Accreditation
Applicants for voluntary land trust accreditation must demonstrate compliance with a set of accreditation indicator practices selected from Land Trust Standards and Practices. These practices are designated by the Land Trust Alliance and indicate a land trust’s ability to operate in an ethical, legal and technically sound manner and ensure the long-term protection of land in the public interest.
Indicator practices are chosen based on the following criteria:
- Responsible governance of the organization
- Protection of the public interest with sound and sustainable land transactions and stewardship
- Ethical operations
- Accountability to donors and the public
- Compliance with all laws, such as IRC §170(h) and §501(c)(3)
Upcoming Webinars on Accreditation
New in 2009, the Commission is hosting free webinars throughout the year to provide information on different topics related to accreditation. Whether you are already registered to apply in 2009 or are just learning about the accreditation program, the Commission hopes to provide useful information through these webinars and to give you the opportunity to ask your burning questions. Learn more about and see the latest accreditation webinars >>
About the Commission
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission was established as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance in 2006 to operate a voluntary accreditation program to verify that land trusts are meeting the indicator practices. The Alliance encourages all land trusts to follow the entire set of Land Trust Standards and Practices and to adopt them as guiding principles for their organizations.
Where Can I Get More Information?
The Land Trust Alliance has detailed information on how to implement the accreditation indicator practices on its online learning center. You can access the learning center by going to http://learningcenter.lta.org. More information on the land trust accreditation program is available at www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
