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DEC partners with the Land Trust Alliance (the Alliance), a non-profit land conservation organization, in administering two different grant opportunities to increase the pace of protecting forests and open space in New York State.
Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts (FCELT)
The fourth round of the Forest Conservation Easements for Land Trusts program is now closed. The program provides up to $1.35 million from the Environmental Protection Fund for grants to land trusts to protect forestland through conservation easements. The program is administered by the Land Trust Alliance in coordination with DEC.
2025 Grant Awards
In the 2025 round, nine grants totaling $1.72 million were awarded to six Land Trusts resulting in the protection of 2,050 acres of forestland.
These grants are intended to provide community benefits, advance ecosystem benefits and climate resilience, and work towards goals identified in the New York State Open Space Plan, the New York State Wildlife Action Plan, the New York State Forest Action Plan, and/or other local, regional or statewide land protection plans.
Complete details about this grant opportunity including eligibility requirements, how to apply, and other program elements, and grant awards from previous years can be found on the Alliance's website.
New York State Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP)
The 2025-26 round of grants is now open. Applications are due Monday, January 5, 2026 by 5 p.m. EST. For complete details on how to apply for funding including the Request for Applications, eligibility, evaluation criteria, and FAQ, please visit the Land Trust Alliance webpage.
On May 29, 2025, DEC and the Land Trust Alliance awarded $3.075 million in NYSCPP 60 grants to 46 nonprofit land trusts across the state.
- 2025 Grant Award Descriptions (PDF)
- 2025 Grant Awards by Region (PDF)
- 2025 Grant Distribution Map (PDF)
Created in 2002, the NYSCPP is a public-private partnership between DEC and the Land Trust Alliance that invests in New York land trusts. Grants are funded through the New York State Environmental Protection Fund annually and are administered by the Alliance in coordination with DEC.
From 2002 through 2025, the NYSCPP program has awarded 1,268 grants totaling more than $31 million to 99 land trusts. Cumulatively, the state's investment has leveraged at least $36 million in additional funding from local and private sources.
NYSCPP is nationally recognized as a model for leveraging public and private funding for building capacity of land trusts to help advance open space protection, farmland preservation, and resource conservation goals included in the 2016 New York State Open Space Plan. Complete details about this grant opportunity can be found on the Alliance's NYSCPP webpage.
The NYSCPP has five grant categories:
- Capacity and Excellence - grants to develop land trust programs and build organizational capacity to increase impact and sustainability of non-profit conservation organizations.
- Conservation Catalyst - grants to support collaborative projects that “catalyze” new partnerships and community-supported conservation, stewardship and outreach initiatives.
- Professional Development - grants for land trusts looking to professionalize and strengthen programs and services by adding permanent staff.
- Stewardship and Resource Management - grants for land trusts seeking to make a substantial capital investment in public access improvements and on the ground stewardship of conserved properties.
- Transaction - grants that help cover the indirect costs associated with new conservation easements and fee-acquisition projects that result in strategic, permanent protection of environmentally significant lands in New York.
Details about grant awards from previous years are available on the Alliance's NYSCPP webpage.
