The West Virginia Department of Commerce is seeking applications for its Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund to protect lands that host West Virginia’s wild and wonderful natural resources.
Donor Name: West Virginia Department of Commerce
State: West Virginia
County: All Counties
Type of the Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/31/2022
Size of the Grant: $5,000 – $25,000
Details:
The West Virginia Legislature created the Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund to invest in the conservation of unique and important wildlife habitats, natural areas, forest lands, farmlands, and lands for hunting, fishing, and recreation. The fund is used to acquire an interest in real property for conservation in keeping with the Wildlife Conservation Action Plan or other conservation plans and to award competitive grants for conservation purposes to eligible recipients.
Funding Information
The OHCF operates two grant programs. They are:
Small Grant Program ($5,000-$25,000) – Eligible grant activities include:
- Due diligence to acquire an interest in real property for conservation purposes, including baseline documentation, Environmental Hazards Assessment, title examination, survey, and
- Stewardship is defined as the necessary monitoring, maintenance, and enforcement of interests in real property for conservation This includes the stewardship and/or legal defense fund to monitor and protect interests in the real property over time.
Large Grant Program (Over $25,000) – Eligible grant activities include:
- Capital expenses and transactional costs associated with the purchase of interests in real property for conservation purposes.
- Closing costs.
Eligibility Activities
To carry out the mandate set by statute, the West Virginia Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund (OHCF) provides grants for three primary activities:
- Capital costs, and associated transaction and closing costs, to purchase real property interest(s), including conservation easements, land in fee, and other interests acquired for conservation purposes,
- Due diligence costs associated with the donation of real property interest(s) for conservation purposes, including baseline documentation, surveys, appraisals, Environmental Hazards Assessments, and title examinations,
- Stewardship of real property interest(s) for conservation purposes, such as the costs of monitoring and legally defending conservation easements.
Eligibility Criteria
- Nonprofit corporations registered with the West Virginia Secretary of State have as a primary part of their mission to acquire interests in real property for conservation purposes,
- West Virginia Division of Forestry, and
- West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
For more information, visit West Virginia Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund.