The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services is seeking applications for Conservation Easements program.
Donor Name: North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
State: North Carolina
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 08/29/2025
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
The mission of the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation (ADFP) Trust Fund’s competitive grant opportunities aim to fund projects that encourage the preservation of qualifying agricultural, horticultural, and forestlands to foster the growth, development, and sustainability of family farms.
Eligibility Criteria
- All applicants must be nonprofit conservation organizations or county governments.
- Farmers, landowners, and others interested in applying must partner with a nonprofit conservation organization or county government to participate in an ADFP Trust Fund grant proposal.
- To be eligible for a conservation easement through the ADFP Trust Fund’s program, the property must be privately-owned, located within the borders of the State of North Carolina, in working lands use (agriculture, horticulture, forestry), and with ownership in agreement to participate in the program. At least one tract must meet the following minimum acreage requirements:
- 5 acres in actual horticultural production (actively engaged in the commercial production or growing of fruits and vegetables or nursery and floral products);
- 10 acres in actual agricultural production (actively engaged in the commercial production or growing of crops, plants, or animals; which includes dairying and the raising, management, care, and training of livestock, including horses, bees, poultry, and other animals for individual and public use, consumption, and marketing. The raising, management, care, and training of horses includes the boarding of horses);
- 20 acres in actual forestry production (actively engaged in the commercial growing of trees).
- If there are existing easements that have removed the development rights from the property, those easement areas will be ineligible for the program and do not count toward the minimum acreage requirements.
- Each organization or agency may submit an unlimited number of proposals per funding cycle, regardless of category (perpetual easements, term easements, agricultural development projects, agricultural plans, agricultural growth zones, additional easement purchase funds).
- Contract awards are based on funding availability.
- If total grant requests exceed the funding allocation for the grant cycle, the ADFP Trust Fund will fund a maximum of four (4) applications per category (perpetual easements, term easements, agricultural development projects, agricultural plans, agricultural growth zones, additional easement purchase funds) per applicant.
- Applications for donated easement proposals requesting only transaction cost assistance are not considered in this contract limit.
- If the funding allocation for the grant cycle is greater than the total grant requests, the contract maximum per applicant is waived for the grant cycle.
- Current grantees are subject to the Grantee Risk Assessment Guide. High-risk grantees will have the review of proposed grant requests discontinued, and no grant contract may be offered.
For more information, visit NCDACS.
