The Conservation Fund, through its Land Trust Loan Program, provides bridge financing and short-term loans to more than 1,700 local nonprofit land conservation organizations across the nation to accelerate the pace of conservation at the local level.
In the Connecticut River Valley, a farmer hopes to protect his land as a legacy for future generations. Along Maryland’s Coastal Bays, a rural community tries to conserve its scenic vistas from development. On Colorado’s Front Range, a ranching family seeks to safeguard a working landscape and popular migratory corridor. Each story is unique, but in every case a local land trust was contacted first for help.
At The Conservation Fund we remain committed to raising additional capital to enhance the capability of local groups nationwide. To date our loan program has helped more than 60 organizations achieve their land conservation goals.
Total Loans:.......................114
Number of States:............26
Acres Protected:..............86,795
Acquisition cost:..............$61.3 million
Fair market value:............$131.8 million
Today, more than 1,700 local and regional land trusts are working to protect open space and the quality of life in their communities. These organizations are enduring civic institutions that are helping to conserve the best of America’s lands and waters.
While local land trusts have strong fundraising abilities, they often cannot raise the necessary funding fast enough to meet the needs of willing landowners. As a result, open space that could have been protected is lost. To boost the capability of these groups, each year the Fund lends a portion of its own conservation capital base to land trusts to use as bridge financing. These low-interest loans can be used by our partners to acquire a property before permanent funding is secured.
The Fund, through its Loan and Land Conservation Leadership Programs, provides local organizations with the financing and skills needed to accomplish their conservation goals.
Experience: Expertise and technical assistance is provided throughout the entire process—from acquisition to fundraising to disposition.
Flexible Terms: Security for the loan and payment schedules are tailored specifically to the needs of the borrower and any partners. Interest rates are typically below WSJ Prime Rate.
Efficient & Swift Application Process: The Conservation Fund is committed to working with each applicant to accommodate specific scheduling needs.
What our partners say about us:
The Conservation Fund has been an outstanding partner for our nation’s land trusts. The Fund’s ability to provide financing and technical support is unmatched, and the Foundation is proud to be a lead partner in its land trust program.
—Dan Lufkin, Trustee, Peter Jay Sharp Foundation
The Conservation Fund is a valuable partner in preserving significant land in North Carolina's High Country. The knowledge and resources they bring to transactions produce effective conservation solutions. Continuing this relationship will further High Country Conservancy's land protection goals.
—Teresa Buckwalter, Executive Director, High Country Conservancy
At the Fund we help save wild havens: large, natural spaces for wildlife to be exactly that—wild. Your gift ensures that wildlife, like this bear cub, has the habitat it needs to thrive.
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At Work in Massachusetts:
With the help of a loan from The Conservation Fund, an agreement forged between a local landowner, the state and the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust will save 104 acres of what may be the last stand of old-growth Atlantic white cedar in the state. Click here to read more.
The Franklin Land Trust Praises our Land Trust Loan Program. Read more.
Powered by: Phase2 TechnologyThe Conservation Fund National Office
1655 N. Fort Myer Drive, Suite 1300
Arlington, Virginia 22209-2156
Phone: 703-525-6300
Fax: 703-525-4610
Email: postmaster@conservationfund.org
