Land Trust Grant Fund Community Grant Reviewer Description

Thank you to our community review team for the thought and time that you put into your role and for strengthening the Land Trust Grant Fund Program. 

Momentum Conservation is recruiting community members who can bring their unique perspectives and personal connections to conservation to help inform our grantmaking for the 2024 Land Trust Grant Fund Program.  About the Land Trust Grant Fund Program The Momentum Conservation Land Trust Grant Fund will be awarding a total of $415,000 in general operating funding to Maine land trusts this year. This is a competitive grant program, open to all land trusts in Maine, and not all applicants will be awarded funding. We will prioritize applicants that are: working to center justice, open to trying new things, expressing vulnerability through sharing learnings, and committed to challenging colonial systems in conservation. PROGRAM GOALS:
    • Strengthen the land trust organizations’ governance, leadership, strategic planning, financial stability, programming, and organizational development.
    • Help land trusts integrate equity and inclusion into their organizational policies, practices, and programming.
    • Position land trusts to broaden their membership, including by engaging Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, low-income people, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities.
    • Support land trusts in developing additional social capital and infrastructure by facilitating connections to share lessons, opportunities, and growth.
    • Ensure that conservation is rooted in community, and that conserved land is accessible and provides meaningful experiences to the broadest range of community members
You can view the grant program questions here. Community Grant Review Overview Momentum is committed to building a more inclusive and equitable conservation movement in Maine. We are actively leaning into the intersection of conservation and social justice and working to decolonize conservation through our work partnering with Land Trusts and other conservation organizations. We, as individuals and as a sector, are continuously learning about our blind spots and unconscious biases. We know that biases and disparities disproportionately burden communities of color, Indigenous communities, people with disabilities, and low-income communities with legacies of environmental damage and ongoing harm. By inviting community members to participate in the grant review process with Momentum staff, our goal is to have a broader perspective on grant applications and amplify community voices and experiences connected to this work. Please know that no professional conservation or environmental experience is required for this role. This is an advisory role. All feedback from reviewers will be taken into consideration by the decision making team.  We are looking for 10-12 individuals to represent a variety of backgrounds, including, but not limited to:
    • Experience working in nonprofits
    • Experience in grassroots efforts and/or community organizing
    • Experience in communities with limited conservation opportunities or access to the outdoors
    • Experience as a land trust professional or volunteer
    • Experience in or familiarity with any issues connected to conservation, including public health, outdoor recreation, education, etc. 
    • Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color
    • LGBTQ+
    • Person with a disability
    • Under 22 years old
    • 22 – 35 years old
    • 36 – 50 years old
    • 51 – 65 years old
    • 66 – 80+ years old
Timeline: Grant review will take place between Monday, June 3rd, 2024 and Friday June 14th, 2024. Reviewers should expect the review to take 6-8 hours total. A rubric and full instructions will be provided to selected reviewers in advance of the reading window.  Compensation: Momentum Conservation will pay all community grant reviewers a $200 stipend following the completion of their grant review. We appreciate the time and expertise that community members bring to our grant review process.  To Apply: The 2024 grant reviewer application is currently closed. Please check back in April 2025. If you have any questions, please contact Peyton Black, Operations and Grant Program Director, at peyton@momentumconservation.org. Thank you for considering this role!