The West Virginia Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund is now accepting applications for small and large grants.
Donor Name: West Virginia Department of Commerce
State: West Virginia
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/28/2023
Size of the Grant: Over $25,000
Details:
The Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund (OHCF) protects lands that host West Virginia’s wild and wonderful natural resources. The OHCF’s work is guided by an 11-member Board of Trustees, drawn from land trusts; the Division of Forestry; the Division of Natural Resources; outdoor recreation and sportsmen’s groups; and the professions of biology, ecology, forestry, and public health. This mix of interests represents their state’s diverse citizens and regions. The OHCF’s land-protection projects can include important wildlife habitats, working forests and farmlands, as well as hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreational areas. The OHCF is working to protect the best of their natural resources for all West Virginians.
Types of Grants
The OHCF operates two grant programs. They are:
- Small Grant Program – Eligible grant activities include:
- Due diligence to acquire an interest in real property for conservation purposes, including baseline documentation, Environmental Hazards Assessment, title examination, survey, and appraisal.
- Stewardship as defined as the necessary monitoring, maintenance, and enforcement of interests in real property for conservation purposes. This includes the stewardship and/or legal defense fund to monitor and protect interests in real property over time.
- Large Grant Program – Eligible grant activities include:
- Capital expenses and transactional costs associated with the purchase of interests in real property for conservation purposes.
- Closing costs.
The purpose of having two grant programs is to ensure that important funding needs of eligible applicants are met and that the OHCF grants leverage non-state dollars. For example, private land trusts have long stated the need for funding to support stewardship of donated conservation easements. The Small Grant Program will help to meet this stewardship funding need and leverage private dollars.
Funding Information
- Small Grant Program: $5,000-$25,000
- Large Grant Program: Over $25,000
- Applications for grants of $5,000 to $25,000 will compete against one another and applications for over $25,000 will compete against one another.
Eligible Activities
To carry out the mandate set by statute, the West Virginia Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund (OHCF) provides grants for three primary activities:
- Capital costs, and associated transaction and closing costs, to purchase real property interest(s), including conservation easements, land in fee, and other interests acquired for conservation purposes,
- Due diligence costs associated with the donation of real property interest(s) for conservation purposes, including baseline documentation, surveys, appraisals, Environmental Hazards Assessments, and title examinations,
- Stewardship of real property interest(s) for conservation purposes, such as the costs of monitoring and legally defending conservation easements.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants include:
- Nonprofit corporations registered with the West Virginia Secretary of State that have as a primary part of their mission to acquire interests in real property for conservation purposes,
- West Virginia Division of Forestry, and
- West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
For more information, visit OHCF.
