First Time Pre-Application

• You will receive an email with access to the online pre-application about three months before it is due.

• The pre-application is completed in the Accreditation Management System (AMS) and is submitted approximately three months before the main application is due.

• Regardless of when you begin working on your pre-application, the information in your responses must be no older than 90 days prior to submission. For instance, policies adopted years ago but that are still in effect can be uploaded any time. But, the Land Conservation Project List data, the Schedule of Dedicated and Restricted Funds data, and any summaries of conflicts, amendments, violations, etc. should be current (i.e. within 90 days of the pre-application due date).

• The Commission will provide your application fee approximately one month after the pre-application is submitted. Learn more about application fees.

The Commission uses the information submitted in the pre-application to:

• Confirm that a land trust meets specific requirements before the land trust is allowed to proceed and submit a complete application.

• Select projects and targeted verification items for which the land trust will need to submit detailed documentation as part of the application.

• Evaluate whether the land trust meets the funding requirements for easement stewardship and defense and/or for fee land management and if more action as part of the application is needed.

Land trusts are notified about eight weeks before the application due date whether their pre-application was accepted and what projects and targeted verification items will need additional documentation.

To be accepted, the Commission must be able to verify following:

• Adopted the 2017 Land Trust Standards and Practices as the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of your land trust.

• Have a baseline documentation or current

  condition report for each conservation

  easement held by your land trust.

• Annually monitor each conservation easement held by your land trust.

• Have a management plan for each conservation fee property owned by your land trust.

• Annually inspect each fee property owned by your land trust.

• If your pre-application is accepted, you will be notified in the AMS and provided with a list of selected projects and targeted verification items.

• Your land trust will receive an invoice for your application fee that is due when you submit the main application.

The Commission may determine that a land trust's pre-application cannot be accepted if:

• The land trust does not meet the eligibility and registration requirements 

• The land trust does not meet the pre-application requirements 

• The land trust is unable to demonstrate that it meets the public support test 

• The land trust is not primarily engaged in the active acquisition or stewardship of conservation land or conservation easements;

• The land trust would not be able to document compliance with the indicators and/or is not a strong candidate for accreditation;

• The pre-application documents are in unacceptable condition; and/or

• The pre-application is not otherwise able to be processed effectively.

If the Commission determines that a pre-application cannot be accepted, the organization will need to re-register when it is ready to apply. The registration fee is nonrefundable and nontransferable.