How to Obtain an NSS Grant to Help Purchase Cave or Karst Property

Philip Moss, Chair
Cave and Karst Acquisition Committee

The NSS has a fund designated for supporting other organizations to purchase cave or karst properties. The NSS does not seek out opportunities to grant funds, but waits for unsolicited requests to be made. The Cave and Karst Acquisition Committee makes recommendations to the NSS Board of Governors for purchases considered for NSS ownership and for grant requests from conservancies. There are two policies that guide our recommendations. Both can be found on the NSS web page (www.caves.org). They are Appendix L, Cave and Karst Acquisition Policy, and Appendix Z, Outline for Writing a Cave Management Plan.

The committee considers the following factors when considering a grant request:

• Does the property have national or regional significance?
• Does the cave or karst acquisition support the purposes of the NSS as stated in its Constitution?
• How does the acquisition rank relative to other NSS expenditures? Is its significance commensurate with the required investment?
• Is the cave located under the land to be purchased? Is the cave being acquired or just an entrance? If the property does not contain the entire cave, can long-term permission to enter the neighboring property through the cave entrance be obtained? Are the neighbors willing to contribute to the management of the cave?
• Is there a management plan in conformance with Appendix Z, including plans to assess the effectiveness of the management plan?
• Has the property been appraised?
• Has there been a professional land survey?
• Are water rights included?
• Is there a need to conduct a Phase 1 investigation to determine if hazardous wastes may be present on the property?
• Will a title search be conducted and title insurance purchased at closing?
• Is the grant applicant willing to give the NSS a right of first refusal in case the conservancy disposes of the property?

Your grant application will move forward more quickly if there is a response to each of these questions. The Cave and Karst Acquisition Committee then makes a recommendation to the NSS Board of Governors through the Administrative Vice-President (AVP). The AVP places a motion on the next agenda and at the next meeting, the Board of Governors votes on the AVP’s motion.