Additional Criteria for Land Acquisition Requests ≥ $1 million
- Projects must meet the four standard Land Acquisition Priorities: (1) provides important natural habitat, (2) connects to existing protected area, (3) identified as an acquisition priority, and (4) open to the public.
- Projects that do not directly expand previously protected natural areas but include at least one individual parcel 150 acres or greater may still be eligible for funding.
- If the project includes multiple parcels, the Foundation will give preference to those that include at least one parcel that is 40 acres or greater in size and expands at least one existing protected area that is 40 acres or greater in size.
- Applicant organizations must have at least a five year history of purchasing land in Illinois.
- The proposal must demonstrate the organization’s ability to complete the project and include a plan ensure the land is protected in perpetuity. For not-for-profit organizations this means that the applicant has adopted and has a history of operating according to the Land Trust Alliance’s Standards and Practices. For governmental agencies this could involve the use of deed restrictions or conservation easements to ensure the permanent use of the land as a natural area.
Additional Priorities for Land Acquisition Requests ≥ $1 million
- A strong preference will be given to requests of $1 million and above that have the ultimate goal of creating large preserves or complexes made up of multiple protected areas.
- In addition to creating large preserves, the Foundation prefers to apply its support in locations that matter from a natural resource perspective and may assign higher priority to proposals that: purchase currently unprotected sites included in the Illinois Natural Areas Inventory; protect land within Conservation Opportunity Areas (COAs) identified in the Illinois State Wildlife Plan, and expand upon land protection work previously supported by the Foundation.
- The Foundation is open to considering land acquisition proposals that involve multiple organizations and include public-private partnerships provided that there is a clear plan for implementation and division of tasks among partners.
Please note that land acquisition requests equal to or greater than $1 million may require more than 4 months to review.
Please contact Brad Hanzel to discuss your project idea under this grant category.