One Year Later: 30x30 Catalyst Fund

Sparking Land Conservation Across Massachusetts 

In June 2024, Mass Audubon launched the 30x30 Catalyst Fund to lead the charge in protecting 30% of Massachusetts by 2030. Seeded by a $25 million gift from the MathWorks Corporation, Mass Audubon launched this fund with a goal of raising $75 million, leveraging both public and private capital, to accelerate the pace of land conservation statewide. To date, thanks to the generosity of Mass Audubon supporters, we have raised more than $40 million toward the Catalyst Fund goal. 

We made some big promises about accelerating the pace of land conservation in Massachusetts, and now, just a year later, we’re delivering. 

Mass Audubon has more than 20 Catalyst Fund land protection projects underway, totaling approximately 18,000 acres. Our land conservation team is working with local and regional land conservation organizations, and state and local agencies, to target critical biodiverse and carbon-rich land to benefit people and wildlife, advance climate resilience in communities across the Commonwealth, and meet the state’s climate goals. 

Early Success Stories 

The Catalyst Fund started off with a bang when Mass Audubon and local partners worked with the towns of Winchendon and Ashburnham and the Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust to acquire 1,350 acres of land slated to become a utility-scale solar facility. The towns had a right of first refusal but lacked the capital to complete the $6 million transaction. Instead, they transferred their option to Mass Audubon, and we were able to swiftly deploy the newly developed Catalyst Fund and purchase the property. 

This saved hundreds of acres from being clear-cut for solar panels, roads, and power lines. Mass Audubon will convey the property to two state conservation agencies for permanent stewardship, enabling us to reinvest the funds in new projects. 

In the Southern Berkshires, the Catalyst Fund contributed to the recently completed $15 million initiative that permanently protected Sheffield’s landmark Cooper Hill Farm and surrounding land in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. The largest unprotected parcel in the region, Cooper Hill Farm contains high biodiversity and scenic views of the Housatonic River Valley. 

In May 2025, we used $275,000 from the Catalyst Fund, together with a state grant and a commitment from the Rhode Island-based Bafflin Foundation, to acquire 232 acres of forested land in Oxford dotted with streams and vernal pools. This parcel abuts our Pierpont Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary and land held by the Dudley Conservation Land Trust, and its protection more than doubles the size of the 211-acre sanctuary. The acquisition allows us to expand the trail network and create a new public access point, all while protecting critical wildlife habitat. 

Projects in Motion 

Roughly 2,500 acres of forest in Wales and Monson in the Vinica Brook Watershed along the Massachusetts and Connecticut border are now in the design stage of conservation planning in collaboration with the Norcross Wildlife Foundation. With both land protection and ecological restoration components, the guiding principle for this $4.75 million project is to work with partners to expand a crucial conservation corridor linking Nipmuck State Forest in Connecticut with Brimfield State Forest in Massachusetts. Hosting critical pathways for aquatic and terrestrial species, this ecosystem’s enhanced connectivity will build resilience across the region. 

Mass Audubon and 13 conservation partners are also collaborating in a Kestrel Land Trust-led campaign to permanently protect 8,300 acres of vital forest habitat across four counties west of the Connecticut River, safeguarding wildlife and the natural legacy of the region. 

After reaching out to hundreds of landowners in the watershed, more than 40 have agreed to protect their land as part of a $16 million US Forest Service Forest Legacy grant application. Given the uncertainties of federal funding in this moment, Mass Audubon is mobilizing the Catalyst Fund to purchase properties from landowners who are unable to wait for federal awards to come through and hold them until the final conservation owner, such as the state, town, or another nonprofit partner, can take ownership. 

As most forested land in Massachusetts is privately owned, all of these projects play a crucial role in the ecological health of the region and help protect drinking water quality, while also connecting more than 400,000 acres of protected lands that serve as vital wildlife corridors and act as a carbon sink tomitigate the negative impacts of climate change. 

Moving Toward 30x30 

We’ve tripled our pace of land protection in the first year of the 30x30 Catalyst Fund, working with 17 different partners to catalyze the protection of over 3,600 acres of land. While substantial work has been done in the past year, the Commonwealth's land conservation goal remains in the distance. As we take marked steps towards conserving 30% of Massachusetts land by 2030, we rely on vital partnerships, committed landowners, and generous donors to help make this ambitious goal a reality. 

If you’re interested in donating to the 30x30 Catalyst Fund or you’re a private landowner looking for more information about including your land in this initiative, learn more today.

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