Application Deadlines

The chart below lists the deadlines for different components of the Stewardship Program and for three related water programs. Applications must be received or postmarked by these dates. Applications received after a deadline cannot be considered until the next grant cycle for that program.

In some cases, it may be necessary for a project sponsor to acquire a property before the grant is awarded. This is most likely to occur when there is an annual deadline. Please keep in mind that the grant application must be received no later than one year after the property is purchased by an organization. In practice, most applications are received well before the acquisition because organizations need to complete their funding plan before the closing.

Timelines

We recommend you seek an Option to Purchase that extends for at least six months. The Department prefers 6-9 months for its own transactions. This should allow adequate time to evaluate the project, complete appraisal work, and take care of “due diligence” matters. Keep in mind that an easement project is likely to take longer than a fee simple one, and that property valued at over $200,000 can take considerably longer than property valued at $200,000 or less due to additional statutory requirements for appraisals.

Incomplete applications will cause delays and may move your project to the bottom of the pile, which is sometimes deep. The season of the year and regional workload may also have a bearing on the time needed to process your application.

When necessary, a project sponsor that submits more than one Stewardship project at a time in a Region may be asked to prioritize those projects so we balance the needs of different organizations.

Finally, all materials required for an escrow closing must be submitted to your CSS at least 20 business days prior to the date you need the check. This is a new requirement for us, necessitated by the rising number of grant applications and the tendency of project sponsors to provide important information at the last minute, sometimes only a day or two before the closing. This causes undue stress on our staff, all of whom are juggling many projects on any given day. Our staff regrets the need to make this decision, but both Region CSSs and Central Office Grant Managers feel a longer time frame will allow for a more orderly review of documents by both NCOs and our staff in the Region and Central Office. We need to work together to make this work.

If you are late in submitting needed information, you can make other arrangements knowing that we will provide our share as a reimbursement as soon as possible after the closing.