Accreditation Registration for 2013 Is Full

May 15 was a historic day for the land trust accreditation program: registration for 2013 first-time applications fully subscribed within moments of its opening. More than five dozen organizations were ready at noon Eastern and have successfully registered for 2013. The Commission will review more applications in 2013 than any previous year – an incredible demonstration of the land trust community’s support of this program.

The Commission anticipated the high demand and prepared by increasing the total number of available slots to the maximum that would ensure each applicant that has prepared so hard for the process receives a thorough review. With assistance from the Land Trust Alliance, we announced in various media the registration open date and the anticipated high demand. We also added additional capacity to continue to accommodate the increased demand. Although we understand that many faced technical difficulties when the online registration process first began, we are confident that we have been in touch with most of you.

We anticipate that registration for 2014 will open in spring of 2013, and that interested land trusts will use the time before then to carefully implement Land Trust Standards and Practices and review the Commission’s Applicant Handbook and related materials while striving for excellence in all that they do. Please subscribe to our eNewsletter, if you are not already, to get updates from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission throughout the year.

The Commission has developed an online registration system for first-time accreditation* that allows land trusts to register for a specific application due date or "application round." This is a required first step in the accreditation application process. Land trusts ready to apply for first-time accreditation must complete an online registration form and submit electronic payment of a nonrefundable, nontransferable registration fee. Land trusts considering registering are required to read the following documents before registering.

• Registering to Apply for First-Time Accreditation (particularly the “Registration Terms of Agreement” on page 5)
• Accreditation Fee Schedule:  2012 | 2013 (includes details regarding the both the registration and the application fees)
• Mutliple Corporations and Accreditation Fact Sheet (if your land trust has a related entity, such as a supporting organization or LLC)

Registration for land trusts planning to apply in 2013 for first-time accreditation is fully subscribed. The registration system is a first-come, first-served system with a limited number of slots per round available; registration will close once all available slots are taken. Demand for these first-time application slots is expected to be high, and each land trust must ensure that it meets all registration requirements before it submits a registration form and secures a slot for 2013.

The application due dates and rounds for 2013 are as follows:

• 2013 Round 1 application due date: April 18, 2013 (pre-application due January 24, 2013)
• 2013 Round 2 application due date: September 12, 2013 (pre-application due June 13, 2013)