The Land Trust Accreditation Commission was incorporated in April 2006 as an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance (Alliance) to operate an innovative program to build and recognize strong land trusts, foster public confidence in land conservation and help ensure the long-term protection of land.
Watch: What is the Accreditation Program?
Learn how the Commission was created and what it means to be an accredited land trust. Having trouble viewing this in your browser? Try using the direct link.In its actions and in its goals for the land trust community, the Commission aspires to the following values.
- Integrity. To be clear and honest in our communications with land trusts, the public and others; to build trust in, and respect for, the accreditation program; to respect the confidentiality of data provided to us.
- Accountability. To operate an accreditation program that is fair and makes consistent decisions; to learn from and respond to the land conservation community, the public and other stakeholders.
- Service. To manage an accreditation program that is efficient and makes productive use of participants' time; to work cooperatively with land trusts of all types and sizes as they go through the accreditation process.
The Commission is an independent nonprofit that serves as a supporting organization of the Alliance. The Commission is governed by a board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country who serve as commissioners.
Commissioners volunteer their expertise to verify that a land trust is implementing specific accreditation indicator elements from Land Trust Standards and Practices. The Alliance selects the accreditation indicator elements and the Commission establishes the requirements used to verify the indicator elements are met. Commissioners use their breadth of experience with large and small and staffed and unstaffed land trusts to ensure the requirements are flexibility enough to apply to all land trusts.
The Commission follows best practices in accreditation.
- It has a comprehensive conflict of interest policy and manages conflicts to ensure fair and consistent decisions.
- It makes decisions that are independent and are not influenced by political or donor concerns.
- It maintains a help desk and instructional materials to coach land trusts through the accreditation process, but does not provide training or mentoring in how to meet the requirements.
- It keeps all material provided by applicants confidential. It shares aggregate data about challenges facing land trusts to help inform the Alliance’s training and technical assistance program. A strict confidentiality policy governs how information is shared between the two organizations.
The Alliance is a national conservation organization working to save the places people love by strengthening land conservation across America. The Alliance publishes Land Trust Standards and Practices and selects the accreditation indicators; only its board can make changes to them.
The Alliance provides training and technical assistance to help land trusts achieve and maintain accreditation. It elects commissioners to serve on the Commission’s independent board, manages an endowment to keep the program affordable for land trusts, and provides administrative services to the Commission.
To learn more about Alliance resources pertaining to the accreditation process, please visit our Alliance Resources page.
Special places exist in every neighborhood, city and town – the family farm, the urban park, the mountain view. Accredited land trusts are making sure that the places we love today will be loved by generations to come. Public accountability is a key component of the accreditation program; the public is invited to provide information in accordance with the Commission's "Feedback, Comments and Complaints" policy. Use the buttons on the right to comment on an applicant or accredited land trust or to provide feedback to the Commission.
The Commission's mission is to inspire excellence, promote public trust and ensure permanence in the conservation of open lands by recognizing land trust organizations that meet rigorous quality standards and that strive for continuous improvement. Having trouble viewing this in your browser? Try using the direct link.
