Alberta Land Trust Grant Program

Any registered Alberta land trust organization can apply for funding from the program. The land trust organization must have stated in their mission statement that their purpose is for land conservation.

The objectives of the program are to provide grants to land trust organizations to help establish and administer new conservation easements on private land and/or administer new conservation projects on land trusts titled land. Grants will not be awarded to enable purchase of private land.

Interested land trusts should send an email to request an application package. Applications for the annual grant cycle are to be received by September 15^th annually.

• [email protected]

Project proposals will be evaluated on the following:

1. Ability to Leverage Funds: For each grant application, a land trust must be able to leverage or provide funds for the project. Successful grant applications shall be awarded a base grant leveraging exemption of $30,000. Every dollar above this base amount shall be leveraged at least 2:1.
   
   For example, if a land trust applies for a grant of $250,000, the land trust must leverage at least $440,000 (i.e. $250,000 - $30,000 = $220,000 x 2 = $440,000). If a land trust applies for a grant less than $30,000 the leveraging ratio is 2:1 and there is no exemption awarded.
   
   Leveraging categories include:
   • cash
   • the value of the donated land or conservation easement
   • in kind services such as manpower and equipment donations directly related to the project
   • other committed grants
2. Alignment with Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) conservation priorities, which are centred around:
   1. maintaining large areas of native landscape
   2. conserving connecting corridors
   3. sustaining disconnected pockets of native habitat within fragmented landscapes
   4. support watershed functions for healthy aquatic ecosystems and water quality.

Once AEP receives an application package, the package is reviewed to determine completeness. An internal review committee will then determine eligibility by verifying that the proposed project aligns with the Department’s conservation objectives and that the appropriate amount of leveraging is available.

Recommendations from the review committee will then be submitted to the Deputy Minister for final approval.

The internal review committee comprises representatives from:

• Grants and Program Delivery Section
• Rangeland Resource Stewardship
• Fish and Wildlife Policy
• Regional Planning and Finance

The internal review committee also consults with field staff located near the project areas for expert opinion.

There are no limits on the number of projects or locations a land trust can apply for. Each project will be evaluated independently, and will require an individual application.

Project funding must be used within 3 years of the funding allocation date.

Funding can be used for:

• securement of a conservation easement
• land assessment and planning involved with a new conservation easement or donated title (for example, undertaking a baseline survey)
• administrative costs involved in obtaining or maintaining the conservation easement or donated title.
  • costs must be directly related to the project
  • examples include legal fees, accounting and book keeping
• staffing costs directly related to the project
• extension directly related to the project (for example, educational signage)
  • grant funding cannot be used to raise funds or increase membership
• Stewardship Endowment to ensure the continued protection and maintenance of the property
• when funded, the development of new projects

Funding for the program is from the Land Stewardship Fund and is generated from the proceeds of public land sales.

Land trusts must submit an annual report to AEP. This report outlines the land trust’s achievements and funding used to date. Land trusts must also submit a final report that describes the conservation outcomes achieved by the grant.

Funds can be placed into a Stewardship Endowment Fund, but the funds must be earmarked for the project that they were awarded for.

Grants from this program are intended to enable "new" conservation projects (for example, new lands placed under conservation easements); therefore, funding requests for existing conservation projects will not be considered. Therefore, conservation easements obtained or land titles donated greater than a year prior to the application closing date are not eligible.