Land Trust Grant Fund 

Community Grant Reviewer Description

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Momentum Conservation is recruiting community members who can bring their unique perspectives and personal connections to conservation to help inform our grantmaking for the 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 $425,000 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

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 for the final award decisions. 

We are looking for 18-22 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
  • LGBTQIA+
  • 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, May 19th, 2025 and Sunday, June 1st, 2025 Reviewers should expect the review to take ~10 hours total. A rubric and full instructions will be provided to selected reviewers in advance of the reading window. 

Training:
We are asking that reviewers attend a mandatory community reviewer training (on Zoom) on Thursday, May 1st at 4-5pm or Tuesday, May 13th at 12-1pm. Reviewers will also be required to attend a bias training (date TBD and this will be recorded). 

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:
Please apply to be considered as a grant reviewer by completing this form by Sunday, April 13, 2025. Applicants will be notified by Friday, April 18, 2025 if you were/weren’t selected. 

FAQ:
All Community Reviewers will complete a “Conflict of Interest” form before they receive their applications to review. Community Reviewers will not score proposals from land trusts that they have close affiliation with, but are still welcome (and encouraged!) to participate as a Community Reviewer for other applications. 

If you have any questions, please contact Peyton Black, Operations and Grant Program Director, at peyton@momentumconservation.org. Thank you for considering this role!