What is a land grant?
Learn more about this particular type of government grant, what it’s for, and which individuals and companies can use it.
You may already be familiar with the term “land grant” as it applies to colleges or universities — especially if you grew up in an area with one — but the term spans beyond just places of education. Let’s explore a land grant, its historic uses, and what it looks like today.
What is a land grant, exactly?
Simply put, a grant is anything of value the government awards to a non-government entity. A land grant, then, is land given to a person, company, or state in exchange for a specific purpose.
Grants of land are considered gifts that do not need to be paid back via monetary means. Instead, the real estate is provided in exchange for an agreement to use the land for a particular purpose. While land grants can be made to individuals, they are often distributed to companies that promise to develop the land and benefit a larger population or community.
The historical origin of land grants.
A land grant is often tied to some sort of incentive. Historically, you could receive land in exchange for cultivating farmland or conserving an area. Other times, land grants were given to benefit the public in some way, such as establishing colleges and universities or improving transportation. In fact, all five of the transcontinental railroads in the United States were built using land grants.
Land has also been rewarded in the US in return for military service, especially during the American Revolutionary War.
Different types of land grants.
Land grants come in several varieties, primarily based on how the land is intended for use. How the land is allocated and who benefits from it is often what makes grants of land unique. One way of classifying these grants is based on the ownership of the land after the grant has been issued.
Types of land grants include:
- Private land grants. Intended for personal use by an individual or a single family, private grants are designed to offer property that can be used for homes and small business development, such as farming. They are often issued so that the people receiving the land can use the land however they need, with few restrictions.
- Community land grants. Designed to help groups of people, community land grants often encompass a bigger area of land and provide benefits throughout an entire community with joint ownership.
- Hybrid land grants. Developed for communities with an eye for individual ownership, hybrid grants specify parcels for individuals while providing common spaces for the community or town to thrive.
Another way to group land grants is by how the land is used. The grant terms stipulate what can be built on the land and how the land generates a profit. Some examples include:
- Education. Land can be set aside to establish colleges and universities to educate a specific community geographically or by topics of interest.
- Research. Land can be dedicated to specific research institutions or universities to advance understanding and discovery in a particular field.
- Transportation. Land can be allocated to support infrastructure development in rural areas and enhance accessibility to and from metropolitan regions.
What is the mission of land grant institutions?
Land grant institutions were created to advance educational access for people in specific communities. In some cases, more affordable universities or colleges were founded to help educate people in regions without many academic options. Other land grant institutions serve communities with common interests, such as military personnel or teachers, who require specialized training.
Most federally issued land grant institutions seek to use their land to help cultivate teaching, research, and extension of their discipline, paving the way for growth and innovation. Extending access to higher education is also pivotal to defining a land grant institution’s mission and success, with the goal of providing more economic opportunity for individuals and industry.
Do grants for land still exist?
Land grants still exist in the US but look slightly different from the original grants. Today, they focus on conserving or protecting public and private lands. Opportunities vary significantly, from supporting field biologists to providing technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, foresters, and private landowners for habitat conservation optimization.
How to apply for a land grant.
If you want to apply for one, federal websites are available to help you find and apply for grants in your area. The application process varies depending on the grant type, but similar to a grant proposal, it typically requests a statement of intent, necessary supporting wet or e-signatures, and technical details (such as land area and geography).
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