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The Division of Conservation Services grant round process

The Division of Conservation Services grant programs are normally conducted on an annual cycle, unless a special round is announced by the Secretary.

FY27 Grant Round Now Open!

Costs associated with any land purchased (or design and construction work completed) before a signed contract is received by the municipal applicant from DCS are ineligible for reimbursement.  Do not proceed with the project until you have a signed contract from DCS.  Award announcements are generally made on or about 120 days from the application deadline.  Keep in mind that this is an estimate and no award dates can be guaranteed.

FY27 Grant Round

  • Application release date: March 13, 2026
  • Grant workshops:
    • PARC/LAND:
      • Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 2:00 pm a virtual workshop will be held via Microsoft Teams
      • Thursday, May 7, 2026 at 11:00 am at the DFW Field Headquarters in Westborough. It is strongly recommended that interested applicants attend the in person workshop.
      • For PARC grant applicants, RSVP to Melissa Cryan at melissa.cryan@mass.gov
      • For LAND grant applicants, RSVP to Vanessa Farny at vanessa.farny@mass.gov
    • Conservation Partnership:
      • Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 2:00 pm a virtual session will be held via MS Teams.
      • RSVP to Darya Mattes or (617) 721-4864 no later than Tuesday, May 12, 2026 if you plan to attend the workshop.
  • Workshops tend to run for one hour
  • End of Open Question Period: Thursday, June 25, 2026
  • Application Deadlines:
    • Conservation Partnership: Monday, July 13, 2026 at 11:59 pm
    • LAND and PARC: Thursday, July 9, 2026 at 11:59 pm
  • Site inspections: to be completed by late August
  • Award announcements: approximately 120 days from application deadline
  • Project completion:
    • Some LAND, and some PARC projects: June 1, 2027
    • Conservation Partnership:  June 30, 2027
    • Other PARC projects: June 1, 2028

LAND and PARC Grant Programs:

  • Are reimbursement programs requiring the applicant to raise, borrow or appropriate the total project cost, and then be reimbursed a portion of that cost by the grant
  • Require a local investment and reimburses on a sliding scale to each municipality, from 52% to 70% of the total project cost up to a maximum grant limit set by the Secretary
  • Have regulations and guidance documents
  • Involve a competitive project selection system
  • Favor proposals that support the Secretary's focus as detailed in the grant workshop and in the BID

LAND and PARC Grant Eligibility

In order to be eligible for either PARC or LAND grants, your municipal Open Space and Recreation Plan must be up to date and approved, and there must be no current unresolved conservation land or parkland conversion issues with EEA. To learn more about these items, please refer to the links below:

Open Space and Recreation Plan Status

The community applying is not in violation of EEA's Article 97 Policy

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