PRE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

1. Project Feasibility Fund

Staff may grant applicants with up to $8,000 from the Project Feasibility Fund to assist in the development of projects. General planning projects are not eligible for these funds. (Please see Project Feasibility Fund Policy)

2. Project Related Capacity Grants

The Board may, in unusual circumstances, grant eligible applicants a Project Specific Capacity Grant where funds are needed to support staff and to conduct feasibility work prior to submitting an application to the Board. Prior to awarding funds, an applicants must demonstrate that it has secured site control acceptable to VHCB staff. General planning projects are not eligible for these funds (Please see Capacity Grant Policy)

3. Farm Appraisal Fund

Staff may approve grants in the amount of 50% of the cost of the appraisal of a farm project that has been approved by the Board as a pre-application.

ASSOCIATED COSTS GRANT GUIDELINES

The Board encourages applicants to provide in-kind services to the greatest extent possible and encourages the use of other funded sources to cover associated costs. The amount of other funding sources or the extent to which VHCB funds have leveraged donations of services or interests in land may improve the chances of being funded by the Board. However, the following guidelines illustrate the maximum amount of costs associated with conservation projects which can be included in VHCB budgets, provided that such costs have not been covered by other VHCB funding programs:

1. Staff costs up to $5,500
2. Legal/closing costs up to $3,000
3. Mapping/Documentation up to $1,200
4. Stewardship endowment up to $5,000
5. Appraisals up to $2,500

The Board may approve additional line items such as surveys or management plans, when the Board finds such work is required to complete a project.

The Board will use these fee levels as a guideline and reserves the right to evaluate all project requests on a case by case basis. Because of the limitation of bond proceeds, in projects where there is more than one possible source of project grants, the Board strongly encourages, and may require, the applicant to obtain all or a portion of the associated costs from those other sources.

Please use the following budget format.

VHCB Conservation Project Budget - Income & Expenses
INCOME		EXPENSE
			VHCB	Other	Total
VHCB Funds	_________	Easement	________	_________	________
Town Funds	_________	Grantee Staff	________	_________	_______
Foundation Funds*	_________	Mapping/ Documentation	________	_________	________
Other Funds*	_________	Closing Costs	________	_________	________
Bargain Sale	_________	Stewardship Endowment	________	_________	________
Easement Donation	_________	Value Donation	________	_________	________
In-Kind Donations	_________	Other Expense*	________	_________	________
Federal Fund	_________
TOTAL	_________	TOTAL	______
*Describe ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________

PRE-DEVELOPMENT COSTS TO VHCB

Describe any predevelopment costs already funded by VHCB not included in above expenses (Feasibility Grant, appraisal) ______________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

TOTAL PRE-DEVELOPMENT COSTS: __________

VALUE OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS/ACREAGE CONSERVED

Appraised value of easement to be purchased	__________
Purchase price of easement	__________
Number of acres conserved	__________
Price per acre	__________
Value of donated easements	__________
Nuumber of donated acres conserve	__________
TOOTAL ACRES CONSERVED	__________
TOTAL PRICE PER ACRE	__________