Grants
The Neighborhood Outreach Project grant, and the Land Conservation Networking mini grant are designed specifically for the Open Space Network. Proposals are being reviewed on a rolling basis until funding is spent. If you have questions about these grant opportunities, please contact Sarah Wells.
The PowerPoint slides from the Information Session held on Wednesday October 11th via Zoom are available below.
Funding for these grants is provided by the MA DCR Service Forestry Program through the Working Forests Initiative, implemented in part by UMass Amherst and the North Quabbin Regional Landscape Partnership (fiscally sponsored by Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust).
Neighborhood Outreach Project
- Accepting Proposals -
Landowner decisions are often informed by advice and stories of friends and neighbors. The goal of this grant is to use neighborhood-scale social networks to help inform landowner decisions about the future of their land.
Past projects include direct mailings to high-priority landowners, workshops, potlucks, site visits, and individualized follow-up with interested landowners. You can access a list of recent projects funded by the grant here.
View the Tips and Tools for Landowner Outreach webinar from the 2023 Massachusetts Open Space Conference to hear about outreach projects the Bolton Conservation Commission, the Dracut Open Space Committee, and the Chesterfield Conservation Commission accomplished through this grant!
Proposals are being reviewed on a rolling basis until funding is spent. Please contact Sarah Wells for further information, or to discuss outreach ideas prior to submitting a proposal.
Land Conservation Networking Mini Grant
- Accepting Proposals -
In recognition that many land conservation projects require partnerships among community leaders and other conservation partners, we piloted a mini grant program focused on creating intentional opportunities for networking and relationship building in the fall of 2022.
This grant aims to bring together people from a shared geography to build or strengthen relationships in service of community conservation. Proposals can focus on a single community (e.g., a town-based all-volunteer land trust could host a picnic for town board members active within that town) or multiple communities (e.g., an open space committee could host a breakfast for open space committee members in bordering towns).
Proposals are being reviewed on a rolling basis until funding is spent. Please contact Sarah Wells for further information, or to discuss networking ideas prior to submitting a proposal.