Renewal Pre-Application

• 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 five to six weeks prior to your main application due date. Learn more about application fees.

The submitted Land Conservation Project List (LCPL) is used to select specific conservation easements or conservation fee properties for review. The number of selected projects will generally be capped at four (two easements and two conservation fee properties); additional projects may be selected at the Commission’s discretion if the land trust had a large volume of transactions over its accredited term.

To understand the suite of documents you should be prepared to provide about each of the selected projects, please review the Conservation Easement Project Documentation or Conservation Fee Project Documentation sections in the Reference Application Packet.

At least five weeks before the main application due date, applicants receive notice of the selected projects from the Accreditation Management System (AMS). Project documentation is submitted as part of the main application.

Based on your land trust's pre-application answers and documentation, the Commission may request specific documents be uploaded for transactions or activities identified as being higher risk. Targeted verification includes a narrow set of documents to show how the land trust met the requirements in specific areas.

To understand the documents that may be requested and the questions that will be asked, please review the Targeted Verification Documents section in the Reference Application Packet.

Yes, your land trust must notify key stakeholders to let them know it is applying for renewal of accreditation. The accreditation program recognizes the need for public accountability for land trusts and values comments from the stakeholders like landowners, donors and partners. These comments can provide a different perspective about the land trust and its work than the Commission may get during the application review process.

Learn more on how to conduct a public notice and how to document the process for your application.

• The Commission ensures the review team does not have conflicted members and the conflicted parties are not part of the final decision on your application. See the Conflicts of Interest Policy for more information.

• The Commission asks land trusts to identify any conflicts of interest with potential reviewers. Conflicts could be (but are not limited to):

  • Is a current employee, consultant, board member, substantial contributor or volunteer.

  • Is a former employee, consultant, board member, substantial contributor or volunteer (within the past five years).

  • Expects or is seeking to be an employee, consultant, board member, substantial contributor or volunteer (within the next two years).

  • Has a relationship with an applicant or accredited organization by virtue of proximity of interest. (For example, if accreditation applicant is in Commission member’s home town, or applicant is part of a partnership involving a Commission member.)