What Florida Conservation Group does

Florida Conservation Group (FCG) is a Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 by Julie Morris that helps private landowners — primarily ranchers, farmers, and forest owners — navigate and execute conservation easement transactions with state, federal, and local government programs. The organization advises landowners from initial ecological evaluation through agency negotiation and closing, and provides complementary grazing management technical assistance through in-house specialists partnered with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. FCG's technical edge rests on a longstanding partnership with the University of Florida's Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, which supplies science-based landscape prioritization data (including Florida Ecological Greenways Network and Florida Wildlife Corridor datasets) used to identify the highest-priority lands for water and wildlife protection.

FCG operates as a professional services intermediary rather than a software or product business: it does not charge landowners for its services and does not operate a technology platform. Its revenue is derived from a mix of federal, state, and local government grants (notably the USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program and Rural and Family Lands Protection Program), foundation grants (most prominently the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation), and charitable donations. Since inception the organization reports facilitating conservation on over 100,000 acres, with a portfolio concentrated in South Florida ranchlands (Peace River Valley, Northern Everglades, Kissimmee Valley) and an expanding footprint in North Florida working forests (Big Bend, Levy County). Key institutional partners include FDACS, FDEP, NRCS, USFWS, UF CLCP, Common Ground Ecology, Tall Timbers, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Wildlife Refuge Association.

FCG is governed by a small board chaired by rancher Lefty Durando with Jim Strickland as vice chair, and is staffed by 1–10 employees operating out of offices in Venice, Nokomis, and Myakka City, Florida. The organization has no parent company, no equity investors, and no disclosed revenue; its scale is measured in acres protected and grants secured rather than top-line financials. The 2024–2025 period has been a step-change in scope, anchored by a $21 million USDA RCPP award and a $2.4 million NFWF longleaf pine grant, paired with mission expansion into working forests and high-profile state-level approvals covering more than 10,000 additional acres of Northern Everglades ranchland.

Name

Florida Conservation Group

Legal name

Florida Conservation Group

Website

https://floridaconserve.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Florida Conservation Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2015 that helps Florida ranchers, farmers, and forest landowners navigate conservation easement programs with state, federal, and local agencies. Since inception it has facilitated permanent protection of over 100,000 acres of working and natural lands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (11531)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA), Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

Keywords

• Land conservation services
• Conservation easement facilitation
• Wildlife corridor protection
• Agricultural land preservation
• Watershed conservation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Florida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: FCG receives federal, state, and local government grants for conservation work. Major grants include $21 million from USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program, $2.4 million from NFWF for longleaf pine conservation, and FDACS matching funds.
2. Foundation Grants: The organization receives grants from foundations such as the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for specific conservation projects.
3. Donations: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, FCG accepts charitable donations from individuals and organizations supporting conservation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Florida Conservation Group is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that advises and assists private landowners throughout the conservation easement acquisition process, providing expertise in ecology, agriculture, real estate, and the policy process. The organization also delivers grazing management technical assistance, conservation science and landscape prioritization advisory services, and helps landowners navigate federal, state, and local conservation incentive programs such as RFLPP, Florida Forever, NRCS ACEP, and USFWS easement programs.

Product overview

Florida Conservation Group is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) conservation organization that offers a suite of landowner-facing services centered on land conservation facilitation. The organization provides conservation easement facilitation services to help landowners navigate the acquisition process, grazing management technical assistance through NRCS partnerships, conservation science and planning advisory services using landscape prioritization tools, and conservation program navigation matching landowners with appropriate federal, state, and local programs. FCG does not operate a software product or technology platform; its offerings are professional services delivered through direct landowner engagement and agency partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Land Conservation Easement Facilitation Services
• Grazing Management Assistance
• Conservation Science and Planning
• Conservation Incentive Program Navigation

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 acres of land conserved since 2015
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Common Ground EcologycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2025FCG partners with Common Ground Ecology on NFWF-funded projects to provide technical assistance to landowners for grazing management planning and habitat conservation.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 December 2024USFWS works with FCG on Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area and Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area. USFWS acquires land and conservation easements within these areas.
• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCG works with FDACS on the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP), an agricultural conservation easement program that protects working landscapes. FCG helps landowners navigate the application process and advocates for funding.
• Florida Department of Environmental ProtectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCG partners with DEP on Florida Forever Program for both fee-simple and conservation easement acquisitions to protect high-priority natural resource areas.
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSDA agency providing Agricultural Conservation Easement Program including Agricultural Land Easements and Wetland Reserve Easements. FCG helps landowners access NRCS programs.
• University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation PlanningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCG works in close partnership with UF's CLCP to incorporate cutting-edge conservation science into land protection decisions. The partnership provides science-driven tools and maps for conservation prioritization.
• Southwest Florida Water Management DistrictsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Peace River Valley conservation efforts, providing support for water resource protection projects.
• Tall TimberssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner working on longleaf pine restoration and fire management in Florida.
• North Florida Land TrustsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in longleaf pine conservation efforts.
• The Nature ConservancysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in longleaf pine conservation efforts across Florida.
• Alachua Conservation TrustsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in longleaf pine conservation efforts.
• National Wildlife Refuge AssociationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerFCG partners with NWRA on Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge Conservation Area and regional landscape conservation issues.
• Florida Forever ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlorida's state land acquisition program under DEP that purchases properties with high conservation value using fee-simple and conservation easement strategies.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Conservation Fund: The Conservation Fund is a national nonprofit that acquires and conserves working lands, including ranchlands and forests, often in partnership with federal agencies. It is a close analog to FCG's model of facilitating conservation deals for private landowners with public funding.
• The Nature Conservancy (Florida Chapter): The Nature Conservancy is one of the world's largest conservation nonprofits, and FCG explicitly lists TNC as a longleaf pine conservation partner. Both deploy conservation easements and science-based prioritization in Florida, but TNC operates globally and at materially greater scale and budget.
• Trust for Public Land: Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit that facilitates conservation land acquisition and conservation easements, working closely with government programs. It competes directly with FCG for landowner relationships in Florida and operates a similar intermediary/facilitation model at much larger scale.
• Defenders of Wildlife: Defenders of Wildlife is a national wildlife conservation nonprofit working on imperiled species including the Florida panther, which FCG also prioritizes. Both advocate for conservation funding and easement-based habitat protection in South Florida, though Defenders operates more on policy/advocacy than direct easement facilitation.
• National Wildlife Federation: National Wildlife Federation is a national conservation advocacy organization that engages in wildlife corridor protection and landowner incentive programs, including in Florida. It overlaps with FCG on Everglades Headwaters and Florida Wildlife Corridor work but at much broader geographic scale.
• National Audubon Society: National Audubon Society is a national bird and habitat conservation nonprofit with active Florida programs on ranchland stewardship, prescribed grazing, and bird-friendly land management. Its scope and bird-focused mission partially overlap with FCG's grassland and ranchland conservation work.

Direct peers

• Tall Timbers: Tall Timbers is a Florida-based conservation organization focused on longleaf pine restoration, fire ecology, and private land stewardship. It is a listed FCG partner and operates in overlapping North Florida geographies with comparable landowner technical assistance programs.
• American Farmland Trust: American Farmland Trust focuses on protecting agricultural working lands through easements, policy advocacy, and federal program navigation, overlapping directly with FCG's ranchland easement mission. Both rely on NRCS ACEP, Farm Bill programs, and state-level farmland protection funding as core revenue drivers.
• Alachua Conservation Trust: Alachua Conservation Trust is a regional Florida land trust that protects natural and agricultural lands through easements and fee acquisition. It is a listed FCG partner on longleaf pine conservation and operates with a similar landowner-facilitation approach in overlapping North Florida counties.
• North Florida Land Trust: North Florida Land Trust is a regional land trust operating in the same North Florida geographies where FCG is now expanding (longleaf pine, springs protection). They are a listed FCG partner on longleaf pine work and compete for many of the same federal and foundation grants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FLConserve

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Florida Conservation Group