The mission of OSI (Open Space Institute) is to partner with conservation organizations in the Northeast to create networks of protected lands that are most likely to preserve plant and animal diversity in a changing climate.
The Land and Climate Grant Program, a collaborative effort between the Open Space Institute and the Land Trust Alliance, aims to empower land trusts and other conservation organizations to integrate climate change considerations into their land protection and management efforts. With $300,000 available in the 2023 grant round, the program supports the creation of climate-informed land conservation, stewardship, policy, or communications plans focusing on habitat resilience, carbon mitigation, renewable energy siting, and community adaptation to climate impacts like storms and floods. Projects should aim to incorporate climate science into strategic conservation or management plans, develop comprehensive climate communication strategies, or create guidelines for renewable energy projects on conservation lands. The program prioritizes proposals that address the unequal effects of climate change and environmental racism on marginalized communities.
Priority is accorded to land trusts and organizations that are accredited or have a board-sanctioned strategy to seek accreditation.