Land and Climate Grant Program

The Land Trust Alliance and Open Space Institute are pleased to announce the 2022 Land and Climate Grant Program. The program aims to support and build the capacity of land trusts and other groups that conserve and steward land to integrate climate change into land protection and management decisions.

The program will support the development of climate-informed land conservation, stewardship or communications plans that address one or more of the following issues: habitat resilience, carbon mitigation or community adaptation to climate impacts such as stronger storms, flooding, drought, fire or extreme heat.

Projects should achieve one or more of the following deliverables:

• Land protection plans: Incorporate climate science into new or existing strategic conservation plans that target land protection for climate adaptation or mitigation.
• Management plans: Incorporate climate science into land stewardship or management plans to address adaptation and/or mitigation strategies.
• Communications plans: Develop a comprehensive climate communication strategy that promotes the adaptation and mitigation goals of the organization and its conservation or stewardship plans.

We encourage proposals that address the inequitable burdens of climate change and environmental racism on Black, Indigenous and People of Color and low-income communities.

Innovative proposals could support efforts, including application assistance, to secure funding through new or expanded federal programs to mitigate climate impacts such as flooding and/or strengthen community climate resilience, particularly in vulnerable, underserved communities. This may include funding programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

See a list of grants and technical support awarded in the 2021 grant round.

Opportunity

Through the program, Land Trust Alliance and Open Space Institute will award $300,000 to support projects and/or provide technical support to qualified applicants in the 2022 grant round.

Planning grants

Applicants can apply for grants of between $5,000 - $15,000 through a common application process. Depending on geography and focus of the proposal, requests will be reviewed and administered by either the Alliance or OSI. See details below for differences in eligibility, geography and focus for the two organizations. Applicants that meet eligibility criteria will automatically be considered for both pools of funding. Planning grants may be awarded to land trusts, not-for-profit organizations and state or federally recognized Tribes.

Land trust technical support

One-on-one technical support is available to assist land trusts in developing climate-informed strategic conservation or communications plans. The technical support awards are separate from the planning grants, and qualified applicants may apply for both a grant and technical support or only technical support. Applying for technical support will not have a positive or negative impact on planning grant award decisions. Consultant capacity, available funding and project and organizational needs will be considered when evaluating requests for technical support. Please note that technical support is only available to Alliance member land trusts and Affiliate state land trust associations. Find detailed information on Technical Support.

Eligibility

Grant period

• Projects must begin in 2022 and be completed within 12 months.

Eligible use of grant funds

• The grants may be used to cover costs associated with the development of strategic conservation plans or land management plans as described above or to develop internal policies, procedures and communications in support of this work. Eligible costs include, but are not limited to staff time, travel, indirect costs (up to 15%) and project consultants.

Ineligible use of grant funds

• General operating support;
• research that is not directly related to the conservation planning or management project described in the application;
• land acquisition and restoration capital costs;
• political lobbying; or
• development of carbon offset projects.*

*The Alliance’s Carbon Offset Pilot Program provides a separate opportunity for qualified land trusts to apply for grants that support carbon offset project development.

Methods

Applicants may employ a variety of climate science and mapping and planning tools in their projects. We welcome the use of diverse forms of knowledge in project proposals, including Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous science.

Recommended data sources and approaches include, but are not limited to:

• The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient and Connect Network Mapping Tool
• Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science’s Adaptation Workbook
• Dibaginjigaadeg Anishinaabe Ezhitwaad – A Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu, produced by the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission
• Open Space Institute’s guides to land protection for carbon mitigation and evaluating carbon storage and sequestration
• Headwaters Economics neighborhoods at risk tool

Who may apply

Land Trust Alliance grants and technical support

• Land Trust Alliance member land trusts and Affiliate state land trust associations are eligible to apply for planning grants and technical support.
• Applicants must have been a qualified organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code for at least two years, or, in the case of Affiliate member state land trust associations, have an established fiduciary meeting this qualification.
• Applicants must be a current member in good standing of the Land Trust Alliance.
• Preference is given to accredited land trusts and organizations with a board-approved plan to pursue accreditation.
• Geographic eligibility: Nation-wide, with the following exception: Due to extensive investments in climate planning through the Alliance’s Pacific Northwest Resilient Landscapes Initiative, projects based in OR, WA and ID are not eligible for this round of funding.

Please note that technical support awards are only available through Land Trust Alliance.

Open Space Institute Grants

• The following entities are eligible to apply for Open Space Institute grants:
  • 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations or organizations that otherwise fulfill a similar not-for-profit charitable purpose
  • State or federally recognized Tribes

• Geographic eligibility: OSI will consider applications from the following Eastern U.S. states: AL, CT, DE, FL, GA, KY, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, TN, VT, VA, WV.
• OSI will award grants to support strategic conservation and land stewardship plans that address climate resilience with a preference for projects that integrate forest carbon and/or flood hazard mitigation.
• Dedicated funds are available for projects located in the Delaware River Basin that address flooding or other climate impacts to water quality.

Please note that technical support awards are not available through the Open Space Institute.

Match

• There is no match requirement. Applicants will be asked to report the full project budget, and any sources of funding in addition to the grant request as part of the financial summary form. Documentation of in-kind or cash match is appreciated where possible.

Evaluation criteria

Projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Project impact: The project has the potential to inform conservation decisions (such as land protection, land stewardship or related activities) in the near term. If the project does not cover a broad geographic region (e.g., county scale or larger), the applicant should demonstrate how the project serves as a model or demonstration or will influence the way the organization operates.
• Audience : The plan seeks to inform the actions of an identified audience (such as a land trust or organization, Tribe, landowners, municipalities, public agency partners, etc.). that has the resources and commitment to achieve the goals of the project.
• Methods and use of science: The proposal identifies information sources that will be used in the project and articulates clear steps or methods to achieve outcomes.
• Feasibility:- The project team has the capacity, expertise and commitment to complete the project. The project is likely to succeed within the proposed timeframe. The applicant demonstrates ability to make effective use of technical support, if requested.
• Community benefit: The applicant demonstrates how the project will strengthen climate resilience in communities facing climate threats or address the inequitable burdens of climate impacts.

Application process and timeline

Applications will be accepted April 18 – June 8.

A PDF of the grant application and financial summary are available for reference purposes only. All applications must be submitted through the Land Trust Alliance’s grant portal, Foundant.

Applicants will be notified of grant decisions by end of July 2022.