CTNC awards $112,790 in grants to six land trust partners
In October, CTNC awarded six grants to six local land trusts in Western North Carolina to help them close the final funding gap on land protection projects. Through the Mountain Revolving Loan Fund (MRLF), CTNC is allocating $112,790 that will support partner land trusts in the mountains to protect an additional 4,790 acres.
The CTNC Mountain Revolving Loan Fund has two significant benefits for our partners:
- It provides crucial bridge financing with minimal interest to land trusts in Western North Carolina to purchase conservation land and easements. As loans are repaid, the money becomes available to re-lend.
- A percentage of the balance of the loan fund is given out each year in grant awards. Grants of up to $25,000 are not required to be paid back. CTNC’s grants help cover transaction-related costs, land management, project administration, and long-term stewardship; often the most difficult project funding to raise.
This marks the 15th year of CTNC’s program! In that time, the program has provided a total of $1,507,000 to eight eligible land trusts supporting land conservation in the Blue Ridge mountains. Grants from CTNC have helped our fellow land trusts leverage more than $99M and protect 21,259 acres through 108 projects over the life of the program.
CTNC is proud to support the work of our amazing group of partner land trusts, and thankful for their conservation successes.
These grants are made possible by the support of generous CTNC donors. These investments make a lasting impact on their communities and permanently protect critical conservation land in Western North Carolina that might otherwise be developed. By working in collaboration with the greater land trust community, CTNC is able to help our partners protect additional land beyond our own focus area along the Blue Ridge Parkway.