Maine Land Protection

Purpose

The Maine Land Protection grant program provides grants for land acquisition or land conservation easement projects that build strong connections between people in Maine/ Wabanaki territory and its land and water.

Criteria and Priorities

All applicants must meet the Maine Community Foundation’s grant eligibility requirements. Please read our eligibility and grant guidelines before submitting an application. Wabanaki tribal governments or political subdivisions are encouraged to apply.

Criteria

The proposed project must:

• Create or increase permanent access to land and water, particularly to marginalized and historically excluded populations (such as those with low incomes, disabilities, mental health conditions, limited English proficiency; Black, Indigenous and other people of color; immigrants and/or refugees; and those who identify as LGBTQ+) and communities with limited conservation opportunities
• Involve and have support from community members and interested stakeholders, (for example, other non-profit organizations, local businesses, and municipal officials or committees, etc.)
• Include a vision or plan for the future use of the land or easement, including strategies to engage people and communities in developing uses and organizational plans to care for the land over time.

Priorities

Priority will be given to projects that will benefit most or will be nearest completion with a grant from this program. This includes if the grant will:

• Pay a significant portion of the purchase price
• Help secure other funds (such as through matching grants)
• Complete a fundraising campaign.

Additional priority will be given to projects that:

• Benefit communities and the economy, including but not limited to:
  • Protecting and providing access to cultural resources and other resources valued by community members
  • Supporting agriculture, fisheries, and working forests
  • Creating or increasing outdoor recreation opportunities
• Address climate change by:
  • Helping communities prepare for and respond to climate change
  • Reducing the impact of climate change on the communities and people who are most affected
• Conserve critical habitat and sensitive ecological areas.

The grant committee will also adjust its final decisions to support a variety of types of projects and to ensure geographic diversity.

Types of Funding

This program provides:

• Project grants for costs associated with the purchase of land or conservation easements. This may include the purchase price, closing costs, legal fees, and value assessments, as well as stewardship funds that are established as part of the purchase.

Additional Information

Please ensure you have appropriate letters of support from partnering entities as applicable. View the required documents in the eligibility and grant guidelines. They are also listed on the application.

Ineligible Expenses

Funds may not be used for:

• Staff time or other general operating expenses such as rent, utilities, or overhead
• Loan repayment
• See also “What we will not fund, without exception” on our eligibility and grant guidelines page.

Grant Period

Understanding that many land and easement acquisitions may take more than 12 months to complete, completion of the grant report may be extended beyond this timeframe.

Award Size

Grant awards will range in size up to a maximum of $50,000 for the purchase of land or conservation easements.

Background

The Fund for Maine Land Conservation grant program started in the early 1990s and awarded nearly 200 grants totaling $889,768. In 2018, MaineCF received a bequest which made it possible to reexamine and redesign our grantmaking approach to land conservation. We closed the Fund for Maine Land Conservation grant program and in its place created two new land conservation grant programs: 1) Conservation for All, which offers general support, and 2) Maine Land Protection, which offers support for land acquisitions and easements.