Lowcountry Land Trust tops $10M in conservation campaign

Lowcountry Land Trust, a nonprofit committed to protecting land and water forever and connecting the community to conservation, has completed its “It Can’t Wait Campaign,” bringking more than $10 million in commitments and another $3.7 million in planned gift commitments.

Individual donors, foundations and corporations surpassed the campaign’s $8 million fundraising goal, raising more than $10.3 million in outright commitments and an additional $3.7 million in planned gifts to strengthen the organization’s Opportunity Fund, realize the Lowcountry Center for Conservation, and plan/design the future Angel Oak Preserve, the organization announced on Aug. 4.

Supported by more than 600 donors, the campaign marks a historic organizational achievement, enabling Lowcountry Land Trust to protect, enhance and showcase more of the places that make coastal South Carolina unique, Lowcountry Land Trust said in a news release. Donors contributed gifts ranging from single digits to seven figures, reflecting broad community support and underscoring a shared belief that conservation strengthens quality of life, builds coastal resilience, and preserves the Lowcountry’s unique sense of place.

“This campaign was never simply about reaching a fundraising goal,” Matt Williams, president and CEO of Lowcountry Land Trust, said in the release. “It was about ensuring we have the resources to meet this moment of unprecedented regional growth and continue to protect and steward the places that make the Lowcountry special. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our community of supporters, we will, in collaboration with our conservation partners, ensure that the Lowcountry remains a place where people want to live, work, and play.”

Fundraising for the It Can’t Wait Campaign began in 2022, and has positioned Lowcountry Land Trust to increase its land protection capacity and make conservation more accessible, the release stated. The campaign supported the Opportunity Fund, which allows the organization to move quickly when high-priority properties that define the Lowcountry become available before they are lost to development, the release said. The campaign also created the Lowcountry Center for Conservation, a hub for collaboration and thought leadership across the conservation community, and enabled the design and planning of the future Angel Oak Preserve, an initiative in partnership with the city of Charleston that will create a 44-acre public park and living museum.