New York land trusts can apply for $2.7 million in state grants to protect land, improve public access and strengthen conservation programs, with applications due Jan. 11, 2027.
The Department of Environmental Conservation announced the funding Nov. 6. The Conservation Partnership Program is supported by the Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the Land Trust Alliance in coordination with DEC.
Five grant categories support land trust work
Qualified not-for-profit land conservation organizations may apply in one or more of five categories. Capacity and Excellence grants support program development and organizational capacity. Conservation Catalyst grants support collaborative projects, partnerships, community-supported conservation, stewardship and outreach.
Professional Development grants help land trusts add permanent staff. Stewardship and Resource Management grants support substantial capital investment in public access improvements and stewardship of conserved properties.
Transaction grants cover indirect costs associated with buying land or acquiring conservation easements that permanently protect environmentally significant properties. The program is intended to complement the state’s conservation priorities.
DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said the program supports protection of priority lands and wildlife habitat, water quality and access to the outdoors. Katrina Howey, the Land Trust Alliance’s New York program manager, said strengthening land trust programs helps the organizations contribute to state land protection goals.
Applications are due Jan. 11
Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Eastern on Monday, Jan. 11. Eligibility requirements and complete application details are available on the Land Trust Alliance’s Conservation Partnership Program page.
Program has supported more than 56,000 acres
Since its creation in 2002, the program has funded 1,325 grants totaling more than $36.7 million to 100 land trusts, DEC reported. Those grants leveraged at least $36 million in additional private and local funding and conserved 56,229 acres of farmland, forest, wildlife habitat and urban open space.
The broader 2026-27 state budget maintains $425 million for the Environmental Protection Fund and adds $25 million from the Sustainable Future Program, for $450 million in environmental funding. That statewide total is separate from this $2.7 million grant opportunity.
The conservation work also supports New York’s goal of contributing to national efforts to conserve at least 30% of land and water by 2030. The state adopted that goal in legislation signed in December 2022.
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