Appalachian Landscapes Project Catalyst Grant

The Appalachian Landscapes Project Catalyst Grant supports climate-informed planning for land protection and stewardship in the Appalachian region. With funding up to $20,000 available, the grant aims to enhance community resilience and promote strategic land conservation efforts. Eligible applicants include land trusts, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities. Projects should prioritize broad-scale conservation planning and engage local communities to ensure specific benefits are achieved within a 12-18 month timeframe.

OSI provides grants that support the strategic use of land protection to address climate change and water quality in select geographies in the eastern U.S.
Catalyst Grants support broad-scale, climate-informed planning to accelerate land protection and stewardship.
OSI’s Appalachian Landscapes Project (ALP) Catalyst Grants support climate-informed planning  to accelerate the protection and stewardship of lands across the Appalachians for people and wildlife. Investments in planning can strengthen local capacity for strategic land conservation, support fundraising efforts, advance policy, and direct resources to lands with critical climate and community values.
Project Types
Projects should achieve one or more of the following deliverables:
Climate-informed conservation plan or vision that identifies priorities for land protection that will have tangible benefits for people, communities, and wildlife Climate-informed stewardship plan that develops strategies for “climate-smart” land management to enhance resilience and/or carbon storage/sequestration  Community Resilience plan that advances nature-based strategies to enhance climate resilience and/or address the impacts of climate change being experienced by a specific community. Nature-based strategies may include a variety of conservation or policy approaches to protect, restore, or manage land to retain or repair ecosystem functions.  All projects should address priorities on a broad scale (such as a corridor, focus area, county, or watershed). Planning projects focused on a single property are not eligible for Catalyst funding.  OSI seeks to support climate planning projects that incorporate meaningful community input and engagement and that will result in specific and documented community benefits.
Grant Awards and Fund Availability
Applicants may request up to $20,000 in grant support for the development of climate-informed plans. Up to $150,000 is available in the fall 2025 round for projects throughout the Appalachian region.
Grant Period
Projects should be designed to be completed within 12-18 months.
Match
There is no match requirement. Applicants will be asked to report the full project budget, and any sources of funding in addition to the grant request as part of the financial summary form. Documentation of in-kind or cash match is appreciated where possible.

Eligibility

Eligible Entities OSI invites Catalyst applications from land trusts, nonprofit organizations, Tribal governments, and municipalities committed to advancing permanent land conservation in the Appalachian region.OSI encourages proposals from collaborative groups containing multiple partners, with one of the above entities as the lead applicant. Eligible Uses of Catalyst Grants ALP Catalyst grants support planning, rather than implementation. Grants may support a broad range of activities that contribute to the development of conservation strategy or decision making, including, but not limited to priority-setting, mapping, needs assessment, convening partners, community engagement, and development of policies or processes to guide implementation.  Eligible costs include, but are not limited to staff time, project consultants, travel, stipends for project partners or community members who contribute to the plan, and indirect costs (up to 15 percent of the total amount requested).

Ineligibility

General operating support  Plan implementation (i.e. carrying out the activities outlined in a plan or strategy) Research that is not directly related to the conservation planning project described in the application  Organizational strategic plans that do not identify specific climate-informed strategies  Land acquisition and restoration capital costs  Political lobbying /advocacy Development of carbon offset projects