The Open Space Institute (OSI) has 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: Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 02/10/2022
Size of the Grant: $50,000 and $400,000
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 a new emphasis on forests’ ability to store atmospheric carbon and on community equity and inclusion.
Capital Grant Focus Areas
The Fund awards capital grants for land protection in portions of (1) the Cradle of Southern Appalachia (Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama), (2) the Middle Atlantic (New Jersey and Pennsylvania), and (3) the Northern Appalachians (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont).
Funding Information
OSI is seeking to secure $18 million to deploy over four years through the Fund, with $12.5 million raised or conditionally committed to date. At this juncture, OSI has allocated $5,250,000 in capital funds to the Cradle of Southern Appalachia; $1,100,000 to the Mid-Atlantic; and $1,845,000 to the Northern Appalachians Focus Area. We 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.
Project Eligibility and Criteria
- Eligible land conservation projects must lie wholly or partly in one of the Fund’s focus areas, have strong climate resilience attributes, and be managed to enhance forest carbon.
- OSI will further assess projects for their carbon storage and sequestration potential, natural resource attributes, the likelihood of success, and the threat of forest loss.
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 but planned restoration is likely to increase the resilience value, please be in touch with OSI staff about applying;
- Achieve permanent protection through fee purchase of land and/or a conservation easement;
- Be stewarded to support maintaining and increasing 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.
Eligibility Criteria
OSI makes grants to qualified not-for-profit conservation organizations, federal and state-recognized Tribes, government entities, and municipalities through a competitive process with the assistance of an Advisory Committee with expertise in land protection, climate science, social equity, and philanthropy. For land trusts, OSI gives a preference to those with or seeking land trust accreditation.
For more information, visit Capital Grant.
