How to Apply
How to Apply (UPDATED September 9, 2024)
APPLICATION CYCLE FOR LAND ACQUISITION GRANTS OPENS JULY 29, 2024
FORM 5 PACKAGE IS DUE ON AUGUST 23, 2024 (OR EARLIER) via email to [email protected]
***INCLUDES Forms 5, 5a, 5b, 5c, maps, and photos***
APPLICATION FORMS AVAILABLE AT FORMS PAGE.
A COMPLETE, FINAL APPLICATION IS DUE OCTOBER 11, 2024, VIA UPLOAD TO A ONEDRIVE FOLDER ON THE STATE COMPUTER NETWORK. REGISTER NOW FOR ONEDRIVE ACCESS BY SENDING AN EMAIL TO: [email protected] WITH EMAIL SUBJECT HEADER THAT READS: LLCP_FY2025_LAND ACQUISITION_<APPLICATION TITLE>
LLCP WILL THEN SEND BACK AN EMAIL THAT EXPLAINS HOW TO ACCESS THE ONEDRIVE FOLDER.
Please contact the program office for assistance at 808.586.0921 || [email protected]
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Responses to general inquiries:
The state legacy land conservation program provides grants to State agencies, counties, and nonprofit land conservation organizations for acquiring interests in land that will be managed to provide conservation benefits. A State agency, a county, or a nonprofit land conservation organization is eligible to apply for funding to purchase fee title for private land that provides conservation benefits, or to acquire a conservation easement over that land. We accept applications from State agencies, counties, and nonprofit land conservation organizations for acquisition of fee title or a conservation easement to conserve land for public benefit.
Please view our website at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/ecosystems/llcp/ and call the program office with any specific questions, for more information, and for further guidance throughout the application process! 808-586-0921 || [email protected]
The first submittal in the application process is due August 23, 2024 (Form 5 – Agency Consultation, with Forms 5a, 5b, 5c, maps, and photos). Final application due October 11, 2024.
Our volunteers that serve on the Legacy Land Conservation Commission review and rank the applications, and issue a recommendation to the State Board of Land and Natural Resources, which then approves specific grants for specific amounts of funding.
QUESTIONS ABOUT FISCAL YEAR 2024 APPLICATION PROCESS
Q1: Is there some specific requirement that defines a non-profit as a “land conservation” non-profit? Or is any non-profit eligible if it will be acquiring the land for land conservation purposes?
A1: The grant application calls for a nonprofit mission statement and IRS documentation, and an organization’s fulfillment of the grant eligibility requirements may be considered by the Legacy Land Conservation Commission in its application review and recommendation process. Section 13-140-2, Hawaii Administrative Rules provides a definition:
“Nonprofit land conservation organization” means an organization that protects “resource value” as defined herein or “land having value as a resource to the State” as defined under section 173A-2, HRS, as part of its activities or mission and has been determined and designated to be a nonprofit organization by the Internal Revenue Service.
“Resource value” means watershed, coastal area, beach, ocean access, habitat, cultural site, historic site, recreational, public hunting, park, natural area, agricultural production, open space, and scenic characteristics or benefits.
Q2: … curious how other organizations go about securing the land … is it typically land that they hold long-term leases with under a private landowner, and the grant fund “buys out” the private landowner? Or are they acquiring lands that are on the real estate market? What about acquiring ADC lands? Is that ever done on under this program?
A2: Landowner buyout by a lessee isn’t a typical scenario but it’s possible, as long as the buyer is an eligible applicant. Acquiring land listed on the open market is a common scenario, however the applicant or a partnering land trust may have established seller connections/commitments to complete a conservation transaction rather than an open market transaction. In some cases an insider deal or a fat cash offer has derailed the planned conservation transaction.
ADC (Agribusiness Development Corporation) has used the program to acquire interests in land (a conservation easement over property owned by Hawaii Agricultural Research Center). If ADC is authorized to sell its land, then perhaps ADC land could be acquired by an eligible buyer with a grant from the Land Conservation Fund, although that would be a case of first impression that would probably call for State legal review.
Q3: . . . noticed there are options on Form 5 to include more than one parcel. Do these properties need to be contiguous? Or can I apply to acquire one parcel in location X and another one in location Y with the same intent to conserve/reforest/restore, etc.?
A3: The properties don’t need to be contiguous. If a single seller owns all the properties, that would be less complex and easier to process, administratively and contractually, than multiple properties under different ownership. Applicant decides on application strategy, we don’t advise on that, a single application or multiple applications is up to you. The Legacy Land Conservation Commission reviews and ranks each application separately, although relationships between different applications may influence the outcome of that process.
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CURRENT TIMELINE for the Fiscal Year 2025 (“FY2025”) grant funding cycle:
August 23, 2024 . . . Submit completed Form 5 Package, with Maps and Photos attached, via email to [email protected]
August 26 to September 13, 2024 . . . Staff Consultation with Applicants
October 11, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Receive Form 5 responses from consulting agencies
October 24, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . . . Submit final/complete application via OneDrive
November 1, 2024 (12:30-4:30 PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Legacy Land Conservation Commission (“LLCC”) Organizational Meeting to establish Permitted Interaction Groups for investigating the grant applications, including Field Visits
November 11– January 31, 2025 . . . LLCC investigations, including field visits with applicants and landowners
January 31, 2025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Due date for Supplemental Application Materials (per staff and LLCC requests) *Tentative*
February 4 and 11-14, 2025 . . . . LLCC public meetings *Tentative* (specific place/dates/times to be determined) for:
(1) Reporting by FY2025 LLCC Permitted Interaction Groups, and
(2) Review, Ranking, and Recommendations for FY2025 grant applications
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January-February 2025 . . . Legislative consultation about FY2025 grant applications
March 2025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Board of Land and Natural Resources approval for FY2025 grant applications
April 2025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Governor’s approval for FY2025 grant applications
May 2025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Encumber FY2025 funds for approved grant applications
After a completed application is reviewed by the Legacy Land Conservation Commission, and approved by the Board of Land & Natural Resources and the Governor, a successful applicant can expect that grant funds will be available for expenditure not earlier than September 2025.
For assistance, please contact the Program office at (808) 586-0921.