Project Eligibility

The Land Acquisition Program includes the acquisition of land in fee or permanent conservation agreements for the following purposes: 

• Protecting and conserving riparian buffers for the purpose of providing environmental protection for surface waters and urban drinking water supplies and establishing a network of riparian greenways for environmental, educational, and recreational uses 

• Protecting and conserving surface waters and enhancing drinking water supplies, including the development of water supply reservoirs 

• Providing buffers around military bases or for State matching funds for the REPI 

• Conserving land that represents the ecological diversity of NC 

• Preserving land that contributes to the development of a balanced State program of historic properties 

To learn more about the types of land acquisition projects we fund, click here. 

The best way to ensure that your project is eligible for NCLWF funding is to consult with your field representative. 

Back to the Application page. 

NOTE:  Land acquisitions funded by the NCLWF must be protected by a permanent conservation easement or other permanent conservation agreement.  Click here to learn more and download easement templates. 

NCLWF funds restoration projects to enhance or restore degraded waters and to protect downstream natural resources such as drinking water supplies, fisheries and recreation opportunities. The intent is to restore previously degraded lands to re-establish their ability to protect water quality.  To date, the majority of eligible applications have taken the form of stream restoration projects, particularly natural channel designs. However, other approaches to restoring impaired waters include riparian wetland enhancement, floodplain and streambank enhancements, and estuarine shoreline erosion control. To ensure that your project is eligible for NCLWF funding, consult with your field representative. 

To learn more about our restoration projects, click here. 

Back to the Application page. 

Note: Restoration efforts funded by the NCLWF must be protected by a conservation easement. Click here to learn more and download easement templates. 

NCLWF can consider funding innovative stormwater projects that demonstrate a novel and untried method to water quality at the project site and how it would contribute to achieving NCLWF’s goal of advancing stormwater-management practices for water quality.  Any proposed innovative stormwater project application should contain a clear description of the methods to be tested and discuss how results from such a pilot test can be successfully transferred to other North Carolina sites with similar water issues or problems. 

To ensure that your project is eligible for NCLWF funding, consult with your field representative. 

Back to the Application page. 

NCLWF may fund planning efforts that develop potential projects with one or more of the following goals:

• Enhance or restore degraded waters,
• Protect unpolluted waters,
• Contribute toward a network of riparian buffers and greenways for environmental, educational, and recreational benefits,
• Provide buffers around military bases to protect the military mission,
• Acquire land that represents the ecological diversity of North Carolina, 
• Acquire land that contributes to the development of a balanced State program of historic properties, or
• Facilitate innovative efforts to improve stormwater treatment.  

Any proposed planning application should contain a clear outline and vision of the plan to be produced and clearly define the purpose and goals for any work that would be implemented following the planning project.

To ensure that your project is eligible for NCLWF funding, consult with your field representative. 

Back to the Application page. 

Donation Mini-Grants provide a maximum of $50,000 for transaction, property management, and stewardship costs associated with the donation of property in fee simple or a permanent conservation agreement. All project acres must be restricted with a permanent conservation agreement to protect natural or cultural resources.

The donation must be for at least one of the following purposes: 

• Land that is within the first 300 feet from the top of the stream bank, or the width of the 100-year floodplain, whichever is greater for the purpose of protecting surface water quality or developing a riparian greenway. 

• Land containing natural areas, element occurrences, or species of concern as defined by NC Natural Heritage Program or adjacent buffer land that is critical to protecting the viability of those areas for the purpose of protecting ecological diversity. 

• Land buffering military installations for the purpose of minimizing incompatible land use for installations and training. 

• Properties on which historic or cultural events can be interpreted and that help develop a balanced state program of historic properties. 

Eligible Applicants To receive funds from NCLWF through the Donation Mini-Grant Program, the applicant must be one of the following: 

• a state agency 

• a local government unit 

• nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose is the conservation, preservation, and/or restoration of NC’s cultural, environmental, and/or natural resources

NOTE:  Approval of Donation Mini-Grants is subject to the availability of funds. 

Back to the Application page.