To support plants, animals, and people, OSI launched the Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund, an $18 million effort that provides capital grants to protect 50,000 acres in key focus areas along the Appalachian Range.
Donor Name: Open Space Institute
State: Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 12/19/2022
Size of the Grant: $50,000 and $400,000
Grant Duration: 18 months
Details:
To complement land protection efforts, OSI’s Climate Catalyst Program works in partnership with states, local communities, Tribes, land trusts, and other not-for-profit organizations to reduce climate risks for communities disproportionately affected by flooding and other climate-induced threats.
This Fund builds on the success of OSI’s Resilient Landscapes Initiative (2013 – 2020), which advanced the use of climate resilience science in land protection. Climate resilience remains a priority in this new fund, along with new emphasis on forests’ ability to store atmospheric carbon and on community equity and inclusion.
Funding Information
- OSI is seeking to secure $16.58 million in capital to deploy over four years through the Fund. At this juncture, of funds raised or conditionally committed, OSI has allocated $6.6 million to the Cradle of Southern Appalachia; $2.6 million to the Kittatinny; $3 million in grant capital and $1 million in zero interest loan capital to Western/Central Pennsylvania; and $2 million to the Northern Appalachians Focus Area. They will allocate additional funds based on monies raised and project demand.
- The Fund does not have a minimum or maximum grant size, but awards are typically between $50,000 and $400,000.
- OSI plans to announce future grants rounds every eight to ten months through 2023.
Eligibility Criteria
To be Eligible for a Capital Grant, projects must meet the following requirements:
- Lie at least partly within an ALPF Focus Area;
- Rank above average for Resilience. If your project ranks below average (less than 0 SD calculated by The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Lands Mapping Tool) but planned restoration is likely to increase the resilience value, please be in touch with the appropriate OSI field coordinator before applying;
- Achieve permanent protection through fee purchase of land and/or a conservation easement;
- Be stewarded to support maintaining and increasing climate resilience and carbon storage;
- Meet or exceed OSI Stewardship and Conservation Easement (if relevant) Standards;
- Be spearheaded by an entity with the capacity and financial ability to execute the transaction and ensure long-term stewardship of the property; and,
- Be completed within 18 months of receiving notification of OSI’s grant award.
Eligible Projects
OSI evaluates Eligible Projects against the following Criteria:
- Amount and extent of the property that ranks above average for Climate Resilience based on current conditions or, if relevant, estimated benefits of restored landcover;
- Extent and type of Underrepresented Geophysical Settings found on the property;
- Forest carbon storage potential for 2050 relative to the Focus Area average;
- Extent, status and condition of plant and animal species and natural communities found on the property;
- Role the project plays in facilitating long-range movement of plants and animals;
- Threat of conversion from forest and/or threat of significant forest carbon loss including through mineral extraction, poor forest management, development or other threats;
- Effectiveness of the stewardship plan for the long-term conservation or enhancement of the property’s climate resilience attributes and carbon storage;
- Ability to meet and/or exceed OSI’s Match Requirement; and,
- Community benefits of the project, such as flood hazard mitigation, drinking water protection, recreational access or benefit to overburdened, Black, Indigenous and People of Color or economically underserved communities, including returning the land to Indigenous stewardship
For more information, visit OSI.
