Conservation Projects of Statewide Significance is sponsored by Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB). VHCB awards grant funding for conservation projects of statewide significance, including land acquisition and other conservation efforts. They also provide feasibility awards to assist with pre-development costs and analysis for individual projects.

Conservation Applications & Funding Programs • Vermont Housing & Conservation Board Conservation Applications & Funding Programs General Information for All Applicants Eligible applicants are nonprofit housing and conservation organizations with federal 501(c)(3) status, Vermont municipalities, and certain state agencies. Individuals who wish to conserve their land should work with a land trust to apply for VHCB funds.

All applicants are required to show long-term benefit to Vermonters through deed restrictions or other mechanisms that ensure the funds provided will have a lasting effect. Program beneficiaries range from farmers and forestland owners, to all who enjoy Vermont’s natural, recreational and historic properties. Eligible applicants are asked to call VHCB staff to discuss your project prior to completing an application.

Eligibility for Funding Programs Applications are usually reviewed and decisions made within eight to ten weeks of submission (although Farmland Conservation applications go through a 2-step application process that can take 12-18 months). VHCB conservation staff will review the application, visit the subject property, and compile a project summary for the Board. The Board makes final funding decisions at regular board meetings.

The applicant is encouraged to attend the meeting at which the project is reviewed, and is informed of the Board’s decision that same day. Funding may not be available until up to three months following the Board meeting. Please view our calendar of upcoming board meetings and associated deadlines .

The Board provides feasibility awards to assist with pre-development costs and feasibility analysis for individual projects. Feasibility funds typically cover the costs of appraisals, energy assessments, marketing studies, options, engineering and environmental studies, or other pre-development costs. State-Significant Farmland The Board evaluates farmland applications in a two-step process.

Pre-applications are submitted by an eligible entity (typically a land trust), and reviewed by a committee composed of staff from VHCB, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, and Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department.

If the project meets VHCB’s eligibility criteria, it is approved for VHCB cost-share of an appraisal to determine the value of the conservation easement. Applications for funding are developed for those projects that have been approved as pre-applications, and submitted for consideration at one of the Board’s regularly scheduled meetings.

Board evaluation is based upon soil quality, location, farm infrastructure, management, and other resources brought to the project. There is a funding cap of $550,000 per application and $4,200 per acre. To discuss potential projects to be considered by the Farm Pre-Application Committee, please contact Stacy Cibula, Agricultural Director, at s.

cibula [@] vhcb. org or at (802) 828-5066. Farmland Conservation Pre-application Form Landowner Statement of Intent Online Farmland Conservation Full Funding Application PDF version of Farmland Conservation Full Funding Application (not fillable; just a copy of the complete application form for review.)

State Significant Natural Areas | Recreational Lands | Historic Properties Conservation projects of statewide significance are eligible for VHCB Conservation Project funding. These include natural areas that provide habitat for rare or endangered species, acquisition of lands to provide public access to trails or water, greenways, or acquisition of important historic properties for public use.

Application for Conservation of Natural Areas, Recreational Lands, Historic Properties VHCB Conservation Application Budget (Excel file) Privately Owned Working Forestlands VHCB funding is available for the conservation of Vermont forests owned and managed by private individuals or families. Working forests provide lumber, pulp, firewood, and biomass products that add value to the economy and create jobs for Vermonters.

Conservation of these forests provide clean air and water, support flood resilience, offset the effects of climate change, provide habitat for plants and animals, offer recreational opportunities for people, and provide the scenic backdrop for Vermont’s agricultural lands and villages, creating the rural beauty so treasured by both visitors and Vermonters. To apply, first submit the application of interest.

Once this application is approved, applicants need to submit the full conservation application linked below.

Application for Conservation of Private Working Forestlands (full application) VHCB Conservation Application Budget (Excel file) Locally-Significant Lands The Local Conservation Grant Program provides grants for the conservation of agricultural and recreational land, town parks and forests, swimming holes, greenways, and historic buildings for public use that may not be competitive with applications for statewide conservation projects but are of great significance to a particular community.

Under this program, grants of up to $150,000 plus associated costs are available for the purchase of recreational lands and natural areas, and grants of up to $215,000 are available to conserve locally important farmland. Applications to conserve and restore historic properties will generally not be recommended for more than $100,000 plus associated costs, unless other factors apply.

Local Conservation funding may be used for acquisition costs and for associated projects costs such as appraisals, options, or closing costs. Applicants are required to provide one-third of total project costs from other sources, and must demonstrate municipal support from the town where the project is located.

Application for Conservation of Locally Significant Areas VHCB Conservation Application Budget (Excel file) Lake Memphremagog Basin Clean Water Service Provider Lake Memphremagog Basin Clean Water Service Provider In 2019, the Vermont Clean Water Service Delivery Act, also known as Act 76, was signed into law to establish a framework for funding non-regulatory clean-water projects.

