Virginia Land Conservation Foundation
Forecasted
Virginia Land Conservation Foundation supports public bodies, Tribes, and nonprofits in acquiring land and easements to permanently protect Virginia’s working lands, heritage, natural areas, and parks.
Funder: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation
Due Dates (Anticipated): August 2027 (Full application)
Funding Amounts: FY27 allocation: $17.21 million; generally up to 50% of eligible costs, or 100% for state agencies and eligible Virginia Indian Tribes; two-year grants
Summary: Supports land and conservation easement acquisitions that permanently protect Virginia’s working lands, historic resources, natural areas, and recreational open space.
Key Information: Nonprofit projects require a perpetual open-space easement held by a public body.
Description
The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VLCF), administered by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), provides competitive grants to permanently conserve land across the Commonwealth. Funding supports fee-simple acquisitions, conservation and open-space easements, and purchases of development rights. Five categories cover agricultural land, working forests, historic and cultural resources, natural areas, and open spaces and parks.
The foundation seeks a fair geographic distribution of protected land, public access, and recreational opportunities. Scoring emphasizes ConserveVirginia conservation priorities, underserved communities, and areas that have not previously benefited from VLCF grants. DCR reviews applications with an interagency task force, which scores and ranks projects before the VLCF Board considers awards. Conservation values promised in an application must be protected in the final recorded documents.
