Application Criteria

In its review of requests for funding, the ULCF Advisory Committee shall consider the following factors:

1. Service Area. Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Pickens, Laurens, Greenwood, Oconee, Union, Abbeville, and Cherokee Counties. In addition, the ULCF may be used for conservation projects in Newberry County if the property is in the Saluda River watershed and in North Carolina and Georgia if the property is located within a watershed that provides water to a river, stream, or lake located within any of the above South Carolina counties.

2. Focus Areas. High priority lands shown on the Critical Watershed Area and Habitat maps created by Furman University in 2017, which identifies lands in the Upstate that provide significant water protection benefits, other important water benefits and/or high-quality habitat.

3. Priority Properties. Upstate Forever has identified the following priority properties in the Upstate for protection:

   • Tracts of 100 acres or more.

   • Tracts of 50 acres or more that adjoin other conservation properties.

   • Tracts of 50 acres or more that adjoin significant rivers, streams, and wetlands.

   • Tracts of 30 acres or more that are within the viewshed of Highway 11.

   • Tracts of 30 acres or more that are within the Blue Ridge Mountains or the Blue Ridge Escarpment.

   • Tracts of any size that are located within Focus Areas and have a significant impact on water quality.

   • Tracts of any size consisting of riverside buffers, with a greater emphasis on streambank length over the amount of area preserved.

   • Tracts of 30 acres or more within historically underserved communities or owned by an individual who identifies as a person of color.

4. Project Feasibility. The overall feasibility of each prospective conservation project will be considered, and potential challenges identified and assessed.

5. Stewardship Capacity. For conservation easement projects, the ability to provide stewardship is a relevant factor in reviewing requests.

6. Consistency with Local Land Use Plan. Each prospective conservation project will be examined to ensure that protection of the property does not contravene the approved local land use plan for the area.

7. Other Factors.

   • The ULCF may also be used to support significant long-term projects that involve multiple tracts and are identified and approved by the Advisory Committee.

   • The Fund may be used to support a project in any county that adjoins one of the ten Upstate counties identified in section 1 above if the Advisory Committee determines that the project is exceptional in nature.

   • The recommendation of the UF Director of Land Conservation or the UF Land Trust Committee regarding the request.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Advisory Committee has the discretion to approve any request which it determines will be beneficial to the protection of natural or scenic resources in the Upstate.

Application Procedure

Requests for funding may be submitted through Upstate Forever (UF) by other nonprofit organizations or government agencies for projects in the Upstate region. For such projects, the lead sponsor shall submit detailed information to the UF Director of Land Conservation. The UF Director of Land Conservation may require the submission of additional information. The UF Director of Land Conservation shall have the discretion to make a recommendation on the request or to submit the request to the UF Land Trust Committee for consideration. The UF Director of Land Conservation or the Land Trust Committee shall submit a recommendation on the request to the ULCF Advisory Committee, which will consider the recommendation.

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Contact Information

Scott Park, Upstate Forever’s Glenn Hilliard Director of Land Conservation
spark@upstateforever.org
(864) 203-1944