Colorado conservation organizations award grants to land trusts and conservation nonprofits
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — On Wednesday, two Colorado conservation organizations, Keep It Colorado and the Land Trust Alliance, partnered together to award $206,000 in grants to land trusts and conservation nonprofits. These grants aim to help reinforce and build programs to create a stronger conservation sector and advance land trust organizational excellence. The grants were funded by investments from Great Outdoors Colorado through Keep It Colorado's Emerging Conservation program.
After a competitive application process, 15 land trusts and conservation organizations received awards to support 20 projects, including Colorado West Land Trust (CWLT).
CWLT, located in Grand Junction, Colorado, was one of the 2025 Organizational Development Grantees. It protects and conserves agricultural land, rural heritage, wildlife habitats, recreational areas and scenic lands in over 144,000 acres in western Colorado. The awarded funds will be used to develop structure and strategy as they expand their organization.
The other 2025 Organizational Development Grantees include:
Aspen Valley Land Trust (Carbondale, Colo.): Financial Health Review and Improvement
Central Colorado Conservancy (Salida, Colo.): Implementing the Capital Expansion and Sustainability Roadmap
Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust (Denver, Colo.): CCALT Strategic Engagement Video Campaign for 30th Anniversary Year
Crested Butte Land Trust (Crested Butte, Colo.): Contract a Development Consultant to Increase Fundraising
Estes Valley Land Trust (Estes Park, Colo.): Confirming Strategic Direction and New Fundraising Capacity
High Line Canal Conservancy (Centennial, Colo.): High Line Canal Conservation Easement Stewardship Support
La Plata Open Space Conservancy (Durango, Colo.): Harnessing the Power of AI and GIS Technologies for Monitoring and Conservation Outreach
Montezuma Land Conservancy (Cortez, Colo.): Deepening Roots in Our Community: Transforming a Weedy Lot into a Community Plot
Mountain Area Land Trust (Evergreen, Colo.): Master Planning of Mountain Area Land Trust's Sacramento Creek Ranch
Palmer Land Conservancy (Colorado Springs, Colo.): Creating a Water Conservation Blueprint: Strategy, Planning and Implementation
Southern Plains Land Trust (Lamar, Colo.): A Strategic, Flagship-based Communications Approach at Southern Plains Land Trust
The 2025 Community-Centered Conservation Grantees include:
Aspen Valley Land Trust (Carbondale, Colo.): Activating Coffman Ranch Public Access
Colorado Open Lands (Lakewood, Colo.): An Evaluation of the Conservation Leadership Series to Promote Community-Centered Programs
Crested Butte Land Trust (Crested Butte, Colo.): Connecting Community to Conservation
Eagle Valley Land Trust (Edwards, Colo.): Community-Centered Conservation Programming with Historically Underrepresented Affinity Groups
Estes Valley Land Trust (Estes Park, Colo.): Strengthening the Alliance to Preserve a Local Cultural Site
High Line Canal Conservancy (Centennial, Colo.): High Line Canal Northeast Advisory Committee Conservation Education and Engagement
Montezuma Land Conservancy (Cortez, Colo.): 2025 ARC Program: Advancing Agriculture, Recreation and Conservation Programming
Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (Del Norte, Colo.): Engaging and Strengthening Community Relationships Within the San Luis Valley
'These investments, made possible by support from Great Outdoors Colorado, help ensure that the conservation community is well-equipped to create a lasting conservation movement that serves all Coloradans,' said Beth Conover, interim executive director for Keep It Colorado. 'We look forward to the benefits these grants will bring to our members and their communities and extend our gratitude to the Land Trust Alliance for their partnership in facilitating the program.'
'Colorado's land trust community is a powerful force for conservation excellence and a source for innovative solutions to issues facing land trusts here and in every corner of the United States,' said Marcie Demmy Bidwell, the southwest senior program manager for the Land Trust Alliance. 'These grants empower land trusts to develop creative projects that cultivate sustainability within their organizations and provide incentives to develop new tools for the land trust movement.'
In 2022, Keep It Colorado partnered with the Land Trust Alliance to provide programming for the increased demand from the land trust community to support advancing organizational work. The partnership focused on providing support for land trusts after learning that they are dedicated to expanding their work to support community-centered conservation. Between 2023 and 2025, over $500,000 in grants have assisted 17 organizations with funding for 45 projects.
More information about the Land Trust Alliance can be found at www.landtrustalliance.org and more information about Keep It Colorado can be found at www.keepitco.org.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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