Circuit Trails Coalition Community Grants Program is investing $150K in the region.

Trail enthusiasts can celebrate more.

The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) and Circuit Trails Coalition have announced a $150,000 investment to support community-led programming in Greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey along the Circuit Trails network.

The Community Grant Program, administered by PEC and funded by the William Penn Foundation, aims to support culturally relevant projects and programs on or near the Circuit Trails network, which currently spans 375 miles of completed trail. The program seeks to create a more inclusive and welcoming experience for trail users, with a focus on under-resourced and under-served communities that the 800-mile Circuit Trails network serves.

The Circuit Trails Coalition Community Grant Program is a result of recommendations from the Circuit Trails 2020 Equity of Access to Trails study, which highlighted the need to prioritize equity and inclusivity in trail development. The grant program aims to support projects that align with neighborhood priorities and promote engagement and activities that benefit the local community.

“We want everyone to feel welcome and included in these spaces. These grantees are doing powerful work in their communities and are integrating the trail network into their programs in ways that meet the needs and priorities of their neighbors and the people they serve,” said Sarah Clark Stuart, chair of the Circuit Trails Coalition and executive director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.

The 2023 Circuit Trails Coalition Community Grant Program recipients are:

• 9th Street Youth & Community Center – Environmental Youth Corps Program: To support tree plantings, tending and maintenance, summer habitat projects, basketball equipment, installing picnic tables and hosting mentoring/life skills workshops along the Chester Creek Trail in Chester’s Eyre Park.
• Artworks Trenton – Artworks Trail Jam: To support Artworks Trenton and Trenton Cycling Revolution’s Community Outreach Garage to develop and host “Artworks Trail Jam,” an event bringing artists and community members together to create new art along a section of the D&R Canal Trail.
• East Trenton Collaborative – East Trenton Tactical Urbanism: To create equitable access to the D&R Canal Trail by installing traffic calming infrastructure, creative wayfinding and public art.
• Exploring Nature with Disability Pride PA:To produce inclusive activities along the Delaware River Trail from South Philly to Northern Liberties. Activities will include: Walk & Learns, Picnic along the Delaware Trail, Disability Arts, and Making Music with PHONK Philly.
• Get Fresh Daily – Get Fresh Families Outside: To launch Get Fresh Families Outside, an initiative to teach campers how to ride a bike and invite families to ride with their children and enjoy the Circuit Trails, specifically Bartram’s Mile Trail and Cobbs Creek Trail. 
• Healing Through the Land: To engage community members with workshops, walks and activities along Cobbs Creek Trail, Bartram’s Mile Trail and John Heinz Trail that aim to reconnect and elevate Black and Brown people to nature for holistic healing that inspires and builds upon community sustainability.
• Hike+Heal: To support programming that brings a sense of community to women of color who seek feelings of safety, discovery and who desire to explore the trails of Philadelphia.
• Mid-Atlantic Youth Anglers & Outdoors Partners – Circuit Trails Fishing and Birding Training and Experiences: To create free, monthly public fishing and birding training and outings along the Delaware River Greenway at Lardner’s Point, the Delaware River at Camden-Cooper River/Park and the Schuylkill River and trail tributary areas in Norristown. 
• Superior Arts Institute – #AdvocacyThruArt: To engage Camden youth in learning about the Circuit Trails through creating, filming and producing content that celebrates the trail and creates a heightened sense of belonging in urban green spaces.
• Youth Development United – Chester Bike Rodeos: To engage Chester City youth and families in bike riding lessons, bicycle safety and activities that encourage them to maximize health and wellness benefits while enjoying Chester’s Delaware Riverfront Trail and the Eyre Park Levee Walk along Chester Creek.

Photo by R. Rabena for VISIT PHILADELPHIA® 

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher