Momentum Conservation’s Land Trust Grant Fund awards are aimed at strengthening the organizational capacity and programmatic effectiveness of land trusts throughout Maine.

PROGRAM GOALS:

  • Strengthen the land trust community’s governance, leadership, strategic planning, financial stability, programming, and organizational development.
  • Help land trusts integrate equity and inclusion in their organizational policies, practices, and programming.
  • Position land trusts to broaden their membership, including by engaging BIPOC, 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 to the broadest range of communities for meaningful experience.

Preview the 2025 Grant application Questions Here

Application Process:
Momentum’s Land Trust Grant Fund Program will utilize an online grant application to access, complete, and submit your application. This will be made available when the application opens on April 2nd. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by email. Please allow time for our review and decision-making process.

Important dates:

  • Application opens: Wednesday, April 2, 2025
  • Application deadline: Friday, May 2, 2025, at 11:59 PM
  • Funds awarded by: Monday, June 30, 2025

ELIGIBILITY & GRANT GUIDELINES
The Momentum Conservation Land Trust Grant Fund will be awarding 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.

Eligibility requirements:
To apply, you must be a Maine land trust. Organizations must be certified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or use a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) tax status. Applications must contain a valid EIN (tax ID) number to be considered.

For the purpose of this grant program, Momentum Conservation defines a land trust as an organization whose mission and focus is to actively conserve land through easements or acquisition for purposes that may include: providing public access and housing, protecting agricultural land, ecosystems, land of cultural significance, water quality, working waterfronts, and/or addressing climate resilience in perpetuity.

Grant Fund Program Q&A: 
Momentum Conservation will host a Zoom Q&A about the grant program. Date and further information to be announced soon. 

How is grant size decided?
Awarded grant amounts are based on the amount requested (maximum $20,000) in your grant application.

Are there any limitations for use of this funding?
We recognize there are a plethora of ways to advance the goals of this program, so we are not limiting the use of these funds in your organization’s pursuit of these goals.

How will grant decisions be made?
In 2024, our grant review process shifted to incorporate more participatory elements. Grant award decisions are now made by a team of community reviewers that have experience with conservation, and bring perspectives from adjacent fields like public health, grassroots organizing, housing, education, outdoor recreation, etc. The community reviewers also represent a diversity of identities. Our goal is to bring different voices into our decision-making process. All applications are scored on a rubric. Momentum staff also reviews and scores all applications.  

What are the reporting requirements if my organization receives a grant?
We are committed to learning from our grantees and will follow up on grant awards to better this program and the other assistance programs that are in development. Reporting may take many forms including, but not limited to, written reports, surveys and interviews. Please refer to the award letter for reporting requirements.  

If unique circumstances exist, the grantee will immediately consult with Momentum to request an extension or alternative option for fulfilling the reporting requirement before the reporting deadline.

Contact Information: 
Questions can be directed to Peyton Black, Operations and Grant Program Director, at peyton@momentumconservation.org.