The Peter and Carmen Lucia Buck Foundation’s (PCLB) Outdoors Program seeks to increase the pace of land conservation, protect critical habitat, contribute to climate resilience, and connect people to nature. To advance these goals, PCLB established the Land and Easement Acquisition Program (LEAP) to provide grants for land conservation organizations to complete projects in the Hudson River and Lake Champlain watersheds in New York, across Connecticut, and in select watersheds in Maine. LEAP grants are intended to address funding gaps for active projects that are otherwise ready to close. Funds can be used to acquire land or conservation easements. Priority will be given to projects that: 

• Interconnect open space.
• Promote biodiversity.
• Address climate resilience.
• Protect high-quality water resources.
• Provide meaningful public access opportunities.

Complete program guidelines can be found here. Click to download GIS shape files for the eligible geographic areas in New York and Maine. The entire state of Connecticut is an eligible geographic area.