. The commission shall establish grant reporting requirements that meet the general purpose of this section.

F. For the purposes of this section:

(1) "applicant" means a county, municipality or other political subdivision of the state, a nonprofit organization or an Indian nation, tribe or pueblo that applies for an outdoor equity grant; and

(2) "outdoor recreation" means a recreational activity that occurs outdoors in a natural environment, including the use of trails, the natural landscape, water or snow resources or other natural resources in the activity.

History: Laws 2019, ch. 117, § 7.

Effective dates. — Laws 2019, ch. 117, § 9 made Laws 2019, ch. 117, § 7 effective July 1, 2019.