State Awards $469K in Outdoor Recreation Grants

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The state has awarded nearly $469,000 in outdoor recreation grants to projects in four cities.

The funds come from the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Fund and were awarded through the Great Strides program, which Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders revived in 2024 after more than five years of inactivity. The program aims to “make every part of Arkansas, particularly our smaller communities, great places to live and raise a family,” Sanders said in a news release.

The 2025 grant recipients, grant awards and projects 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

Recipients will use the funds to establish health and fitness trails that encourage physical activity and provide health benefits through safe and easily accessible facilities.

Since 2001, the Great Strides program has funded 105 projects in 58 counties, totaling $3.8 million.