The Land Trust Alliance, Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts and the Oregon Community Foundation are pleased to announce the 2026 Oregon Capacity Building and Community Grant Program, a component of the Oregon Lands and People Project. This program aims to increase the ability of land trusts to unite Oregonians in the stewardship of the lands and waters that sustain life, communities and livelihoods across the state.
Opportunity and funding available
This program will award up to $560,000 to support projects in the 2026 grant round. We are actively fundraising for this program, and the final award amount may increase. Grant awards are anticipated to be in the $15,000-$35,000 range. The grant period will run from October 1, 2026, to Dec. 1, 2027. Partnership-focused projects may request an extended grant period.
Applications will be accepted through June 26, 2026.
The application process and resources are below.
Grant focus areas
Partnerships/community engagement
Partnerships and community engagement are vital for building trust, sharing resources, and ensuring that land conservation is aligned with community needs and priorities. Partnerships can take various forms, but all should help land trusts evolve and expand their conservation and stewardship impact by increasing the relevance of land conservation, engaging more people in conservation and connecting communities to land conservation’s benefits.
Core capacity/organizational advancement
Core capacity and organizational advancement are essential for achieving conservation goals and ensuring the long-term health of land trusts. Improved core capacity enables land trusts to effectively fulfill their mission of conserving land at pace and scale. Financial resources, staff expertise, functional organizational structure, and relationships with stakeholders all impact the success of land trust growth and development. By investing in the capacity of individual land trusts, we can strengthen the conservation movement as a whole and protect valuable natural resources for future generations.
Example grant activities
Evaluation criteria
Submitted applications will be reviewed and evaluated by a Grant Review Committee composed of people working in Oregon communities — including former staff and board members of Oregon land trusts, partner agencies or other non-profits associated with land protection and/or stewardship — and who collectively represent a breadth of expertise, experience and relationships with land.
Grant proposals will be scored based on the criteria outlined below. However, scores will be only one of many aspects used to determine final grant decisions, including but not limited to geography, focus area, and overall makeup of the grantee cohort. We strive to ensure that grant program funds reach broadly across the state, support a range of project outcomes and types, and provide resources to organizations of varying sizes.
Proposals/projects will be evaluated on the following criteria where relevant:
Project design, implementation, outcome and reach
Project will develop systems, expertise, knowledge or practices that build organizational capacity and effectiveness and are likely to be sustained beyond the grant period.
Project is likely to increase the pace of land conservation in the land trust’s service area.
Project meaningfully engages partners and community members in conception, design and intended outcomes.
Project includes and leverages the participation and expertise of staff, constituents, relevant partners and collaborators and/or other funders.
Project has a viable plan for sustainable funding beyond the grant period if seeking to add a staff position with the proposed grant.
Project aids in the implementation of specific Land Trust Standards and Practices and/or compliance with accreditation requirements.
Project team has the capacity, expertise and commitment to complete the project.
Project is likely to succeed within the proposed timeframe.
Project expands the geographic range, project variety and/or organizational reach of the grant program.
Projects focused primarily on one-time implementation should explain how the work will create lasting capacity, tools, relationships, models or practices beyond the grant period.
Proposal outlines clear, achievable goals and outcomes with a well-conceived implementation plan.
Project budget
Total project budget includes a minimum of 20% match against the grant request amount.
Project budget matches grant activities/deliverables with associated costs, and separates staff time, direct project costs and indirect costs.
Partnership-focused projects should allocate substantive grant resources to the partnering organization(s).
Eligibility
Land trusts working in Oregon with 501(c)(3) status.
Partners of land trusts working in Oregon, including Tribal governments, are eligible for funding via the land trust applicant; those costs should be clearly outlined in the project budget.
Organizations without 501(c)(3) status are not eligible to receive funds directly. Applicants utilizing a fiscal sponsor must have a written fiscal sponsorship agreement in place prior to award. All grant funds will be issued to the fiscal sponsor, which will assume all legal, fiduciary and financial responsibility for the funds.
Please note that organizations that received funding through this grant program in 2025 are still eligible and encouraged to apply for funding in 2026.
Ineligible use of grant funds
General operating support (e.g., office rent, utilities, etc.).
Capital costs for land acquisition, stewardship and/or restoration.
Activities prohibited by federal law, including civil rights/nondiscrimination law.
Lobbying.
Application process and timeline
Grant agreement
Applicants will be notified of grant decisions by or before Sept. 11, 2026.
At the time of notification of an award, the Alliance will work with grant recipients to finalize grant deliverables and measures of success for each project. The Alliance will send grant agreements to grant recipients through the online grant portal. The Alliance will release awarded funds to grantees upon execution of the grant agreement. Partnerships are encouraged and if awarded and requested, separate grant awards can be provided to each organization in accordance with the proposed budget.
