Conservation Partners, LLC

Assurances of Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit Quality

Since its founding in 2002, Conservation Partners, LLC has facilitated the purchase of Virginia land preservation tax credits from easement donors who have protected a total of approximately 54,000 acres of exceptional farms, forests, and other important open space lands. Credit purchasers and easement donors alike choose to work with us because they know our reputation for quality, and they realize that we and our extended team of professionals work hard to help donors prepare quality credits to meet the uncompromising expectations of risk-conscious Virginia taxpayers.

How Conservation Partners Protects Credit Purchasers

I. Quality Standards

Conservation Partners, LLC established its Quality Standards as a baseline for the preparation and assessment of land preservation tax credits. These Standards are based on the cumulative experience of various nationally recognized conservation easement and appraisal experts. We update the Standards periodically to keep them current with evolving state and national private land conservation best practices. Conservation Partners, LLC and its extended team of professionals have the expertise to assist easement donors and their advisors in preparing high-quality credits, and Conservation Partners, LLC will only market credits that meet our Quality Standards.

II. Assurances Provided by Conservation Partners, LLC

Conservation Partners, LLC recognizes that the Virginia land preservation tax credit program only will be sustainable over the long term if the credits can achieve widespread acceptance in the tax-planning marketplace. To gain that kind of acceptance, the credits must offer an attractive return at an acceptably low level of risk, and credit purchasers must be able to feel they are participating in a respectable, above-board, socially beneficial program. We continue to drive the evolution of Virginia’s tax credit program into a popular, respected, low-risk land conservation and tax-planning institution by working to (i) protect purchasers of land preservation tax credits and (ii) give purchasers confidence that the underlying easement transactions they’re supporting provide real conservation benefits that are consistent with the goals of Virginia’s land preservation tax credit program. As part of our efforts to provide conservative, risk-conscious purchasers with high-quality credits, we offer the following assurances to our purchasers: 

• Each credit sold is backed by the easement donor’s contractual indemnification as provided in the Tax Credit Purchase Agreement.
• We have worked with the donor and his or her advisors to help them prepare a credit that will meet the requirements of risk-conscious buyers.
• We have reviewed the underlying easement and appraisal for compliance with our Quality Standards.
• We have consulted with the donor and his or her advisors, along with the government agency or nonprofit organization accepting the easement, to ensure that the easement provides a high level of protection for land with significant conservation value.
• The appraisal of the underlying easement has been prepared by an appraiser who has distinguished him or herself as a conservation easement appraisal specialist and has demonstrated his or her ability to produce appraisal reports that meet Conservation Partners’ Quality Standards.
• Conservation Partners, LLC does not market credits that are based on appraisals we feel are abusive or not appropriately supported by market evidence.
• Conservation Partners’ staff and our extended team of professionals are always available to provide assistance and answer any questions from credit purchasers. We also can provide referrals to some of the leading national experts in the field of private land conservation.

Purchasers of land preservation tax credits through Conservation Partners, LLC have confidence in our unique ability to provide them with high quality credits that meet our Quality Standards. We are convinced that maintaining high standards benefits both sellers and buyers of land preservation tax credits, and contributes significantly to land conservation efforts in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

III. Our Processing Capacity

Conservation Partners, LLC is structured to provide support to credit purchasers and their advisors throughout the credit purchase process, beginning with an initial introduction to land preservation tax credits and not ending until the purchaser has successfully claimed his or her credits. Our systems have been designed and tested to facilitate hundreds of transactions smoothly and on time, and our staff is dedicated to providing the highest level of service possible. Additionally, our purchase agreements are designed to facilitate secure and easy transactions. The purchaser signs only one form and returns it along with a check payable to the seller of the credit. Conservation Partners handles the rest of the documentation and filings with the Virginia Department of Taxation.

Conservation Partners’ Program

Credit Pricing

Conservation Partners, LLC offers credits at a price that provides an attractive return to the purchaser while providing a significant incentive to the donor of the easement. Our pricing provides the donor with an appropriate reward for the care and effort associated with producing quality tax credits that other Virginia taxpayers can purchase with confidence. Please contact us for current pricing.

To Purchase Credits

Risk-conscious taxpayers interested in purchasing quality credits to claim against their Virginia state income tax obligation may place their orders through our secure website. Alternatively, prospective buyers may contact us to request additional information and a registration form.