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Maine Land Trust Excellence Program

The Maine Land Trust Excellence Program will provide 20 land trusts in Maine with the support they need to prepare for accreditation. Grants of up to $18,000 will be provided to each trust to support the work necessary to reach this goal.

Introduction

Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) and the Land Trust Alliance (the Alliance) are pleased to announce the launch of the Maine Land Trust Excellence Program. This program, the first of its kind nationally, is made possible through a generous contribution from the Pew Charitable Trusts and private donors. The purpose of the program is to support and advance the operational quality and sustainability of land trusts in Maine as measured by implementation of Land Trust Standards and Practices and certification through the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. Selected land trusts will benefit from an intensive program of individualized coaching, training, and consultant services to help them accomplish these goals. Acceptance to the program will be on a competitive basis beginning in June 2008.

Program Overview

The Maine Land Trust Excellence Program will fund an array of services to 20 land trusts in Maine that will prepare them for accreditation and build their overall capacity to conserve and steward land. The program is designed to advance the productivity of small (<3 staff) as well as mid-level (4 - 9 staff) land trusts. Services will be rendered over a period ranging from 18 months to three years by a combination of MCHT, the Alliance, and private consultants.

Land trusts selected for the program will be those identified as having the greatest potential for significant impact on the ground through improving their organizational practices and the skills of their staff and board members. Participating land trusts will establish progress measures in consultation with MCHT and the Alliance and will be periodically evaluated against those measures. At the end of its program, each land trust is expected to apply for accreditation.

Service Package

Participating organizations will be entitled to a service package valued at no more than $18,000. These funds will be used for organizational assessments and workplan development and will also help cover the cost of services needed and identified in the workplan. The funding allocations will be made periodically to participating organizations in accordance with the Grant Agreement.

Services Provided

Organizational Assessment: All land trusts participating in the program will engage in a guided organizational assessment based on Land Trust Standards and Practices. The assessment may incorporate additional questions that will further identify critical needs for the organization. Organizations that have completed such an assessment within the previous two years may be excused from this step with approval from program staff. In such cases, the land trust will be expected to share a copy of the organizational assessment with program staff. If an organizational assessment is done as part of this program, the land trust will be responsible for covering $300 of the assessment cost, with funds from the service package covering the remainder.

Workplans, priorities, and appropriate progress measures will be developed from the organizational assessment. The land trust, together with the program staff and consultant, will use the assessment to develop an appropriate array of services for the trust and a corresponding timeline. The progress measures will be used to track progress toward the established goals and to trigger the release of funds over the course of the project.

Coaching and technical assistance will be provided to participating organizations in areas of identified need. The coaching may include, but is not limited to: strategic planning, systems development, board and committee development, board/staff relations, fundraising, policy development. Technical assistance may focus on specific tasks that are required for accreditation such as completing baseline data or management plans. Coaching and technical assistance may be delivered to one organization or to a group of participating organizations with similar needs. Coaching may include facilitation of discussions related to land trust consolidation or collaboration where desired.

Training will be provided to individual groups based on need or to a number of groups simultaneously in instances where needs are similar and could be met in such a format. Board and staff leadership of all participating land trusts will be required to attend a two-day workshop focusing on effective board/staff relations and including components on meeting management, leadership skills, strategic board recruiting, communication skills, and fundraising. Additionally, participating land trust executive directors will be encouraged to attend either the Executive Director Boot Camp (offered in various US locations) or the Advanced Executive Director training (to be offered in Maine the third year of the program at a discounted cost to program participants).

Accreditation Application Preparation Assistance may be provided to those organizations in need of covering some of the costs of putting together their application for accreditation. Such funds could be used to pay a contractor to help in the process as well as copying costs, but may not be used to cover the accreditation application fee. Funds for this kind of assistance would be limited to no more than $2000 per organization.

Application And Selection

We anticipate selecting a total of 20 participants over the course of three years. The first deadline for applications is June 16, 2008. Additional deadlines and information about the application process will be posted on the Maine Land Trust Network website (www.mltn.org).

Acceptance into the program will be based upon a competitive application process. Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee consisting of two staff members of MCHT, two staff members from the Alliance, and one individual knowledgeable about Maine's land conservation community.

Application Process

1. Application forms may be downloaded from the MLTN website (Microsoft Word required) or requested from Deb Chapman at Maine Coast Heritage Trust.
2. Five copies of the completed application and one copy of the additional materials should be mailed to Maine Land Trust Excellence Program, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, 1 Bowdoin Mill Island, Suite 201, Topsham, ME 04086.
3. Applicants will receive notification of receipt of the application and a date by which a decision can be expected.
4. Following review of the written application by the selection committee, key staff and board members will be contacted by phone to discuss the program and application.
5. Questions during the application process should be directed to Megan Shore at MCHT or Kevin Case at the Alliance. (See contact information below.)

Eligibility

Organizations eligible to participate in this program must be:

1. A member of the Maine Land Trust Network
2. A land trust eligible for Accreditation via the Land Trust Accreditation Commission

Thus meeting the following criteria:

• a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) tax-exempt or quasi-governmental organization
• incorporated for at least two years
• focused on acquiring or stewarding conservation land or conservation easements
• have completed at least two direct land or easement acquisition projects
• have formally adopted the 2004 edition of Land Trust Standards and Practices

Note: Land trusts engaged in collaboratives with other land trusts are welcome to apply to the program for collective accreditation preparation assistance.

Selection Considerations

The application process for grants under this program is a competitive one. Applications will be evaluated on the organization's responses to the required questions, the supporting documents and overall fit with the program's objectives. Particular attention will be paid to the following:

• The fit of the organization's goals with the purposes of the program
• The organization's potential for conservation impact in its region
• The likelihood that the program will have a positive impact on the organization's conservation efforts
• The board's understanding of and commitment to participating in the program and to improving the organization's effectiveness
• The organization's understanding of the importance of organizational development
• The organization's familiarity with Land Trust Standards and Practices and previous efforts to meet them
• The organization's plan for meeting the program's required time commitment

Expectations

Land trusts participating in the program are expected to:

• Pay $300 of the cost of an organizational assessment
• Coach other participants and/or meet periodically for peer exchange around common issues
• Participate in required training and workshops
• Share organizational documents with program staff and consultant as needed to facilitate workplan development (e.g. fundraising plan, previous organizational assessment, etc.)
• Provide data and other information periodically during the project and at the end of the grant for purposes of evaluation
• Select and contract with the appropriate service providers to meet the needs agreed upon in the Grant Agreement and workplan
• Enter the Land Trust Accreditation Commission process for becoming accredited within one of year of completing the program and submit their application to the Commission at the first opportunity they have.

Fund Usage

Funds are intended to be used to pay for elements of the service package as described above. They may not be used to cover existing staff.

Program Contacts