Reporting requirements
A final report summarizing project goals, activities, and outcomes will be due upon completion of the project and outlined in the grant agreement. Mid-term check-ins will be scheduled virtually with Brad Paymar and Sean Roome. These are conducted to hear about progress and to provide any support needs to the grantees. Other support check-ins with Alliance staff may be scheduled periodically as necessary or upon request.
The final report must be submitted online by logging into the grant portal used for the original application. Deadlines and forms for reports will be provided in the grant agreement and via follow-up reminder emails.
2025 grants
Bird Alliance of Oregon
The Bird Alliance of Oregon is jump-starting community design for a new urban nature park, trail and plaza hub in Portland’s 82nd Avenue corridor. The project includes multilingual design charrettes, youth workforce training and the creation of a “Community Guide to Mini-Brownfield Restoration.”
Black Oregon Land Trust
The Black Oregon Land Trust is investing in a co-director leadership model and strengthening internal systems — governance, finances and accreditation alignment — so the organization can expand its work with regenerative farmers of color across Oregon.
Columbia Land Trust
Columbia Land Trust is partnering with the Chinook Indian Nation to co-learn through real land acquisition opportunities, build Tribal capacity for land ownership models and deepen Indigenous access to ancestral lands.
Deschutes Land Trust
Deschutes Land Trust is hosting monthly, professionally facilitated gatherings between conservation organizations and The Klamath Tribes to align efforts, center tribal knowledge, and ensure culturally grounded, ecologically connected outcomes.
Deschutes Land Trust
The organization is strengthening internal operations by creating a full-time operations manager position focused on finance, human resources, IT and donor and volunteer engagement to support ongoing growth and mission delivery.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust
Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust is preparing for an executive transition in 2026 through an inclusive search and onboarding process designed to safeguard continuity and strengthen future capacity.
Greenbelt Land Trust
Greenbelt Land Trust is engaging Latine, Indigenous and urban communities in the Willamette Valley through listening sessions, advisory committees and partnership mapping to shape the organization’s next conservation priorities.
Lower Nehalem Community Trust
Lower Nehalem Community Trust is developing a three-year strategic plan through extensive community and stakeholder engagement, retreats and facilitated sessions to guide conservation and community involvement on the Oregon coast.
McKenzie River Trust
McKenzie River Trust is modernizing its mapping and field-data systems by transitioning to ArcGIS Pro, standardizing templates and training staff to enhance stewardship, monitoring and overall organizational efficiency.
North Coast Land Conservancy
North Coast Land Conservancy is implementing a succession plan to diversify its board and strengthen committee structures, with a focus on elevating voices.
Northwest Land Conservation Trust
Northwest Land Conservation Trust is engaging a consultant to guide the board and stakeholders through strategic planning as the organization transitions from an all-volunteer model to professional staffing, sets conservation easement priorities and works toward accreditation.
Oregon Agricultural Trust
Oregon Agricultural Trust is updating its statewide strategic plan for farmland protection by expanding geographic coverage, refining regional strategies, aligning with landowner needs, and creating an interactive story map to increase public engagement.
Oregon Desert Land Trust
Oregon Desert Land Trust is strengthening internal systems for fundraising, automating donation and time tracking, launching a planned-giving program and building board and staff capacity to better serve Oregon’s high-desert communities.
Pacific Forest Trust
Pacific Forest Trust is installing water tank and fire safety infrastructure and funding staff time to ensure the Mt. Ashland Demonstration Forest can safely host educational, restoration and community-engagement activities.
Southern Oregon Land Conservancy
Southern Oregon Land Conservancy is co-creating a 22-acre learning farm dedicated to ecological restoration, food cultivation and cultural reconnection with community partners.
The Wetlands Conservancy
The Wetlands Conservancy is hiring dedicated staff in the Klamath Basin to lead listening sessions, build coalitions among Tribal nations, agencies and conservation groups, and integrate traditional ecological knowledge into wetland conservation planning.
View the Future
View the Future is strengthening outreach to local landowners, developing story-mapping tools and conservation-easement manuals, hosting community conversations and initiating new conservation easements in partnership with local stakeholders.
Wallowa Land Trust
Wallowa Land Trust is creating a dedicated coordination role to support the Wallowa Gathering — an event that has grown from 17 to more than 170 Indigenous participants. The new position will also manage tribal-engagement protocols, cultural access agreements and partnerships between Indigenous communities and landowners in northeastern Oregon.
Wild Rivers Land Trust
Wild Rivers Land Trust is collaborating with three Tribes on Oregon’s southern coast to build trust, co-create a Tribal engagement policy, integrate Indigenous perspectives on conservation easements and “Land Back” strategies, and train board members to work effectively in tribal contexts.
Yamhill Conservation Trust
As a newly formed land trust in Yamhill County, Yamhill Conservation Trust is developing a strategic and business plan aligned with accreditation standards to establish a strong foundation for regional collaboration and future land protection.
Thank you
This program is made possible through generous supporters of the Oregon Lands and People Project.
Thank you to our partners, Coalition of Oregon Land Trusts and Oregon Community Foundation, for their support.
