Transaction Cost Assistance Program (TCAP)

Transaction Cost Assistance Program (TCAP) is sponsored by GOCO and Keep It Colorado. Provides financial assistance to nonprofit land trusts in Colorado to help cover the costs of establishing conservation easements.

Transaction Cost Assistance Program — Keep It Colorado Keep It Colorado’s Transaction Cost Assistance Program In 2021, Keep It Colorado partnered with Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to establish the Transaction Cost Assistance Program (TCAP). Thanks to the program’s success and additional GOCO investments, Keep It Colorado has been able to continue the program — and grow it.

Additional funders contributing to the pool of investments have included Ducks Unlimited, Walton Family Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy. “ This program has enabled CWLT to conserve many working farms and ranches in western Colorado.

These farmers and ranchers may not have deep pockets to pay for transaction costs, but the continuation of their operations are critical to the viability of our local economy and the conservation of their properties is essential for habitat protection and water protection.

” — Ilana Moir, Director of Conservation, Colorado West Land Trust TCAP regrants funds to nonprofit land trusts to help cover the costs associated with conservation easement transactions.

It enables landowners who have urgent opportunities to conserve their properties, but who face financial barriers to facilitating the transaction, to conserve more land more quickly – thereby protecting critical habitat, local food systems, iconic viewsheds, wetland and river corridors, and places of historic and cultural significance.

With this assistance, Keep It Colorado eases the financial burden on landowners and enables them to move forward with protecting critical landscapes that are imminent risk of subdivided or converted to other uses. Since 2021 when Keep It Colorado formed TCAP in partnership with GOCO, it has awarded $4 million in grant assistance to Colorado nonprofit land trusts.

This aid enables land trusts to help landowners complete 80 conservation projects and protect 80,000 acres of critical habitat, local food systems, iconic viewsheds, wetland and river corridors, and places of historic and cultural significance across the state. Demand for transaction cost assistance continues as more landowners are motivated to conserve land.

Applications far outweigh funds: Since 2021, 60% of the total funding requested has been met. Continuing this program, and increasing the amount of funding available, will be central to helping Keep It Colorado and our coalition members advance goals of Conserving Colorado: A 10-year Roadmap for the Future of Private Land Conservation over the next decade – including the community’s collective goals to conserve 3.

3 million acres by 2033. Want to learn more about the program? Please contact Hannah George , programs manager for additional details about upcoming grant opportunities.

The demand for conservation-related cost assistance far outweighs available funds. Organizations interested in supporting this work are invited to contact Hannah George , programs manager. Thank you!

Learning from Landowners , Stories , TCAP Protecting Iconic Colorado Views and Critical Water Resources – Forever Learning from Landowners , Stories , TCAP Anyone who has driven through the quaint Park County community of Lake George has seen the spectacular views of the South Platte River along Highway 24.

Given its picture-perfect location and ample recreational and fly-fishing opportunities, the area could be a prime location for building homes or subdivisions. For years, purchasing the property – part of the historic Abell Ranch – was John Gunn’s dream every time he drove through the community. Rather than develop, however, he envisioned permanently protecting the land for the benefit of the community, the passersby and the wildlife.

His vision came to fruition when he found the means to protect this iconic Front Range ranch forever.

Learning from Landowners , Stories , TCAP Stories , TCAP , Learning from Landowners Weaselskin: Protecting a Special Place in Durango Stories , TCAP , Learning from Landowners In southwest Colorado, the town of Durango features a beautiful combination of scenic views, abundant wildlife, an outdoor-recreation wonderland, a local farming and ranching legacy, and tribal lands rich with historical and cultural artifacts and stories.

But, like other Colorado gems, Durango’s popularity, combined with the effects of climate change, has significantly altered the landscape. Jennifer Thurston has seen the changes intensify over the decades. Today, she is getting help to protect an area that, without any action, would be at risk of disappearing.

Stories , TCAP , Learning from Landowners Stories , TCAP , Learning from Landowners Mount Harris: Conserving the Past and Ensuring the Future Stories , TCAP , Learning from Landowners For years, Karen Whitney drove past this stretch of the Yampa River, noticing the Mount Harris historical highway marker. Once a thriving mining town, the property had been closed to the public for more than six decades.

Karen imagined what it would be like to protect it - and acted on her vision. “Conserving this space reverses the trend compared to the rest of the country. Wild places have been developed, but this formerly developed area is now a wild place.

” Stories , TCAP , Learning from Landowners Stories , TCAP , Learning from Landowners Ruybal Fox Creek Ranch: Preserving a cultural and environmental legacy Stories , TCAP , Learning from Landowners In the larger San Luis Valley, more than 50 percent of the population is Hispanic.

When Josie approached Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust to help conserve her family's ranch, it was a chance to protect this unique piece of land, and also build more relationships and trust with a community that is often overlooked in the conservation arena. And Josie was driven: "They're not making any more land. We need to do what we can to protect it.

” Stories , TCAP , Learning from Landowners Laughter, s'mores and the Rocky Mountains Northwest of Glen Haven in the Estes Valley, the Cheley Colorado Camp's boys' overnight camp sits in a scenic outdoor wonderland. During the summer months kids enjoy educational activities here, and hike along backcountry trails as they take in undisturbed views of Rocky Mountain National Park. The specialness of sandhill cranes The Mt.

Harris ranch is nestled in 17,000 acres of conserved land within Routt County, Colorado. Just 18 miles west of Steamboat Springs and bordered by the Yampa River, the ranch is an outstanding wildlife habitat. Greater Sandhill Cranes and bald eagles forage here.

