The Department is pleased to announce the 25th grant round of the Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition Grant Program (OSWA).
Donor Name: Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)
State: Connecticut
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 09/30/2022
Details:
The Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) Grant Program provides financial assistance to municipalities and nonprofit land conservation organizations to acquire land for open space, and to water companies to acquire land to be classified as Class I or Class II water supply property.
Awards are granted to projects that offer the highest conservation and recreational value and that leverage the greatest percentage of private and municipal funding.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be a municipality, non-profit land conservation organization (e.g., land trust), or water company;
- Water companies must purchase land that can be classified as “Class I” or Class II” after acquisition, and must show if and how they intend to allow access to proposed land for recreational uses;
- If a non-profit land trust is purchasing land or interest in land located within a municipality considered as Targeted or Distressed (CGS section 32-9p), it must obtain approval form the chief elected official or governing legislative body;
- If a proposed property is being purchased from a water company, the property must be classified as surplus Class III land by the water company. The water company, as title holder, must be granted permission to dispose of the property by the State Public Utilities Regulatory Authority and the Department of Public Health;
- All lands or interest in lands acquired under this program must be preserved in perpetuity, predominantly in their natural, scenic, and open condition;
- For municipal applicants, if the municipality’s current Plan of Conservation and Development is more than 10 years old, a grant cannot be awarded;
- Applicants must show evidence of compliance with the terms and conditions of any previously awarded grants;
- Applicants must clearly show how the public will access and enjoy the property. If public access is not clearly shown, the property will not be evaluated or awarded a grant.
- Applicants must show a reasonable anticipation that cost-share match funding will be available within one year of the State grant being awarded.
Distressed Municipalities – Ansonia, Bridgeport, Bristol, Chaplin, Derby, East Hartford, East Haven, Griswold, Hartford, Killingly, Meriden, Montville, Naugatuck, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Norwich, Putnam, Sprague, Sterling, Stratford, Torrington, Voluntown, Waterbury, West Haven, Winchester and Windham.
Targeted Investment Communities – Bridgeport, Bristol, East Hartford, Groton, Hamden, Hartford, Meriden, Middletown, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Norwich, Southington, Stamford, Thomaston, Waterbury, West Haven and Windham.
For more information, visit Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.