Land Stewardship

The next opportunity to apply for this grant will be mid-September 2025 and will use the Survey Apply system.

Updates to the Land Stewardship Grant for 2026-29

• NGOs can now apply for funding for conservation lands they manage but do not own
• NGOs can now apply for funding for up to 4 individual conservation properties they own or manage that have similar operations and management activities within one application
• Maximum funding has increased to $60k

• Key Eligibility Considerations

  To be considered for this grant, the application must meet the following initial criteria:

  • The conservation property(ies) must be within B.C.
  • The application is for day-to-day operations, maintenance, and management activities of conservation properties
  • Does not request funds for endowments
  • Does not request funds for conservation covenant monitoring
  • Projects that are focused on federally managed salmon species must also benefit provincially managed fish species and their habitats to be considered eligible

  Eligible organizations are defined as NGOs (non-government organizations) with a conservation focus such as land trusts. The applicant must be the organization who actively manages the conservation property(ies) for which they are applying for funding. Local, Regional, Municipal, Provincial and Federal government applicants are not eligible. The maximum number of applications any one organization may submit is two.
  For full details on eligibility updates, see the guidance document.

Please review the Land Stewardship Grant Guidelines in full prior to applying for this grant. The document includes important and updated information on eligible properties, eligible organizations, and eligible and ineligible activities.

Guidance Document for Applicants 2026-29

Proposal submissions for the Land Stewardship Grant are now completed online through the HCTF Survey Apply system. Please note that all applications must be submitted using Survey Apply as HCTF cannot accept applications via email. We encourage all applicants to read our Survey Apply Application Guide before beginning their proposal.

Survey Apply Application Guide

The application is in two parts:

• Part 1 – Survey Apply Application
• Part 2 – Budget and Activities spreadsheet (Excel spreadsheet – click to download)

Before beginning your application, you may wish to complete the application worksheet (Word document) available for download below. The worksheet is intended as an added resource for you to draft your application, and once completed, you can copy and paste the information into Survey Apply. Please note that you are required to submit the Excel Budget and Activities spreadsheet as a separate attachment at the end of your online application form.

Land Stewardship Grant Application Word Worksheet

For any questions on the Land Stewardship Grant program, please contact grants@hctf.ca.

Congratulations on the approval of your Land Stewardship Project! Here are a few things you need to know to manage your HCTF Land Stewardship Grant.

• Conditional Grant Agreement

  Please note that your project final approval is subject to entering into a Conditional Grant Agreement with HCTF. You will receive a notification from HCTF via DocuSign to sign your agreement electronically when it is ready. Please read your grant agreement carefully and complete all requirements before returning to HCTF.

  View a sample of the Conditional Grant Agreement here.

• Project Change Request
  
  If circumstances have changed and your approved project requires modifications from your original proposal in terms of goals, objectives, activities, or budget allocation, you must submit a written request to HCTF using the general Project Change Request Form. Please submit your completed request to grants@hctf.ca. Depending on the nature of the request, it will be reviewed by HCTF staff, and if necessary, the Land Stewardship Technical Review Committee.
  
• Contract Extensions
  
  This grant does not allow for contract extensions.
  
• HCTF & Province of British Columbia Acknowledgement

  The funding for the HCTF Land Stewardship Grant is provided from the proceeds on an endowment provided by the Province of British Columbia. Therefore, HCTF and the Province of British Columbia must be acknowledged in any publicity issued, printed or distributed, including signs, displays, reports, announcements, articles, press releases, or media interviews.

  This includes a requirement for including the HCTF and Province of British Columbia logo on all signs funded under the program. All signage must be pre-approved by both HCTF and the Province:

  • HCTF logos are available here
  • The Province of British Columbia logo can be found on their website here
    • Once on the website go to the Provincial Government Ministry Marks tab and click on the Third party use application form and information and fill out the form to request a copy of the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship logo to acknowledge the financial support of the ministry for your project.

  For materials such as reports and brochures, please include the following acknowledgement statement, in addition to the logo: “The (insert Name of Organization) recognizes the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and the Province of British Columbia for making a significant financial contribution to support the (insert Name of Project). Partnerships are key to conserving BC’s wildlife, fish, and their habitats.”

  Additional questions regarding logo use should be directed to HCTF Communications.
  

• Payment Schedule

  An accountable advance of 50% is provided to the proponent after signing the Conditional Grant Agreement. The next payment of 30% is made after the initial 50% has been spent and a Year 1 Grant Report has been received along with an invoice. The final payment of 20% is made upon receipt of the Final Year Grant Report. Please refer to the Land Stewardship Grant Guidelines for full details on payment and reporting.

Questions?

If you have any questions please contact grants@hctf.ca.

HCTF Land Stewardship Grant projects require grant reports to be submitted annually, with reports due by April 15th each year of the grant. Submission of Land Stewardship Grant reports is through the HCTF Survey Apply system. Reporting instructions and guidelines will be added to the website prior to April 2027 reporting.

Please note that all reports must be completed and submitted using Survey Apply. HCTF cannot accept these reports via email.

If you have not received your report form or have any reporting questions, please contact reporting@hctf.ca.