Welcome to NRPA's CAPRA Application Portal!

NRPA's Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA)  provides quality assurance and quality improvement of accredited park and recreation agencies throughout the United States by providing agencies with a management system of best practices. CAPRA is the only national accreditation of park and recreation agencies and is a valuable measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management, and service to the community. Achieving CAPRA accreditation is the best way to demonstrate that your agency and your staff provide your community with the highest level of service.

For a full overview of the accreditation process, please click here.

To get started with the accreditation process, please click here in order to fill out an initial application for accreditation. 

Accreditation Process Resources

• NRPA/CAPRA Accreditation Handbook (2016, 17th Edition). This handbook provides an overview of CAPRA’s policies, procedures and writing guidelines, which must be strictly followed.
• CAPRA Standards 2014 or CAPRA Military Standards
• Management of Park and Recreation Agencies, 2017, 4th Edition, NRPA/CAPRA. This resource includes the desirable practices and procedures of the profession which are embodied in the CAPRA Accreditation Standards for park and recreation agencies.

Consider joining the NRPA CAPRA Connect group to connect with agencies and volunteers who have participated in accreditation OR are considering accreditation for their agencies. This is a great resource for personal experiences from other agencies and volunteers about the CAPRA accreditation process.

We look forward to helping your agency reach its full potential through CAPRA accreditation. Please do not hesitate to contact NRPA at capra@nrpa.org with any specific questions you may have.