Both are species of Special Concern, and preserving freshwater wetlands, including marshes, wet grasslands and river basins for these birds ensures their survival. Gold-medal fishing and "brownies" The La Jara Cañon Creek ranch in Capulin, Colorado has 840 acres of working ranchlands and provides public fishing access to local residents, many of whom are underserved or low-income community members.

The creek is a gold medal fishing spot, especially for brown trout. Like most fish, the brown trout cannot regulate body temperature, so they need cold waters to survive. The cold waters of La Jara Creek furnish a perfect home for the "brownies."

TCAP GRANT NEWS RELEASES & PROJECT LISTS Over 7,000 Acres to be Conserved with Transaction Cost Grants Keep It Colorado will award $551,100 in assistance to six nonprofit Colorado land trusts, which will support landowners who have volunteered to protect their properties through conservation.

Keep It Colorado Awards $553,850 to Help Conserve 16,000 Acres Keep It Colorado will award $553,850 in assistance to seven nonprofit Colorado land trusts, which will support landowners who have volunteered to protect their properties through conservation. The 10 selected projects will help permanently protect 16,026 acres encompassing vital wildlife habitat, working farms and ranches.

grants , Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) , transaction cost assistance , TCAP Keep It Colorado Awards $840,000 for Voluntary Conservation Projects grants , Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) , transaction cost assistance , TCAP Keep It Colorado will award $840,000 in assistance to 10 nonprofit Colorado land trusts, which will support landowners who have volunteered to protect their properties through conservation.

The 15 selected projects will help permanently protect over 13,000 acres of working ranches, wetlands, water rights and wildlife corridors on land that would otherwise be at imminent risk of being subdivided or converted to other uses.

grants , Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) , transaction cost assistance , TCAP Keep It Colorado Awards $260,000 for Voluntary Conservation Projects Keep It Colorado will award $260,000 in assistance to six nonprofit land trusts across Colorado, which will support landowners who have volunteered to protect their properties through conservation.

The projects will permanently protect 2,637 acres of working ranches, wetlands, water rights and wildlife corridors on land that would otherwise be at imminent risk of being subdivided or converted to other uses. Ducks Unlimited Advances Wetlands Conservation via Keep It Colorado’s Grant Program Ducks Unlimited (DU) has pledged to support Keep It Colorado’s grant program, the Transaction Cost Assistance Program (TCAP).

TCAP provides financial support to Colorado’s land conservation community to help cover costs associated with conservation easement transactions, which protect land in perpetuity. Keep It Colorado will apply DU’s investment toward conservation projects that involve Colorado wetlands and benefit migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wildlife and natural resources.

Keep It Colorado Awards $215,000 in Cost Assistance for Conservation Keep It Colorado will award $215,000 in grants to help four Colorado land trusts complete conservation projects in partnership with landowners across five Colorado counties. The projects will permanently protect 13,375 acres of critical wetlands and wildlife habitat, family orchards and vineyards, agricultural landscapes, water rights and rare species.

A Good Year for Conservation: Keep It Colorado Grants Helped Conserve Equivalent of 3,579 Football Fields The year 2022 has been a good one for conserving Colorado’s natural resources. With financial assistance from Keep It Colorado, six land trusts helped landowners conserve about 4,725 acres of land spanning 10 counties. That is equivalent to 3,579 American football fields, nine Grand Lakes or 1.

8% of Rocky Mountain National Park. Protection efforts also included acreage along 13 miles of stream. Keep It Colorado Awards $197,000 in Cost Assistance to Protect Iconic Landscapes, Working Lands and Wildlife Keep It Colorado will award $197,000 in grants to help three Colorado land trusts complete conservation projects.

Their activities with landowners who’ve chosen to conserve their land in perpetuity will protect 8,512 acres of land that would otherwise be at imminent risk of being sold, subdivided or converted to other uses.

Keep It Colorado Awards $247,015 in Grants to Help Land Trusts Conserve Land in Six Counties Keep It Colorado will award $247,015 in grants to help five Colorado land trusts complete conservation projects in six counties in 2022. With this assistance, land trusts will enable landowners to cover the high costs of voluntarily conserving properties in perpetuity.

Keep It Colorado Awards $269,900 in Grants to Land Trusts to Help Complete Conservation Projects Keep It Colorado will award $269,900 in grants to help Colorado land trusts complete conservation projects in 2021. The selected projects will help conserve more than 3,800 acres of land and leverage more than $1. 7 million in tax credits.

“ The role TCAP plays in private lands conservation cannot be understated. Without this program the land trust community would be missing a significant source of funding for easements, particularly smaller/medium sized donated projects that may not compete for other state/federal sources of funding. This program plays a substantial, if not necessary, role in conserving Colorado.

” — Travis Custer, Executive Director, Montezuma Land Conservancy “ Transaction cost assistance funding is instrumental for many MALT landowners. Growing this program ensures that as MALT’s conservation efforts grow there will be continued funding support, thus growing land and water conservation throughout Colorado - particularly in places where wildlife corridors and habitats are vulnerable.

” — Lynn Caligiuri, Executive Director, Mountain Area Land Trust “ Private land conservation, largely accomplished through conservation easements, is critical for achieving the many ambitious conservation goals that entities like Keep it Colorado and other conservation organizations have put forward.

Completing a conservation easement requires a willing landowner with the will to not only donate the significant value of the easement, but to cover the costs of the transaction, which often exceed $100,000. Transaction cost assistance has been critical to so many conservation easements that simply would not have been completed without that assistance.

Put simply, this funding is essential and doubling its availability will go a long way toward achieving the ambitious goals of doubling down on conservation in the next ten years. ” — John Gioia, Director of Transactions, Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust