Conservation Partners

What Conservation Partners does

Conservation Partners LLC is a privately held, Lexington, Virginia-based land conservation consulting firm founded in 2001 by Taylor Cole and attorney Jim McLaughlin. The company provides full-service project management for Virginia landowners donating conservation easements, including landowner education, assembly of professional teams (attorneys, appraisers, CPAs), documentation management, grant application assistance, and facilitation of Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit (LPTC) sales to buyer-taxpayers. Its underlying technology is a proprietary database and queue system that matches tax credit buyers and sellers on a first-come, first-served basis with price-based prioritization, supporting thousands of transactions cumulatively. A self-imposed Quality Standards framework has produced a clean compliance record — the company states no credit it has sold since 2001 has been disallowed or devalued by the Virginia Department of Taxation.

The firm operates a two-sided marketplace model. On the supply side, landowners receive consulting services, access to an Advance Funding program that fronts donation costs, and grant writing support for federal and state programs (e.g., NRCS Agricultural Land Easement, VLCF). On the demand side, Virginia taxpayers purchase transferable LPTCs at auction-clearing prices, with bids starting at 88 cents per dollar of credit. Revenue derives from spreads and fees on tax credit transactions plus professional services fees from consulting and grant work. Distribution is direct-to-consumer (website, events like the Virginia Farm Show, blog/social media) layered with a strong partner-referral channel comprising 20+ easement holders, including Virginia Outdoors Foundation, Land Trust of Virginia, Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, USDA NRCS, and The Nature Conservancy. The company has conserved over 200,000 acres across 75+ Virginia counties and cities, facilitated more than $250 million in LPTCs, and served over 1,000 landowners since inception.

Name

Conservation Partners

Legal name

Conservation Partners LLC

Website

https://conservationpartnersllc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Conservation Partners is a Virginia-based land conservation consulting firm that guides landowners through conservation easement donations and facilitates Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit transactions, serving over 1,000 landowners across 75+ counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Land Conservation Consulting

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation Easements & Land Trust Services (AFAMAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity Conservation & Habitat Banking (AFAMAMAC), Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC), Conservation Planning, Mitigation Banking & Offset Strategy (EUAHAHAL)

Keywords

• Land conservation consulting
• Conservation easement services
• Land preservation tax credits
• LPTC brokerage
• Grant writing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tax Credit Sales Facilitation: Conservation Partners facilitates the sale of Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credits from easement donors to buyers, earning transaction fees or margins on the difference between purchase and sale prices. Credits are marketed to risk-conscious purchasers who pay market-leading prices.
2. Consulting and Project Management Services: Provides comprehensive consultation and project management services to landowners throughout the conservation easement donation process, including coordinating professionals and managing documentation.
3. Grant Writing Services: Assists landowners in exploring and applying for grant opportunities such as Agricultural Land Easements, helping maximize financial return from conservation easements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Conservation Partners provides full-service conservation easement consulting for Virginia landowners, coordinating every step from initial planning through baseline documentation, attorney and appraiser selection, and recording. It also facilitates Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit (LPTC) transactions by connecting donors with buyers and operating an advance funding program, and it offers grant writing services for conservation-related projects.

Product overview

Conservation Partners offers a suite of integrated land conservation services centered around conservation easements and Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credits. The core offering consists of comprehensive consulting services that guide landowners through the entire conservation easement process, from initial education through project completion and tax credit realization. Supporting services include an Advance Funding program to front donation costs, grant writing assistance for federal and state programs, and a credit purchase management system that connects easement donors with taxpayers seeking to purchase tax credits. The company also provides education and outreach programs and maintains a network of professional advisors including attorneys, appraisers, and accountants. Together, these services form a turn-key approach to land conservation that addresses both the technical and financial aspects of protecting Virginia's agricultural, forest, and open space lands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conservation Easement Consulting End-to-end consulting engagement for Virginia landowners pursuing a conservation easement, covering planning, professional team coordination, baseline documentation, and post-recording support.
• Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit (LPTC) Facilitation Brokerage service that monetizes Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credits by connecting easement donors with credit buyers, including an advance funding option.
• Grant Writing Services

Quantifiable outcome

• No tax credits sold by Conservation Partners since 2001 have been subsequently disallowed or devalued by the Department of Taxation

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Partnership through Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) program to help fund conservation easements on farmland. NRCS provides funding assistance to qualifying landowners working with Conservation Partners.
• Land Trust of VirginiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner land trust that holds conservation easements on properties facilitated by Conservation Partners. Multiple joint projects documented including Cresthaven Farms (677 acres).
• Virginia Outdoors FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor statewide land trust and easement holder partnering on numerous conservation projects including the Rolen property (685 acres) with Virginia Land Conservation Foundation grant funding.
• Shenandoah Valley ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional land trust that partnered on Snow Springs Farm conservation (147+ acres) and accepted Valley Green Fund donations for cost assistance.
• Central Virginia Land Conservancy (CVaLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLynchburg-based land trust that partnered with the Fischers on their conservation easement, suggested Conservation Partners to assist with the process.
• Blue Ridge Land ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional land trust holding easements on properties including Springwood Properties (328 acres) and multiple other projects across western Virginia.
• Virginia Land Conservation Foundation (VLCF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState foundation providing grant funding for conservation easements. Grants awarded to landowners including Dr. Rolen's 685-acre property and Forkland Farms (900 acres).
• Virginia Department of Conservation and RecreationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency involved in easement holdings and conservation efforts across Virginia.
• Virginia Department of ForestryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency that holds conservation easements on working forest properties.
• Capital Region Land ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional land trust partnering on projects including conservation easements in the Richmond area.
• Southern Virginia Land ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional land trust serving southern Virginia counties.
• The Nature ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational conservation organization that received fee gift donations of land and partnered on conservation projects including Highland County (2,000 acres) and Charlotte County.
• Valley Conservation Council / Shenandoah Valley ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional land trust serving the Shenandoah Valley area.
• Black Family Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Virginia Century Farm conservation including Walter and Joan Brown's property in Augusta County.
• Eastern Shore Land TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional land trust protecting over 1,300 acres of critical habitat on Virginia's Eastern Shore.
• Historic Virginia Land ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLand trust focused on historic property preservation in Virginia.
• Shenandoah Valley Battlefields FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partnered on historic battlefield conservation including 150-acre easement in Frederick County.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit that facilitates conservation transactions and conservation easements on private land, often partnering with state and local entities. Highly comparable to Conservation Partners in the easement facilitation and land protection role, but at a much larger national scale.
• American Farmland Trust: National nonprofit focused on protecting farmland through easements, policy, and technical assistance. Closely comparable to Conservation Partners' farmland conservation, ALE grant support, and landowner advisory work, though operating nationally.
• The Conservation Fund: National conservation organization that acquires and manages land and conservation easements, often working with public agencies and landowners on complex transactions. Comparable in transactional conservation expertise and project management role.

Emerging players

• Resource Environmental Solutions (RES): Largest U.S. provider of ecological restoration and mitigation solutions, including mitigation banking and conservation credits. Comparable in the conservation credit transaction and project management layer, though focused on stream/wetland mitigation rather than LPTCs.
• Ecosystem Investment Partners: Private equity-backed mitigation banking firm that creates, restores, and sells conservation credits. Comparable in the credit transaction and stewardship infrastructure side of the business, though focused on mitigation rather than LPTCs.
• Westervelt Ecological Services: Operates one of the largest mitigation banks in the U.S., with a focus on habitat and species credit generation. Comparable in the conservation credit origination and transaction role, but specialized in mitigation rather than Virginia LPTCs.

Broad incumbents

• Land Trust Alliance: National membership organization representing 1,000+ land trusts across the U.S. More of a coordinating/advocacy body than a direct competitor, but its member land trusts (some of which partner with Conservation Partners) shape the competitive landscape for easement holders.
• Ducks Unlimited: Major conservation organization that acquires and manages wetlands and grasslands, including via conservation easements. Comparable in conservation transaction and easement work, though with a habitat-specific mission.

Regional players

• Virginia Outdoors Foundation: Statewide land trust in Virginia and one of Conservation Partners' core partners. Comparable in the easement holding and stewardship role, but operates as a public entity that holds easements rather than as a consulting intermediary.
• Land Trust of Virginia: Private, statewide land trust in Virginia that holds conservation easements and partners with Conservation Partners. Comparable in the easement facilitation role, though organized as a nonprofit holder rather than a fee-based consulting firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/conservationpartnersllc
• Instagraminstagram.com/conservation.partners/?hl=en
• Xx.com/PreserveVaLand
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/conservation-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Conservation Partners