Grants & Funding
OLTA administers several granting programs to support land trusts. Please see the details and dates below, and check back often, or subscribe to our newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any funding opportunities.
Species at Risk Action Fund
NOW OPEN!
The Species at Risk Action Fund (SARAF) aims to improve the status of Species at Risk (SAR) and their habitats by supporting species inventories and management planning on ecologically sensitive lands by eligible recipients.
OLTA currently holds funding from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation, and Parks’ Species at Risk Stewardship Program. Through this grant, we are able to support small grants to member land trusts in their work to protect and recover Species at Risk on land trust properties.
The SARAF fund will support Species At Risk inventory projects, property management plan (PMP) costs and/or direct habitat management actions.
Funding has been made available through support provided by the Government of Ontario.
Please review the SARAF Guidelines document below for the Winter 2024-25 funding priorities.
Eligible projects will be those undertaken between April 1, 2024 and February 28, 2025.
Completed applications and all documentation are to be submitted through Foundant, our online grant portal, by 11:59 PM on Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
Please direct any inquiries to [email protected]
Greenlands Conservation Partnership Program
APPLICATIONS CLOSED
Conservation of Ontario’s rich biodiversity is a shared responsibility. The Greenlands Conservation Partnership (GCP) program is a collaborative initiative to conserve ecologically important natural areas and contribute to the government’s climate change objectives.
Between 2020 and 2024, the Government of Ontario invested $38 million to leverage private contributions to the Greenlands Conservation Partnership with Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA) and Nature Conservancy of Canada. This funding supported the securement, restoration and management of privately owned protected areas. In 2024, OLTA received renewed funding of $20 million over the next four years, ensuring the continuation of the program’s vital conservation efforts.
This funding cycle represents the first round of funding (2024/25) of a four-year fund. These guidelines are for the 2024/25 round only. The current funding cycle has a focus on supporting projects that acquire and manage ecologically sensitive lands, as well as Stewardship, Restoration, and Outreach (SRO) activities for properties that were previously secured through the program. Projects that include SRO elements are strongly encouraged.
Applications are being accepted to support:
- Land acquisition – fee simple or conservation easement agreement.
- Associated costs of land acquisition.
- Restoration and stewardship costs on properties secured through this program, in this or previous rounds.
- Outreach events, including those focused on increasing the availability of green spaces and trails for the people of Ontario to enjoy, on properties secured through this program.
Updated Project Eligibility Requirements
- Projects require matching contributions at a rate of a $2.00 non-provincial investment for every dollar of provincial funds. This match ratio is new – please reach out to OLTA with questions on the match if you are anticipating that your expected match could be lower than 2:1.
- Projects must have, or will have, some form of public access prior to February 18, 2028 (this does not apply to Conservation Easement Agreements with private landowners). Please reach out to OLTA if you have questions about what constitutes public access.
- Organizations may submit any number of applications. Each project must be at least $5,000 and submitted through its own application. Unless otherwise determined by the External Review Committee, no applicant will receive more than 34% of available funds.
Important Note
Any project requesting $500,000 or more in funding must be prepared to complete an external audit of the entire project, undertaken by a qualified CPA, by the end of February 2025 as per program requirements. Please keep this timeline in mind when preparing your applications.
Documents for Review Before Application
The application period for the 2024/2025 funding round is now closed. Information on the 2025/2026 funding round will be shared in the near future.
In its first four years, this program has:
- Conserved over 12,560 acres (5,083 hectares) of ecologically important natural areas across Ontario.
- Funded or partially funded 65 new projects throughout the province.
- Protected 34 new properties that offer public access to green spaces.
- Protected habitats for at least 108 species at risk.
Click here to view an infographic highlighting the program’s impact.
NHCP - LTCF Grant
APPLICATIONS CLOSED
The Natural Heritage Capacity Program – Land Trust Capacity Fund supports Canadian charity land trusts in securing land that contributes to the achievement of the terrestrial and inland water elements of Target 1 for Canada’s 2020 Biodiversity Goals and Targets. It will also contribute to the protection of habitat for the recovery of Species at Risk Act (SARA) listed species at risk and the prevention of other species from becoming listed under SARA.
Wildlife Habitat Canada is providing grant administration services for the Natural Heritage Conservation Program which will invest $18 million into the Land Trusts Conservation Fund program. The Land Trusts Conservation Fund (LTCF) will provide approximately $4.5 million annually over four years (2023 – 2026) to support Canadian land trusts in securing private lands and private interests in lands.
To be eligible to apply for the LTCF, which includes a large or small grant program, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Applicants must be a Canadian Land Trust
- Applicants must be a registered Canadian Charity
- Applicants must have adopted and be in compliance with, or working towards substantial compliance with, the Canadian Land Trusts Standards and Practices (2019)
- Applicants must demonstrate a minimum of 2:1 in match funding raised from other non-federal sources.
For up-to-date information regarding the Land Trusts Conservation Fund program or for more information on both the Small & Large grant programs, please visit Wildlife Habitat Canada’s website here.
Interested in Other Funding Sources?
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Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA) is a registered charity focused on providing community, knowledge sharing and support to land trusts and other groups committed to land conservation across Ontario.
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Connect With Us
- P.O. Box 54, Acton, ON L7J 2M2
- 905-208-OLTA (6582)
- [email protected]