Oil and Gas Compensatory Mitigation Grant Program
Oil and Gas Compensatory Mitigation Grant Program supports land trusts with conservation easement transaction costs to protect private-land wildlife habitat and offset impacts from oil and gas development.
Funder: Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Due Dates: January 31, 2027 (February review cutoff) | July 31, 2027 (August review cutoff) | Year-round (Submission)
Funding Amounts: Available funding fluctuates; CPW cannot guarantee a minimum or maximum amount
Summary: Supports perpetual private-land conservation easements to offset unavoidable wildlife habitat impacts from oil and gas development.
Key Information: Applicants must be certified Colorado land trusts in good standing, and projects must meet regional location requirements.
Description
Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) administers this program to help cover the costs of establishing perpetual private-land conservation easements held by third-party land trusts. Funding comes from fees paid by oil and gas operators to meet mandatory compensatory mitigation obligations for new development in certain CPW-mapped high-priority habitats. The program uses these fees to offset unavoidable adverse impacts through wildlife habitat conservation, restoration and uplift.
The grant supports easement transaction costs such as appraisals, mineral reports, surveys and closing costs. Depending on priorities and available funding, CPW may also consider CPW fee-title acquisitions and CPW-held conservation easement purchases. Regional requirements and preferences focus funding on particular locations, wildlife habitats, proximity to oil and gas disturbance, and lands adjacent to existing protected or conserved areas.
