Frequently Asked Questions
What's the goal of the Trust?
Greenville County is growing rapidly, with more than 220,000 new residents projected by 2040. As we have all seen repeatedly, people are flooding our area because of our high quality of life and low cost of living. A large part of that quality of life is the character of our community: the mountains that form the background to our community, our open areas, and the preserved historical spots that ground the new development in our history.
The Trust works to empower the preservation of the special places that give our community its character.
We work on a couple of fronts:
We partner in expanding access to the parks and natural areas that increase the quality of life in the upstate
We help preserve historical sites that provide context to our history and heritage
Who can get funding from the Trust?
Only "eligible entities" can get funding from the Trust. We are not currently taking applications. To be notified when we are ready to being approving eligible entities, receiving applications, and to follow along with other news or updates, subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of the website.
Who are the eligible entities?
An eligible entity, or per the ordinance, an "Eligible Trust Recipient," is a group that can get funding from the Trust. The ordinance passed to create the Trust specifies what and who those groups are and can be:
Greenville County. The Government of Greenville County can apply to the Trust for funding.
A municipality in Greenville County. These are the cities in the county: Fountain Inn, Greenville, Greer, Mauldin, Simpsonville, Travelers Rest.
An agency or commission of Greenville County whose mission directly relates to the conservation of lands with significant natural, cultural, and historic resources. This provision allows for any of Greenville county's other boards and commissions, like the Historic Preservation Commission or County Rec, to apply to the Trust for funding.
A not-for-profit charitable corporation or Trust authorized to do business in South Carolina and organized and operated for natural resource conservation, land conservation, or historical preservation purposes, and having tax-exempt status as a public charity under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and having the power to acquire, hold, and maintain interests in land for these purposes. Nonprofit organizations can apply to the Trust for funding as they meet the criteria laid out in the ordinance.
Only groups that meet the above criteria can apply for funding to the Trust. A property owner can't directly apply.
How can I apply for funding for a project?
Eligible Entities can apply for funding here. You can see a detailed outline of the Grants process on our Resources page.
How can a private landowner apply to have their property protected?
Contact an “Eligible Entity” to apply. See above.
Why does there need to be a Trust? Can’t the County give money directly to nonprofits?
Many projects have tight windows to determine if conservation is possible, so the Trust provides an expedited channel to get money to projects that meet the criteria laid out in the ordinance. The Board of the Trust then ensures that the criteria are being met and everything is being done above board, taking the logistical weight off the County Council.
Doesn’t this duplicate the work of other nonprofits in the County?
No. The Trust exists to be a local funding source for projects in Greenville County. Local funding is frequently a key requirement if projects are to get funding for state and federal grant programs, as well as from other Trusts and nonprofit organizations that do fund projects. The Trust’s goal is to provide “seed money” to get projects going by showing local support as they go after other grant monies.
Does the Trust own or directly place conservation easements on the land for projects it funds?
No. The trust primarily works by funding fee simple purchases and conservation easements through the partner that made the application.
What's to stop the Trust from funding projects that are overpaying for a property?
The Trust can't pay more than fair market value for any property being considered per the ordinance. The value is determined by a Trust-approved appraiser.
Won't this stop all development by preventing property from going to developers? Won’t this increase costs for development in the county if the Trust is competing with developers?
Since the Trust can't fund projects offering a property owner more than fair market value, and most developers pay well above that price to acquire land, the Trust doesn't pose a significant risk to developers. Property owners generally need to be motivated to preserve their property, and the Trust provides a local funding source to allow that process to happen. Protecting open spaces, historical sites and, creating parks and trails actually spurs development; people want to have convenient and easy access to green spaces.
How did the Trust come into existence?
In December 2020, Greenville County Council passed an ordinance that created the Trust. Greenville County Council elected the first round of board members for the Trust in April 2021. You can see the Ordinance and Board information in different parts of our website.