Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation Board of Trustees met on June 9, 2026, to take action on board items, approve the FY27 VLCF grant round, and open the Surry-Skiffes Creek grant round to help fund land conservation projects.
The Surry-Skiffes Creek grant round is open and accepting applications until 5 p.m. on Sept. 4. This program places an emphasis on historic preservation and land conservation to mitigate impacts from the Surry-Skiffes Creek-Whealton Transmission Line Project. A total of $250,000 is available. Applicants will submit their applications via email to landcon@dcr.virginia.gov.
The VLCF grant round is open and accepting applications through WebGrants until 5 p.m. on Aug. 21. A record $17.21 million in funding is allocated to five categories: Farmland Preservation ($2.71M); Forestland Preservation ($2.55M); Historic Area Preservation ($2.55M); Natural Area Preservation ($4.55M); and Open Spaces and Parks ($4.8M).
A virtual workshop was held on June 24, 2026, to provide program information and answer questions about the FY27 VCLF grant round. Here are the slides from the presentation.
Here is the FY2027 VLCF Grant Manual.
To view a preview of the application for each of the five categories on the WebGrants Management Portal, view the PDFs below:
Questions?
View the FY25 VLCF Annual Report.
In 1999, the General Assembly and governor restructured the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation to fund protection of:
State agencies, local governments, other public bodies, state and federally-recognized Indian Tribes and nonprofit land trusts are eligible to receive matching grants from the foundation to purchase land or conservation easements.
The Virginia Land Conservation Fund receives funding from the state’s annual budget. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation provides staff and administrative support. An interagency taskforce reviews and recommends grant applications to the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation. Grant awards are based on applications for 50% or less of total project costs (state agencies may receive 100%) pursuant to specific criteria defined in each category.
The VLCF Board and DCR submit an annual report of the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation to the governor and General Assembly. This report summarizes VLCF Board activities for the two-year window, provides information on funded projects, describes how funds are allocated, and tracks the amount of land conserved in the Commonwealth. The last report was issued in February 2026.
Since the beginning of the program in 2000, VLCF has awarded 356 grants totaling more than $118 million to protect more than 156,000 acres across the Commonwealth. To learn about the projects that have been funded, search the interactive map below.
The Board met on Nov. 3, 2025, to award the FY26 VLCF grant round.
See the list of awarded applications.
Read the press release.
Applications for the grant round were accepted through Aug. 12, 2025. Learn more about the application process, requirements and scoring in the FY26 VLCF Grant Manual.
A total of $15,810,418 was available for grant funding as allocated in the following five categories:
| Farmland Preservation | $2,550,000 |
| Forestland Preservation | $3,929,536 |
| Historic Area Preservation | $2,726,963 |
| Natural Area Preservation | $3,088,235 |
| Open Spaces and Parks | $3,515,684 |
A virtual Grant Workshop was held on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, to explain the grant process and different categories.
The presentations for each category, as well as an overview, are available here:
Visit our State and Federal Grants page to learn more about other land conservation grant opportunities.
A subcommittee of the VLCF Board met on April 17, 2025, to discuss the upcoming grant round and the FY26 grant manual.
An agenda for this meeting can be found here.
Following April's subcommittee meeting the board provided a three-week public comment period to seek input on the proposed FY26 Grant Manual.
A subcommittee of the VLCF Board met virtually on March 26, 2021.
At its Oct. 27, 2015, meeting, the VLCF Board of Trustees adopted guidance for resolving disputes related to the interpretation or administration of conservation easements in accordance with ss10.1-1021.2 of the Code of Virginia. This is the final guidance document.
In 2009, the VLCF Board amended the Land Preservation Tax Credit (LPTC) Conservation Value Review Criteria to verify the conservation value of donated land or conservation easements that result in tax credit applications of $1 million or more.
Board members can find information regarding FOIA, travel regulations, open meetings, and more on the Resources for VLCF board members page.
On November 3, 2025, the VLCF Board adopted this resolution to establish protocol to approve changes of scope for reduced acreage in previously awarded grants.
If you have questions, email Suzan Bulbulkaya, Land Conservation Manager, at suzan.bulbulkaya@dcr.virginia.gov or call 804-371-5218.
