Land & Easement Acquisition Program (LEAP)

Overview

CLCC's LEAP grant program empowers land trusts to swifty secure critical conservation lands by providing financial support for land and conservation easement acquisitions.

Launched in 2025, LEAP (formerly known as Land Capital Grants) is designed to bridge funding gaps and accelerate the protection of valuable conservation lands. The program builds upon CLCC’s successful track record of supporting land conservation efforts through its Transaction Assistance Grant Program, Connecticut Conservation Partnership Program, and Climate Smart Land Stewardship Program.

CLCC prioritizes projects that:

Demonstrate a strong commitment to conservation.
Align with statewide land conservation goals.
Have leveraged and/or exhausted other public and private funding sources.
Have a closing time frame of 12 months or less.

Have Questions?

Potential applicants are required to contact Yaw Darko, CLCC’s Director of Grants & Programs, to discuss their project and determine eligibility.

EXPLORE OUR LEAP STORYMAP

In 2025, CLCC awarded a total of 13 LEAP grants totaling ~$2MM that helped land trusts unlock additional funding and protect more than 7,600 acres of natural and working lands across Connecticut.

Explore our StoryMap to learn more about each project and view site photos and maps.

Explore the Map

Map showing the location of LEAP grant projects in Connecticut.

Eligibility

Applications are accepted by invitation only. Email Yaw to discuss your project(s) and eligibility for funding.

APPLICANTS

Must be submitted by a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission dedicated to land conservation in CT.
Applicant is a current member of CLCC.
Project is located within CT. Multi-state projects may be considered as long as the project is predominantly (minimum 50% of land area) in CT.

USE OF FUNDS

Project must entail permanent protection through fee simple acquisition by the land trust, pass-through to a partner entity with a mission to permanently protect land (e.g., a state agency or a tribe), and/or a permanent conservation easement.
Grant funds must cover only acquisition costs. For transaction expenses, refer to the Transaction Assistance Grant Program.
Project must close within 12 months or less of grant award notification.

GRANT AWARDS

Minimum: $50,000

APPRAISAL REQUIREMENTS

Applications must include appraisals dated within 12 months of the grant application. The number of appraisals required depends on the land’s value:

$0 - $500,000: One appraisal.
$500,001 - $1,000,000: One appraisal and an appraisal review.
Over $1,000,000: Two appraisals.

TIMELINE

Applications Due	Review Period	Funding Announcement	Project Closing Date
February 1, 2026	February - March	March 31, 2026	March 31, 2027
April 1, 2026	April - May	May 31, 2026	May 31, 2027
June 1, 2026	June - July	July 31, 2026	July 31, 2027
August 1, 2026	August - September	September 30, 2026	September 30, 2027

Applications will be due throughout the calendar year on the 1st of every other month beginning on February 1.
Funding decisions will be announced at the end of the review period (see table above).
Applications must be submitted by the 1st of the month to be considered for that review period. Applications received between the 2nd and end of the month will be considered in the following review period. For example, applications submitted on February 2, 2026, will be reviewed in April and funding decisions announced by May 31, 2026. The project closing deadline for a successful applicant would be May 31, 2027.
Projects must close within 12 months or less of the funding decision announcement.
Applications will be accepted in accordance with the above schedule until funds are fully expended.
August 1 will serve as the final scheduled application deadline of 2026. CLCC may, at its discretion, accept additional applications after August 1, subject to the availability of funds.

PRIMARY EVALUATION CRITERIA

Projects will be evaluated based on the following principal criterions, along with other relevant factors such as project readiness, cost-share, community benefit, urgency, and the applicant’s capacity to complete and steward the acquisition.

Biodiversity & Habitat

The project site contains high-quality intact habitat and supports species or ecological communities of conservation concern.
Data Resources Applicants May Reference:
- Site’s recognized biodiversity: Per The Nature Conservancy’s Resilient Mapping Tool.
- CT Environmental Conditions Online (CT Eco): Map and Image Services.
- Critical Habitats: CT DEEP Map.
- Core forest areas: CT DEEP 2020 Forest Action Plan Story Map.
- Species of special concern: CT DEEP NDBB Maps by Town.
- Prime or statewide important farmland soils: NRCS Online Map Viewer.

Connectivity

Climate Resilience

Water Resources

The project protects or improves water quality and/or water quantity. The site includes or is adjacent to inland surface waters, wetlands, riparian areas, or drinking water supply watersheds.
Data Resources Applicants May Reference:
- Water Quality Classification: CT Eco Resource Guide.
- Water Quality Classification Maps: Interactive Maps.
- Location in a drinking water watershed: Parcel prioritization for source water protection.

Public Access & Accessibility

PROJECT SUPPORT MATERIAL

Applicants invited to apply will be asked to submit the materials listed below as part of their application.

Required Material

Signed purchase and sale agreement.
Appraisal(s).
Maps:
- Topographic map.
- Aerial imagery map with parcel outline.
- Context map showing town boundaries and roads, as well as the project location relative to other parcels of conserved land, state parks/forests, and other open space.
- Map showing current and proposed recreational uses and how the public will access the proposed acquisition.
Statement of financial position (balance sheet) - preferably audited.
Photos of the property highlighting distinctive features.
Project budget.
Project timeline.
Documentation demonstrating urgency / development threat (e.g., listing status; site plans; etc.).