5133 - Preservation Trust Fund (PTF) - FY26 -Fall Round
Funding Opportunity Details

Preservation Trust Fund

Final Application Deadline: Jul 28, 2025 5:00 PM

Description

• Preservation Trust Fund (PTF)

  Overview

  Established by the Virginia General Assembly in 1997 and administered by the Virginia Outdoors Foundation (VOF), the Open-Space Lands Preservation Trust Fund (PTF) provides grants for acquisitions, easements, rights of way, and other methods of protecting open space for farming, forestry, recreation, wildlife, water quality, and more. A right, privilege, or interest in real estate must be conveyed to an eligible holder pursuant to Virginia’s Open-Space Land Act, to be eligible for PTF funding.

   

  Opportunity

  VOF hosts two grant rounds annually, with requests for proposals announced in the beginning and the middle of the calendar year, with grant awards made in late spring and fall. Grant agreements have a two-year lifespan. VOF seeks proposals for projects that protect natural and cultural resources such as exceptional farms, forests, wildlife habitat, or historic sites. In addition, VOF seeks proposals for projects that protect new or expanded public access to open space, such as parks, preserves, trails, greenways, outdoor classrooms, beaches, and boat launches. Proposals may be submitted for both public and private lands. Successful proposals will protect and permanently preserve open green space with deed restrictions to protect the highest conservation values of a property.

   

  Applicant Eligibility

  PTF grants may be awarded to any person, organization, or locality with a real estate interest to convey on either public or private land. Land already under ownership of the applicant may be eligible for PTF funding as long as the parcel is not already protected through existing deed restrictions.

   

  Land Protection Partnership

  Permanent land protection is a required component of the Preservation Trust Fund, with the legislative language specifying that a public body must take a real estate interest in a property. No funds may be disbursed until the real estate interest is conveyed.

   

  Funds Available

  The amount of funding available for each grant round is determined annually. In recent cycles, grant awards have averaged $150,000 per project. However, there is no absolute cap, and exceptional projects, as well as those with substantiated need, have been funded at higher amounts. Alternatively, partial funding is also possible. The amount of a PTF grant must be substantiated by the value of the real estate interest being conveyed as shown by an assessment, appraisal, or other accepted methodology. Funds may be disbursed only when a real estate interest has been conveyed to VOF, a locality, or an approved eligible holder under the Open-Space Land Act. Once a land protection instrument is recorded, the grant award may be issued in full.

   

  Eligible Costs

  PTF grants may pay for any costs associated with the conveyance of an interest, right, or privilege in open space to VOF, a locality, or an approved eligible holder under the Open-Space Land Act including fee-simple acquisition, development rights, public access rights of way, legal costs, survey costs and other associated required due diligence.  Priority will be given to land protection projects that are ready for implementation. The total amount of impervious surface will be capped, and project sites that are currently predominantly hardscape or are intended to be predominately hardscape are not good candidates.

   

  Federal Program Compatibility

  The requirement for VOF or a locality to take a real estate interest may complicate or prevent land from being eligible for federal sources of grant funding, federal ownership, or, in the case of a tribal applicant, to have ownership placed in federal trust for the benefit of the tribe. Grant applicants who may be considering federal partnerships of any kind should contact grant staff before applying.

   

  Application Process

  Applications will be accepted through an online process, which can be accessed at https://www.vof.org/protect/grants/ptf/. Interested applicants should check the website for updates. Please contact grant program staff at grants@vof.org with any questions about the application process or project eligibility.

   

   

Resource Material

Website links