Mission: Open space institute protects scenic, natural and historic landscapes to ensure public enjoyment, conserve habitats and sustain community character.
Programs: Conservation communities: citizen action is the primary initiative in this program. Citizen action provides fiscal sponsorship and administrative support for a broad range of grassroots projects that protect natural habitat, enhance communities to make cities more livable, promote envirornmental sustainability, provide education, and connect people with the land. Through the organization's board of trustees, staff and consultants, citizen action also provides technical, legal and administrative assistance to community groups participating in the program.
environmental education: this program includes both the malcolm gordon charitable fund which makes grants to local organizations for environmental education programs and the barnabus mchenry hudson river valley awards program which annually grants funds to pairings of young leaders and exemplary projects that make significant contributions in environmental conservation, historic preservation, tourism, and the arts in the hudson river valley.
the organization through its supporting organization, open space institute land trust ("osilt") protects critical open spaces, habitats, recreational lands, family farms and historic sites through direct acquisition and conservation easements. In addition, osilt also provides grants and loans primarily to other land trusts for transactions in selected geographies in the eastern united states and canada that protect habitat, open space, water quality and lands that safeguard wildlife in a changing climate. In 2017, osilt protected 5,379 acres having a fair market value of $8. 4 million. In addition, osilt made 36 grants totaling $4. 8 million, resulting in the protection of 16,499 acres in eleven states and provinces with a fair market value of $40 million.
Open Space Conservancy is an accredited land trust. Accreditation means Open Space Conservancy meets national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. Open Space Conservancy has demonstrated to the Land Trust Accreditation Commission its commitment to excellence. Accredited land trusts meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and working lands forever. These land trusts demonstrate their commitment to excellence by adopting Land Trust Standards and Practices, the ethical and technical guidelines for the responsible operation of a land trust, and meeting the accreditation requirements drawn from them. Learn More: http://www.landtrustaccreditation.org/about.
OSI is a very valuable nonprofit that works to protect open space through many programs. I'm most familiar with the Citizen Action program, which my nonprofit was fiscally sponsored by while we were waiting for our IRS determination letter. Fiscal sponsorship is an incredibly important part of strengthening the grassroots movement, and OSINY supports this infrastructure as a fiscal conduit and through technical assistance.
