Thanks to very generous donations from our supporters, we are pleased to offer organizational scholarships and individual stipends to help defray the costs of participation in Rally 2023 in Portland, OR.
The Rally scholarship and stipend application windows have closed. We will notify applicants of decisions the week of July 10th.
Rally scholarships are awarded to organizations that demonstrate the ability or potential to protect land in their communities.
Rally stipends are available to individuals in order to increase access for presenters and participants with identities and perspectives—including, but not limited to, racial and ethnicity —that have been historically underrepresented at Rally and in the land conservation sector.
Please contact lblair@lta.org for more information or if you have any questions in the meantime.
Important Information for Scholarships
The scholarship application is an online form (separate from both conference registration and the stipends).
Please only submit one scholarship application per organization. If an award is received, one reimbursement check will be made out to the organization and not individual participating. We will take into account how many people from each organization plan to participate in Rally when determining potential award amounts, so multiple applications from various staff members are not necessary. These awards are typically enough to cover registration fees and partial travel costs.
Tips
- Application system works best in Firefox and Google Chrome browsers.
- Make sure you save your application if you plan to take a break before submitting it.
FAQ’s
What are the criteria for choosing scholarship recipients?
Rally scholarships are awarded to organizations that demonstrate the ability or potential to protect land in their communities. To help select these organizations, we have established the following criteria below for evaluation.
Factors that weigh in favor of a Rally scholarship applicant:
- If the scholarship is for the first paid staff member of an organization.
- If a scholarship will result in more than one representative from the organization attending the Rally.
- If the organization’s annual operating budget is less than $100,000.
- If no staff or board member has ever been to Rally.
- If the organization has, or is planning for, any community-centered conservation projects.
When will scholarship award payments be made?
Recipients must register for Rally and cover all of their own costs up front. After Rally, the Alliance requires that the scholarship recipient complete a brief Rally Scholarship Summary Form. Instructions will be sent with the scholarship notification letter. Upon receiving the completed form, the Alliance will send a check for the scholarship amount, payable to the organization, not the individual. The Alliance must receive the form by Friday, October 6, 2023, in order to provide the scholarship.
Applicants should contact the Alliance if other arrangements need to be made.
Important Information for Stipends
Rally stipends are available to increase access for presenters and participants with identities and perspectives—including, but not limited to, race and ethnicity —that have been historically underrepresented at Rally and in the land conservation sector. We seek to help Rally better reflect the communities across the nation where land trusts operate and where land conservation can benefit all people. As we work to broaden participation in Rally, these stipends help us move toward that goal. We also believe that everyone’s Rally experience will be enhanced by expanding access and the diversity of participants—creating richer discussions, broader partnerships and a more inclusive land conservation community.
The stipend application is an online form (separate from both conference registration and the scholarships).
The Alliance is also excited to share that the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service is providing additional resources for historically underserved conservation practitioners, landowners and other relevant stakeholders to receive funding for applicable Rally 2023 expenses, including registration fee, travel and welcome dinner ticket. Awardees of USDA-NRCS stipends will be asked to attend a meet and greet session with NRCS team members and are encouraged to attend the USDA-NRCS workshops at Rally. There is a checkbox within the questionnaire for you to indicate if you are interested in receiving this specific funding. Further details will be shared with award recipients this summer.
FAQ’s
When will stipend payments be made?
Once award notifications are sent the week of July 10, if the W9 form is completed and sent to us prior to July 21, a check will be sent before Rally to assist with your travel arrangements. Please note for your planning purposes that checks will be cut and mailed after the early bird deadline on July 24. For those that complete the W9 form after July 21, checks will come as a reimbursement after Rally concludes.
Please note, if an award is received by an individual, a reimbursement check will be made out to the individual. If an organization is paying to sending multiple attendees, one reimbursement check will be made out to the organization and not to the individuals participating.
Questions?
For scholarship or stipend questions, please contact Lindsay Blair at lblair@lta.org