OSI Northeast Resilient Landscapes Initiative Fund

From Open Space Institute Land Trust Inc.

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.

Type of Support

Overview

The grant program focuses on supporting conservation efforts in New England, the mid-Atlantic, and the Central Appalachians by offering capital grants and loans for the acquisition of land or conservation easements on climate-resilient lands. It specifically targets four focus areas that offer significant opportunities to conserve linking lands vital for resiliency in the broader landscape. These areas are the Potomac Headwaters (West Virginia & Virginia), Highlands and Kittatinny Ridge (New Jersey & Pennsylvania), Middle Connecticut River (Vermont & Massachusetts), and Southern New Hampshire & Maine Forests. Funded by a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, this initiative aims to allocate resources effectively through a careful selection of focus areas and an in-depth review process.

Eligibility

Organization's Location

USA

Program Location

ME (Androscoggin County, Cumberland County, Oxford County, York County), MD (Allegany County), MA (Berkshire County, Franklin County, Hampden County, Hampshire County), NH (Belknap County, Carroll County, Cheshire County, Merrimack County, Rockingham County, Strafford County), NJ (Bergen County, Morris County, Passaic County, Sussex County, Warren County), PA (Monroe County, Northampton County, Pike County), VT (Windham County, Windsor County), VA (Frederick County, Rockingham County, Shenandoah County), WV (Grant County, Hampshire County, Hardy County, Mineral County, Morgan County, Pendleton County)

Organization Type

Other

Projects must lie within an OSI Resilient Focus Area
Projects must rank above average for Landscape Resilience
Projects must achieve permanent protection of high resilience habitat through fee purchase of land or a conservation easement
Projects must meet or exceed OSI Conservation Easement Standards
Spearheaded by an organization with the capacity and financial ability to execute the transaction and ensure long-term stewardship and management of the property consistent with the Fund’s objectives
Must be completed within 18 months of receiving notification of OSI’s grant award
For match property eligibility, the property must be adjacent or proximate to the subject property, meet the Fund’s criteria, be part of a larger plan that includes conservation of the match and subject properties, and close prior to the closing of the subject property but not more than one year before date of application
Match and subject properties must lie in the same watershed, geophysical setting, TNC Resilient Focal Area, Forest Matrix Block, natural community, and/or State Wildlife Action Plan priority area
Grants may be used to acquire permanent conservation easements and fee interest in land and, in exceptional cases, may cover transactional costs like appraisals, surveys, title, and environmental assessments
The Fund may provide short-term low-interest loans for projects that require bridge financing and meet the grant criteria
Grants cannot be used for endowments, stewardship costs, baseline documentation reports, staff time, buildings, or other non-capital project expenses

Ineligibility

Organizations seeking funds for endowments

Those looking for stewardship costs

Entities needing baseline documentation reports

Applicants wanting to cover staff time

Groups aiming to fund buildings

Others focused on non-capital project expenses.

not specified

Application deadline

Rolling

Submission

Review Criteria

Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:

The degree to which the land exhibits resilience characteristics higher than the norm.
The presence and variety of seldom-represented geophysical features on the site.
The level of landscape diversity within the property.
The abundance, health, and variety of native flora and fauna present.
The project's contribution to the sustainable preservation of wildlife, either independently or in collaboration with other protected areas.
The urgency for conservation due to specific threats or unique conservation chances.
Presence of a long-term management plan aligning with the Fund's conservation goals.
The applicant's capability to match the funding requirements set by OSI.
The applicant's dedication to, and proficiency in, applying resilience science in conservation.
The project's potential to highlight the significance of safeguarding resilient landscapes and to inspire additional conservation initiatives targeting such habitats.
Documentation proving that the land trust benefiting from the grant is accredited by the Land Trust Commission, or is actively working towards accreditation with a board-approved plan and timeline.