Open Space Institute Land Trust Grants

Open Space Institute Land Trust Grants is sponsored by Open Space Institute. Provides capital funding to permanently protect large, high-priority forest blocks on the Southern Cumberland Plateau, with a mission to conserve climate-resilient habitats.

Appalachian Landscapes Project Catalyst Grant - Open Space Institute Appalachian Landscapes Project Catalyst Grant Land Conservation Across the Appalachians The Appalachian Mountains region, extending 2,000 miles from Canada to Alabama, is a critical and globally important climate stronghold.

More than 1,700 miles of this mountainous region are within the United States, representing the longest intact north-south migration corridor in the eastern U.S. In recognition of this region’s vital significance for carbon storage, biodiversity, clean water, and healthy communities, the Open Space Institute (OSI) has launched a new Catalyst grant opportunity to support climate-informed planning within the 18 states that are part of the Appalachian region.

The Appalachians harbor irreplaceable biodiversity and are home to 26 million Americans. The region’s forests are quiet climate heroes, storing a full 20 percent of the United States’ carbon emissions. Yet across this area, vibrant and distinctly different communities are increasingly experiencing the impacts of climate change, including flooding and erosion.

In many places, communities are navigating legacies of extractive land uses and economic disinvestment. Rapidly changing land ownership and investment patterns have put this unique landscape, and our shared connections to it, at risk. Protecting these places while we still can is critical for people and nature.

Appalachian Landscapes Project Catalyst Grant OSI’s Appalachian Landscapes Project (ALP) Catalyst Grants support climate-informed planning (as defined in Project Types , below) to accelerate the protection and stewardship of lands across the Appalachians for people and wildlife.

Investments in planning can strengthen local capacity for strategic land conservation, support fundraising efforts, advance policy, and direct resources to lands with critical climate and community values.

Projects should achieve one or more of the following deliverables: Climate-informed conservation plan or vision that identifies priorities for land protection that will have tangible benefits for people, communities, and wildlife Climate-informed stewardship plan that develops strategies for “climate-smart” land management to enhance resilience and/or carbon storage/sequestration Community Resilience plan that advances nature-based strategies to enhance climate resilience and/or address the impacts of climate change being experienced by a specific community.

Nature-based strategies may include a variety of conservation or policy approaches to protect, restore, or manage land to retain or repair ecosystem functions. All projects should address priorities on a broad scale (such as a corridor, focus area, county, or watershed). Planning projects focused on a single property are not eligible for Catalyst funding.

OSI seeks to support climate planning projects that incorporate meaningful community input and engagement and that will result in specific and documented community benefits. OSI invites Catalyst applications from land trusts, nonprofit organizations, Tribal governments, and municipalities committed to advancing permanent land conservation in the Appalachian region.

OSI encourages proposals from collaborative groups containing multiple partners, with one of the above entities as the lead applicant. Projects should advance conservation within the ALP service area as defined by OSI. Check whether your project falls within the ALP boundary with OSI’s Screening Tool .

If your project lies partially within the boundary, we encourage you to reach out to OSI program staff before applying to confirm eligibility. Eligible Uses of Catalyst Grants ALP Catalyst grants support planning, rather than implementation.

Grants may support a broad range of activities that contribute to the development of conservation strategy or decision making, including, but not limited to priority-setting, mapping, needs assessment, convening partners, community engagement, and development of policies or processes to guide implementation.

Eligible costs include, but are not limited to staff time, project consultants, travel, stipends for project partners or community members who contribute to the plan, and indirect costs (up to 15 percent of the total amount requested).

Ineligible Uses of Catalyst Grant Funds General operating support Plan implementation (i.e. carrying out the activities outlined in a plan or strategy) Research that is not directly related to the conservation planning project described in the application Land acquisition and restoration capital costs Political lobbying /advocacy Development of carbon offset projects Grant Awards and Fund Availability Applicants may request up to $20,000 in grant support for the development of climate-informed plans.

Up to $150,000 is available in the fall 2025 round for projects throughout the Appalachian region. Applicants will be notified about grant decisions in February 2026. Projects should be designed to be completed within 12-18 months.

There is no match requirement. Applicants will be asked to report the full project budget, and any sources of funding in addition to the grant request as part of the financial summary form. Documentation of in-kind or cash match is appreciated where possible.

Methods and Data Resources All applicants will be asked to describe the methods, data, and other knowledge that will be used to inform the project. OSI does not require the use of specific datasets or approaches, but has compiled a robust set of climate and data resources available for applicants to consider as they are designing and implementing their planning projects.

See the Appalachian Landscapes Mapping Resource Center for more information. For guidance on using the Mapping Resource Center, please watch the webinar recording here . Proposals will be evaluated on the following criteria: Catalytic Impact : The project has the potential to inform conservation decisions (such as land protection; land stewardship; or related activities) in the near-term.

Applicants should demonstrate how investments in planning will be catalytic , such as how the project may leverage additional funding sources, grow the skills and relationships needed to work effectively, build a project pipeline or lay the groundwork for implementation of conservation projects, influence the conditions needed to achieve desired conservation impacts, pilot approaches that can serve as a demonstration, or develop replicable models.

Audience - The plan seeks to inform the actions of an identified audience (such as a land trust or organization, Tribe, landowners, municipalities, county, public agency partners, etc.) that has the resources and commitment to achieve the goals of the project. Methods and Use of Science - The proposal identifies information sources that will be used in the project and articulates clear steps or methods to achieve outcomes.

Feasibility - The project team has the capacity, expertise, and commitment to complete the project; and the project is likely to succeed within the proposed timeframe.

Community Involvement and Benefit - The applicant demonstrates how members of the community have been or will be meaningfully involved in planning, decision-making, and/or implementation of the project, and how the project will benefit communities facing climate threats and/or address the inequitable burdens of climate impacts. OSI is no longer accepting Appalachian Landscapes Project Catalyst Grant proposals in 2025.

Applicants will be notified of grant decisions in February 2026. We anticipate releasing the next round of funding in Fall 2026. Applications should be submitted through OSI’s grant management system, Foundant .

The text of the application and the budget are provided for reference in the Fall 2025 Catalyst Grant Package . The informational webinar recording is available and provides a helpful overview of the grant opportunity and application process. OSI awards grants through a competitive process to eligible not-for-profit conservation organizations, federally and state-recognized Tribes, government agencies, and municipalities.

Applications are reviewed by OSI staff and an Advisory Committee composed of experts in land protection, science, and philanthropy across the Appalachians. Once a grant is conditionally approved, OSI provides the grantee with a checklist of required items to initiate the grant agreement. Funds are released upon the closing of the transaction.

The Appalachian Landscapes Project and the Mapping Resource Center are made possible with support from The Great Island Foundation, Jane’s Trust Foundation, J. M. Kaplan Fund, Lookout Foundation, Anonymous Foundations, as well as other foundations and individuals.

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