The Land Trust Excellence Grants Program, a joint program of the Land Trust Alliance (Alliance), the New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF), and the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association (PALTA) provides funding to help them implement national Land Trust Standards and Practices, earn land trust accreditation, and prepare for overall growth and long-term sustainability. The Alliance, NJCF, and PALTA through the generous support of the William Penn Foundation, are pleased to offer grants in Pennsylvania and New Jersey through this program for organizational excellence. For the 2011 grant cycle, the Land Trust Excellence Grants Program offers grants in three categories:

1. Guided Organizational Assessments–– In-depth organizational assessments against Standards and Practices are the primary tool land trusts use to begin the process of strengthening their conservation practices and identifying priority areas for improvement. A land trust must have recently completed this assessment to be eligible for accreditation. This category will fund guided assessments at up to $5,000 per land trust.
2. Improvement Grants–– Improvement grants enable land trusts to make needed upgrades to their organizational and conservation practices, usually as identified by their guided organizational assessment, in preparation for the accreditation review process. This category will fund improvement grants of up to $7,500 each; and/or
3. Technical Assistance–– An award of Alliance staff or expert consultant time to help land trusts through the process of assembling an accreditation application. While the technical assistance won’t put the application together for the land trust (it’s important the land trust takes responsibility for the actual assembly of the application) it could provide review of key policies and practices as well as other materials submitted with the application. This category will offer grants of up to $5,000 each for a land trust to contract a mentorship with Alliance staff or Alliance-trained consultants.

Grant Amount

• Guided Organizational Assessment Grant awards may be up to a maximum of $5,000
• Improvement Grant awards may be up to a maximum of $7,500
• Technical Assistance Grant awards may be up to $5,000

Grant Period

The grant period is for up to 12 months. A final report, summarizing activities and outcomes, will be due upon completion of the project, or at the completion of the grant period, whichever is first.            

Grant Amount

• Guided Organizational Assessment Grant awards may be up to a maximum of $5,000
• Improvement Grant awards may be up to a maximum of $7,500
• Technical Assistance Grant awards may be up to $5,000

Inquiries

Please contact Nicole Faraguna at 717.909.1298 or nfaraguna@conserveland.org to discuss your proposal before submitting your application to LTA. 

Deadline

Applications must be submitted by September 30, 2011. Please fill out the attached application and send a copy via email to Rob Cardeiro at the Land Trust Alliance at rcardeiro@lta.org.

Evaluation Criteria

The Review Committee will evaluate and rank your proposal based on the following criteria:

• Guided Organizational Assessment Grants: Proposal identifies the readiness of the organization for an intensive assessment. Explain how the assessment will advance the organization’s mission and work.
• Improvement Grants: Proposal articulates the organization’s specific needs in policy development or conservation practices. In addition, the proposal references the organization’s assessment and the priority of the specific need. Clearly state how the improvement(s) will strengthen the organization and help prepare it for accreditation.
• Technical Assistance Grants: Proposal articulates the organization’s readiness for accreditation and conveys a well-designed plan for registering for accreditation within the time period of this grant. Clearly state what accreditation will mean to the long-term viability of the organization and how the funded project will help advance the land trust toward reaching accreditation.
• Budget and Match Requirements: Project match funds will be secured by the project start date with the source(s) clearly documented. Project budget is clearly understandable. Preference is given to projects that have a funding match greater than the minimum required. NOTE: Assessment grants DO NOT require a budget; however they DO require a $250.00 cash match.
• Need and Likelihood of Success: Project can be reasonably accomplished within the stated schedule. Project has a high likelihood of success but is dependent on this funding.

Eligibility Requirements

• All applicants must be members of the Land Trust Alliance.
• All applicants must be qualified organizations under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
• Grants are restricted to land trusts located within the environmental target areas of the William Penn Foundation: six-county Greater Philadelphia Region (Bucks County, Camden County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia County).
• Applicants for the Improvement grants and Technical Assistance grants must have completed an assessment against the full Land Trust Standards and Practices within the last three years. Preference will be given to those that have used the Alliance’s Assessing Your Organization (AYO) as the organizational assessment tool. (The Land Trust Accreditation Commission requires that an assessment must be completed by the time of registration and may not be older than three years from the due date of the pre-application.)
• Applicants for the Technical Assistance grants must provide written confirmation that they have successfully registered for accreditation during the grant period. An Applicant that has not already registered must provide a letter signed by its Board Chair that the organization is committed to registering within the time period of this grant period.
• Applicants for the Improvement and Technical Assistance grants must provide a minimum 25% match against total project budget. The match can be in staff, consultant, and/or volunteer time, and/or direct expenses. Time and expenses for the match must be directly related to the grant activity. Applicants for the Guided Organizational Assessment grants must provide a cash match of $250.00.

Non-Eligible Projects

• Capital purchases/equipment purchases – unless otherwise agreed upon.
• General brochures and newsletters.
• Routine transaction costs, surveys, appraisals, etc.
• Accreditation application fees.

For More Information

Contact Nicole Faraguna - email: nfaraguna@conserveland.org | phone: 717.230.8560

A Joint Program of the Land Trust Alliance, the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, and the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association Funded by the William Penn Foundation