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• In Virginia, accredited land trusts are eligible to apply to the Open-Space Lands Preservation Trust Fund for grant funding to purchase lands for conservation purposes. Learn More
• Automatic eligibility to hold easements with California's Sustainable Agricultural Land Conservation Program (supported by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund). Learn More
• Eligibility in the Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts Program. The program is administered by the Land Trust Alliance, in coordination with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The program offers competitive matching grants to qualified New York land trusts to increase the pace of forested land conservation to combat climate changes. Learn More
• Expedited certification in Colorado when working with landowners desiring a state tax credit for a conservation easement donation. Learn More
• The Georgia Conservation Tax Credit (GCTC) is a financial incentive for landowners to help protect Georgia's natural resources. Landowners who donate fee-title lands or permanent conservation easements to an accredited land trust may apply for a credit against their state income taxes. Learn More
• Expedited certification in Louisiana where land trusts must be certified to hold and conserve certain mineral interests. Learn More
• Exclusive access to funding when leveraging the Buffer Lands Program in Texas for projects near or adjacent to Texas state parks. Learn More
• Automatic eligibility to apply for funding in Chester County, PA, for its Brandywine Headwaters Preservation Program. Learn More
• Accredited status gives applicant full points on "Experience and Ability" in New York State for the Regional Economic Development Councils (REDC) and the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) to advance the administration's efforts to improve NY's business climate and expand economic growth. Land trusts can apply for funding for source water protection projects (see page 256 in link). Learn more
• Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Farm Protection & Affordability Investment (Farm PAI) has a funding opportunity in June 2022. A revolving loan program meant to assist eligible entities in protecting farmland and keep it in production. Funding decision criteria includes evidence of strong organizational conduct and financial capacity of the applicant to develop the project, including a demonstrated track record of receiving anticipated conservation easement funding and repayment of debt, status of accreditation with the national Land Trust Accreditation Commission, and membership in the Washington Association of Land Trusts (WALT). Learn more

• The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is proactively reaching out to qualified accredited land trusts to become certified entities under the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program - Agricultural Land Easements Program (ACEP-ALE). Being a certified entity means a streamlined path for ACEP-ALE which should help get more projects done, protecting more working lands. 

So how does it work?

Entity Certification allows for greater administrative flexibility when participating in ACEP-ALE. Benefits include:

*Greater organizational autonomy and streamlined oversight from the NRCS.
*An extended initial ACEP-ALE agreement term of up to five years, which can be extended to seven. (In comparison, a non-certified entity ACEP-ALE agreement is three years and can be extended to five.)
*A streamlined closing process for ACEP-ALE easements.

Learn More:

*To learn more about eligible entity certification, please see the Land Trust Alliance's ACEP-ALE Toolkit.
*Hear what your accredited colleagues have to say about becoming certified entities in this article by Nikki Nesbary, Senior Manager, NRCS Programs at the Alliance.

• The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a land trust bird conservation initiative which offers management and restoration grants. For management grants an organization should either be an accredited land trust or be working with an accredited land trust as a partner. Ideally the lead applicant should be the accredited land trust. Learn More
• Accredited land trusts in New England and Northern New York are eligible to apply for funding through the Wildlands Partnership by the Northeast Wilderness Trust. The Wildlands Partnership aims to increase wildland conservation by uniting accredited land trusts with resources to conserve wild landscapes across the region. In conjunction with protecting well-managed woodlands, the pace of wilderness conservation must accelerate to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Learn More
• To ensure that the Appalachian region continues to support plants, animals, and people, Open Space Institute (OSI) has launched the Appalachian Landscapes Protection Fund, an $18 million effort that will provide capital grants to protect 50,000 acres in key focus areas along the Appalachian Range. To complement land protection efforts, OSI's Catalyst Program will work in partnership with states, local communities, Tribes, and land trusts, to reduce climate risks for communities disproportionately affected by flooding and other climate-induced threats. Land Trusts applying for funding must be accredited by the Commission or be on the path to accreditation, as evidenced by a board resolution. Learn More
• Eligibility in the Land Trust Alliance Forest Carbon Offset Pilot Program requires land trusts who own forest land be accredited—or have validly executed a board resolution committing to pursue accreditation—to participate. Learn More
• Eligibility in the Land Trust Alliance Avoided Grassland Conversion Carbon Offset Pilot Program requires land trusts who own grasslands, or have conservation easement opportunities on grasslands be accredited—or have validly executed a board resolution committing to pursue accreditation—to participate. Learn More

In the past, foundations like the 1772 Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation awarded extra points or increased funding for land trusts who have prioritized accreditation.