Conservation Trust for North Carolina

About Conservation Trust for North Carolina

A defining pattern in Conservation Trust for North Carolina’s recent giving is its use of conservation property grants to the National Park Service, including awards of $2,369,672 in 2023, $797,476 in 2024, and $694,226 in 2025. That federal land-protection role sits alongside a broader program of support for land trusts, community partners, and conservation organizations working on high-conservation-value lands across North Carolina. The foundation’s grantmaking connects land protection with watershed and water quality protection, climate resilience, environmental justice, and community resilience and disaster recovery. In the recent grants list, it supported Triangle Land Conservancy with $140,000 for transaction costs and land acquisition costs on land with high conservation values, and it awarded Wake Forest University $44,565 for the same general purpose. Other grants show a consistent emphasis on helping partners move specific conservation projects forward, rather than financing open-ended operating work. Its stated summary is direct: the foundation conserves land in ways that build resilient, just communities. The recent record reflects that approach through project-specific acquisition support, transaction cost assistance, and technical support tied to land protection outcomes.

What Conservation Trust for North Carolina Funds

Land acquisition and transaction support are central to the foundation’s work. It gave $34,488 to Blue Ridge Conservancy in 2023 for assistance with transaction costs and land acquisition costs on land with high conservation values, and $28,130 to Mainspring Conservation Trust in 2024 for the same purpose. It also funds land-owner outreach and education as part of conservation work. Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy received $20,000 in 2023 and another $20,000 in 2024 with that purpose, paired with transaction-cost and land-acquisition support. Piedmont Land Conservancy received $20,000 in 2023 for similar outreach and education. Planning and implementation appear as another thread. NC State University received $14,807 in 2023 to develop land use plans for a community partner and assist with implementation. The foundation also made a $20,000 grant to Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina Inc for transaction cost assistance for donated easements.

How Conservation Trust for North Carolina Gives