The Conservation Fund

Conservation real estate activities:top-ranked for efficiency and mission effectiveness, The Conservation Fund is focused on tackling today's Conservation challenges while also providing economic benefits to people and communities. At The core of this activity is The Fund's ability to purchase priority natural lands; essential cultural and historic sites; and working landscapes like forests, farms, and ranches to provide time for permanent Conservation to be achieved. Since its founding in 1985, The Fund has conserved more than 8.9 million acres across all 50 states with A total appraised value upwards of $8.4 billion, in over 3,800 separate transactions. The Fund's core real estate activity involves The acquisition of land and interests in land on behalf of government agencies at The federal, state and local levels as well as private and other conservation-minded ngo partners. When A high-conservation-value property goes up for sale, there is real risk that funding will not be available to meet The timing needs of The seller. The Fund purchases properties deemed A priority by its partners and holds those properties for interim periods, providing The time needed to secure funding for its partners to acquire, steward and permanently manage The lands. The Fund uses capital from A variety of sources to accomplish its land Conservation objectives. The capital used for real estate acquisitions largely consists of funds from its "revolving Fund," which is made up of charitable gifts, proceeds from The sale of donated surplus lands that The Fund has sold for cash, as well as accumulated gains on and capital returned from past real estate transactions. Sources of funding for dispositions to partners include federal, state and local government funding programs and philanthropic funds from foundations, corporations, and private individuals. Once A property has been transferred to The long-term holder and The Fund recoups its investment, capital is returned to The revolving Fund for use in other real estate transactions, thus "revolving" these funds.as an expert in Conservation real estate, The Fund also provides negotiation expertise and transactional support to government agencies and to other Conservation organizations to directly acquire Conservation land, as well as bridge financing and technical assistance to land trusts and other organizations to protect critical natural resources in their communities. These "Conservation loans" address an unmet need for bridge financing and help The Fund's partners expand Conservation impact nationwide. As of december 31, 2023, The Fund's Conservation loans have helped conserve 165,262 acres through 413 loans in 41 states. The Fund's portfolio of loans had A principal value of $3.2 million as of december 31, 2023.mitigation solutions. In partnership with developers and regulatory agencies, The Fund completes Conservation acquisitions and other projects to offset The impacts on natural, cultural, and historic resources from construction and operation of energy and infrastructure projects and provides advice on mitigation strategies before and during infrastructure project development. The Fund does not advocate on behalf of infrastructure projects but serves as A bridge between project developers and regulatory agencies to help develop and then implement mitigation plans. The Fund's mitigation activities provide private capital to achieve Conservation priorities. Since The Fund began providing mitigation services in 1998, more than $300 million has been transferred to The Fund to acquire land and interests in land, to complete restoration, and/or to take other actions to mitigate for impacts to resources. As of december 31, 2023, The Fund has deployed more than two-thirds of this amount into more than 350 projects across The country, conserving or restoring over 375,000 acres. Working forests. The Fund believes The loss of working forests is The single greatest land Conservation challenge in The u.s. today and A critical aspect of The country's ability to mitigate climate change and support at-risk rural economies. The working forest Fund program is committed to conserving The last of The large intact forests in The u.s. So they remain sustainably managed forests, providing good local jobs, as well as clean water, clean air, habitat for wildlife and outdoor recreation, and critical carbon sequestration capacity to help address climate change. By 2060, The u.s. could lose up to 37 million acres of privately held forests to fragmentation or conversion to non-forest uses. To meet profit maximization mandates within 10- to 15-year Fund lifecycles, The investor owners of timber properties frequently over-harvest, break up large forest parcels, and convert forests to development. The working forest Fund seeks to disrupt this pathway of forest loss while preserving The productive value of these working assets and securing The multiple societal benefits working forests generate. The working forest Fund has developed A successful model to acquire, sustainably manage, and permanently protect high Conservation value timberland. Like The Fund's other real estate activities, The working forest Fund seeks to be an interim owner of these forest assets to facilitate permanent protection through The implementation and sale of Conservation easements and direct sales of The properties to public agencies or other Conservation buyers. The working forest Fund's focus is on large forests with The highest Conservation value and often The highest risk of fragmentation when sold on The open market. As of december 31, 2023, The Fund has deployed almost $815 million into 49 projects, approximately 1,037,000 acres of critical forests in The u.s. and storing 254 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (mtco2e). Approximately 630,000 acres have been transferred into permanent Conservation as of december 31, 2023. The remaining acres are being sustainably managed by The Fund or its partners and are awaiting permanent protection through Conservation easements or transfers to public agencies or other Conservation partners.working farms. Launched in 2021 outside atlanta, Georgia, and anchored in rural communities surrounding major metro areas, The farms Fund expanded to include projects in The metro-chicago area. In 2023, The program expanded to The metro-charlotte area in north carolina, where it expects to purchase its first farm in 2024. This innovative and growing program is working to rebuild The local food system and creating sustainable farm businesses for A diverse generation of young farmers. As of december 31, 2023, The program deployed $7,638,920 to secure land for twelve farm businesses and will help permanently protect 842 acres of farmland at risk of development.

Other Conservation services:the resilient communities business line comprises A group of programs dedicated to advancing The dual mission of The Fund by integrating Conservation and economic development to build vibrant communities. These grant-funded and fee-for-service programs focus on impact areas such as sustainable food systems, land access for disadvantaged populations, urban Conservation, rural economic development, water quality/supply protection and enhancement, aquaculture, and climate change adaptation. This program area provides expertise to communities across The country to achieve The multiple benefits from investing in clean air, clean water, habitat, climate resilience and adaptation, and community livability. The Fund's urban Conservation initiatives, including its parks with purpose program, enhance urban sustainability in economically disadvantaged areas using A multiple benefit approach.the work of this program area also includes The following activities.freshwater institute. The freshwater institute is an applied research facility dedicated to sustainable water use and reuse through The design of recirculating aquaculture systems. This program works with government, industry and nonprofits to demonstrate The opportunities for A sustainable domestic seafood supply by providing solutions to enable The growth of environmentally responsible aquaculture. The institute's core competencies in aquaculture research, engineering and consulting, aquatic veterinary medicine, aquaculture husbandry and production, industry outreach, and water chemistry analysis are mobilized to sustainably produce salmon and other cold-water species. Resourceful communities. Resourceful communities works with grassroots and community organizations in rural, economically, and socially distressed communities to create opportunities to preserve rural landscapes, strengthen local economies, and celebrate communities' unique cultures. The program provides an effective combination of direct technical assistance, skills building, and network-building that supports community outcomes such as food security, nature-based tourism development, youth Conservation programs, and cultural heritage preservation.