Regional organizations, called Clean Water Service Providers (CWSP), were created in both the Lake Champlain and Lake Memphremagog Basins. VHCB is the CWSP for the Lake Memphremagog Basin. VHCB administers two separate funding programs to support a healthy and clean Lake Memphremagog Basin.

Please see the VHCB Clean Water Service Provider page for more information. Farmland Retirement Program VHCB receives funding from the State’s Clean Water Fund to support its Farmland Retirement Program. The goal of this program is to fund buyouts of farms whose continued operation is detrimental to water quality.

Typically this means targeting farms in situations where it is physically and/or financially infeasible to remedy the water quality problems. Generally these projects also involve a restoration component, which in the past has included restoring floodplain forest habitat, wetlands, and other resources in partnerships with organizations like Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and The Nature Conservancy.

To qualify for funding, projects must result in all or a portion of the subject property being removed from agricultural production. VHCB funds can cover the cost of acquiring title to the property (fee acquisition) or a conservation easement as well as up to $20,000 in associated costs, which may include appraisals, boundary surveys, legal fees, staff time, and stewardship.

Due to our funding source, we are unable to cover direct costs associated with remediation and restoration including the removal of structures, tree plantings, etc. To learn more, see the program guidelines or contact Stacy Cibula at s. cibula [@] vhcb. org or at (802) 828-5066.

Donated Conservation Easement Funding Program The Donated Easement Funding Program provides grants to help cover transaction and stewardship costs for conservation easements donated by willing landowners. The program is designed to make voluntary land conservation more accessible and affordable by reducing financial barriers that often prevent donated projects from moving forward.

Eligible projects include farms, working forests, natural areas, and recreational lands that align with VHCB’s conservation policies and contribute to Vermont’s clean water, biodiversity, and climate resilience goals. Grants of up to $32,500, or 50 percent of eligible project costs, are available to support expenses such as surveys, legal fees, baseline documentation, and stewardship endowments.

Applicants must provide matching funds and demonstrate alignment with town and regional plans. This streamlined program expands Vermont’s conservation capacity, leverages private and federal resources, and advances progress toward the state’s conservation goals. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and timing of funding decisions will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Applicants should expect a review time of approximately four weeks from date of application. See Donated Easement Funding Process Guidelines for details, or contact Bill Dell’Isola at Bill[@]vhcb. org or at (802) 828-3252.

Application for Donated Conservation Easement Program VHCB Conservation Application Budget (Excel file) Other Funding Support for Conservation Organizations The Board provides feasibility awards to assist with pre-development costs and feasibility analysis for individual projects. This program pays for appraisals, engineering and environmental studies and options, for instance.

Conservation applicants may request up to $10,000 as a grant for a single project to cover feasibility related expenses. Funds can only be used to compensate contracted services and may not be used to compensate applicants for staff time. These awards are instrumental in helping grantees bring projects to the development stage.

Applications for feasibility funding are reviewed as they are received and are not subject to application deadlines. Please contact the Conservation Director to request an application. For our Feasibility Funds policy, please see our Conservation Policies page.

Project-specific Capacity Funding Project-related capacity funds of up to $50,000 are awarded for pre-development expenses in excess of the amount available from VHCB’s Feasibility Fund and are limited to projects that have a higher than normal level of complexity or uncertainty.

Examples include: site challenges, the presence of multiple sites or multiple goals, unusual ownership structure or special population to be served, community economics or demographics that make development of a project especially challenging. Project-related capacity funding can cover costs of appraisals, engineering work, title search, historic preservation or hazardous materials analyses.

On a case-by-case basis the Board may also allow these funds to be used to cover staff costs of the applicant organization, especially if the organization would not have the ability to undertake the project if such expenses were not covered.

Funds may be used to promote public dialogue about affordable housing or land conservation and/or to examine alternative land use scenarios through such means as site inventories and site plans as well as design charettes. At its discretion, the Board may also choose to make awards to cover expenses that are not outlined above.

Organizational Development Grants The Board provides annual grants to non-profit organizations for some of the costs associated with developing affordable housing and conservation projects. Regional groups actively involved in developing VHCB projects may apply for up to $33,750 and new organizations may apply for up to $12,000. Please contact the Conservation Director to request an application.

We acknowledge that the place we call “Vermont”, in which we gather, live, and work, is the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Abénaki and Mohican people. We honor and respect the enduring relationship that exists between our Indigenous friends, their land, and the natural world.

We are grateful for the opportunity to work in this place and strive to be mindful stewards of the land in partnership with Vermont’s Indigenous population, including Abénaki, Mohican, and others with Indigenous heritage who call Vermont home. We commit to fostering respectful relationships and to supporting the preservation of Indigenous cultures, traditions, and land stewardship practices.

We pledge to continue learning from and with our Indigenous friends, colleagues, partners, and organizations to promote a future where their voices are respected and upheld.