NHCP-LTCF Large Grant funds can be used to fund both in-year securement expenses AND associated securement costs of fee simple land or Conservation Agreements.

Per program year, applicants are permitted to submit one project per Application Form with a funding ask between $50,001.00 and $1,000,000.00. Applicants may choose to submit up to 3 Large Grant project Application Forms with a combined total ask of up to $1,250,000.00/ per organization (this would require that an application be submitted for each proposed project), or a single Large Grant project for a minimum ask of $50,001.00 and maximum ask of $1,000,000.00.

Wait listed Large Grant projects may elect to submit a revised project to the Small Grant program; however, if funds are awarded under the Small Grant program, the project will be removed from consideration under the Large Grant program.

Required Match: The NHCP-LTCF is a matching funds program, with a required match ratio of a minimum 1.5:1. This means that for every $1 of Program funds awarded, a minimum of $1.50 in matching funds from sources other than Canadian Federal Government investments must also be contributed.

Required Stewardship Endowment Contribution for Each Project: Projects funded under the NHCP-LTCF require a cash contribution to a stewardship endowment fund for the long-term stewardship of the lands.

For first installment, Awardees will be required to acknowledge confirming the total match value of the project, that all matching funds are in place and that no other sources of Canadian federal government funds have been used as Cash match or In-Kind matching funds.

Project Audit: Projects may be selected for a program or financial audit by internal WHC staff or an external Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) to ensure compliance with the terms and conditions of the Small Grants program and the Funding Agreement. Successful applicants are required to maintain detailed records and supporting documentation associated with the project.

Per program year, applicants are permitted to submit one project per Application Form with a funding ask between $50,001.00 and $1,000,000.00. Applicants may choose to submit up to 3 Large Grant project Application Forms with a combined total ask of up to $1,250,000.00/ per organization (this would require that an application be submitted for each proposed project), or a single Large Grant project for a minimum ask of $50,001.00 and maximum ask of $1,000,000.00.

A project is defined as a parcel or grouping of parcels that may or may not share the same landowner (see multiple ownership below):

• sharing the same conservation objectives (see below);
• clearly contributing to Canada’s Target (i.e., can be counted as Protected Areas or Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures); and,
• consisting of either conservation agreements or fee simple acquisition or a combination thereof.

NOTE: Proposed projects that do not consist of traditional fee simple or conservation agreement transaction or conservation mechanism, may be considered on a case by case basis and would require ECCC approval. Contact WHC staff in advance of application submission to review.

Shared and mutually beneficial conservation objectives may include:

• Where parcels occur in a cluster, connectivity/continuity of protected lands, providing increased ecosystem integrity and risk mitigation for climate change or as key wildlife corridors.
• Where parcels are more geographically dispersed, intact habitat for a particular species-at-risk or protection of rare ecosystem types, priority habitats or protection of key stopover points on migratory pathways.

Notes:

• Eligible projects must have a closing date between April 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.
• Land trusts are expected to commit to protecting the number of hectares presented in the application, regardless of the number of landowners or parcels.
• NOTE: If using or considering using other sources of federal funding for the proposed project, it is vital that a realistic hectare total be identified on the application. There are hectare requirements under the NHCP that must be met. Please contact WHC staff (Sonia or Sarah) with any questions or concerns.

Per program year, applicants are permitted to submit one project per Application Form with a funding ask between $50,001.00 and $1,000,000.00. Applicants may choose to submit up to 3 Large Grant project Application Forms with a combined total ask of up to $1,250,000.00/ per organization (this would require that an application be submitted for each proposed project), or a single Large Grant project for a minimum ask of $50,001.00 and maximum ask of $1,000,000.00.

Required Match: The NHCP-LTCF is a matching funds program, with a required match ratio of a minimum 1.5:1. This means that for every $1 of Program funds awarded, a minimum of $1.50 in matching funds from sources other than Canadian Federal Government investments must also be contributed.

Required Stewardship Endowment Contribution for Each Project: The amount of stewardship endowment required under the NHCP-LTCF is outlined in the guidelines.

Project Audit: Successful applicants must have a financial audit completed on the project by an external Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA). A copy of the audit must be received by WHC by the final reporting deadline.

Audit cost and payment: Note that the cost of the audit will be covered outside of awarded NHCP-LTCF funds, and therefore the audit cost should not be included in your NHCP-LTCF funding ask. Successful applicants must provide a realistic project audit estimate to WHC within one-month of funding approval. Common audit pricing on land acquisition projects is normally in the range of $500 to $6,000; however, only the amount noted on the third-party audit invoice will be paid. Payment of the audit invoice will be made by WHC, following WHC’s receipt and approval of the project’s financial audit and final reporting (2% or less of the total LTCF award to a maximum of $5000).

• Click here to reference the HOW TO Complete the Final Report Form video
• For Small Grant awardees – Reference the HOW TO Complete the automated Financial Report Template video. Click here