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CCT Programs & Accomplishments
CCT Initiatives
Implementing New Tools to Preserve Colorado
In 2004, CCT began the establishment of two revolving loans funds for land conservation activities.
Land Protection Loan Fund
The Land Protection Loan Fund will provide bridge funding for land conservation transactions. When a property is on the market, whether it be a working ranch, open space or wildlife habitat, there may not be much time to save it before the land is sold for development. Conservation-minded organizations often do not have the resources readily available to compete for land when there is only a small window of opportunity to purchase property. Conservation opportunities are lost because of this lack of immediate resources. CCT created this revolving loan fund – the first of its kind in Colorado – for this reason: to provide the interim funding necessary for protection of Colorado’s remaining open lands.
Why a conservation loan fund?
- Urgency - Time is an important factor in protecting natural areas because of the ever-increasing push to develop Colorado land. The opportunity to protect key properties can disappear quickly if funding is not immediately available. Through the Land Protection Loan Fund, CCT will provide critical interim resources necessary to save valuable landscapes. Loan funds will be repaid to CCT as funding becomes available.
- Flexibility - Loans will have the potential to be used for a wide range of conservation projects in Colorado – ranchland protection, wildlife protection, open space projects, and other types of projects.
- Efficiency - While most loans can take several months to process, CCT will evaluate and make loans available within a month of the application date.
Benefits you receive when you contribute to the Land Protection Loan Fund
- Return on Investment - You can make a loan to CCT at a low rate of return for a five-year period. Your dollars will be loaned out to Colorado land trusts and other agencies. Repayment will be interest-only for the life of the loan with the principal due at the end of the loan period. Through this one-of-a-kind investment vehicle, you can support protection of our state’s treasured lands and get a financial return.
- Dollars Multiplied – On average, each dollar in the CCT Land Protection Loan Fund will be used three to four times in the next five years. Whereas most charitable dollars are only used one time for a specific project, your gift will positively impact numerous conservation projects statewide.
- Leverage – Your contribution will be combined with other loan funds that currently total nearly $4 million. The impact of your dollars will be much greater than if they were used alone.
- Open Land Protected – Without adequate interim funding, several hundred thousand acres of natural landscapes in our state will be lost to development in the next decade. Your contribution will facilitate the protection of valuable ranchland, open space and wildlife habitat.
CCT has raised nearly $4 million for the Land Protection Loan Fund. Loans will be available in mid-2005 to nonprofit organizations and local government open space programs.
Tax Credit Transaction Loan Fund
The Tax Credit Transaction Loan Fund, the first of its kind in the country, serves to enhance the conservation easement tax credit program. This fund provides money to cover the legal, appraisal and other transaction-related costs that are required up front to complete a land donation. Loans are made to the land trusts working with the individual landowners to complete the donation of their conservation easements. Landowners repay the loans once they receive their tax credit payments.
By bridging this gap, this loan fund will help complete an additional 8 to 10 transactions per year, preserving thousands of acres that otherwise wouldn’t be protected. This year alone, CCT has set aside $140,000 for the program.
CCT Initiatives
CCT Programs & Accomplishments Links
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