Land Trust Grant Fund

The application for the 2026 Land Trust Grant Fund has closed.

About the Momentum Conservation Land Trust Grant Fund Program

The Momentum Conservation Land Trust Grant Fund provides general operating support to Maine land trusts. This is a competitive grant program open to all land trusts in Maine. We will prioritize funding applicants that are: working to center justice, open to trying new things, expressing vulnerability through sharing learnings, and committed to challenging colonial systems in conservation.

Our Program Goals:

• Strengthen the land trust community’s governance, leadership, strategic planning, financial stability, programming, and organizational development.

• Help land trusts integrate equity and inclusion in their organizational policies, practices, and programming.

• Position land trusts to broaden their membership, including by engaging BIPOC, low-income people, LGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities.

• Support land trusts in developing additional social capital and infrastructure by facilitating connections to share lessons, opportunities, and growth.

• Ensure that conservation is rooted in community, and that conserved land is accessible to the broadest range of communities for meaningful experience.

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Application Process: 

Momentum’s Land Trust Grant Fund Program will utilize an online grant application to access, complete, and submit your application. This will be made available when the application opens on March 25, 2026. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by email. Please allow time for our participatory review and decision-making process by Community Grant Reviewers.

Preview the 2026 application questions.

Review a list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Important dates:

- Application opens: Wednesday, March 25, 2026

- Application deadline: Friday, April 24th, 2026, at 11:59 PM

- Funds awarded by: Tuesday , June 30, 2026

Eligibility requirements: 

To apply, you must be a land trust operating in Maine. Organizations must be certified as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or use a fiscal sponsor with 501(c)(3) tax status. Applicants must have a valid EIN (tax ID) number to be considered.

For the purpose of this grant program, Momentum Conservation defines a land trust as an organization whose mission and focus is to actively conserve land through easements or acquisition for purposes that may include: providing public access and housing, protecting agricultural land, ecosystems, land of cultural significance, water quality, working waterfronts, and/or addressing climate resilience in perpetuity.