Source: ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY submitted to NRP
SAVING THE FAMILY PROPERTY: HEIRS’ PROPERTY PREVENTION, RESOLUTION, AND LAND USE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
ACTIVE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1031949
Grant No.
2024-38821-42100
Cumulative Award Amt.
$350,000.00
Proposal No.
2023-09254
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Apr 1, 2024
Project End Date
Mar 31, 2026
Grant Year
2024
Program Code
[EWE]- Extension Project
Recipient Organization
ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY
4900 MERIDIAN STREET
NORMAL,AL 35762
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Saving the Family Property: Heirs' Property Prevention, Resolution, and Land Use, a two-year project, is structured to connect limited-resource communities throughout Alabama with services and resources to prevent land loss, resolve title issues, and promote generational income production through sustainable land management. The main objectives of the project are to:Reduce instances of land loss in underserved communities by providing access to education and legal services necessary to navigating onerous local, county, and state laws and regulations.Train undergraduate and graduate students to become abstractors who will help underserved and minority families conduct necessary genealogical and title searches.Provide options for families to develop income streams that have the potential for increasing generational wealth.The project will partner with local leaders, legal professionals, families, and collaborators to provide community education focusing on such topics as estate planning, heirs' property education, resolving family conflicts, mediation, conducting genealogical searches, title searches, and land use strategies for income generation. The provision of access to customized legal services is an innovation since it addresses a major barrier to resolving heirs' property cases and helps reduce intergenerational family disputes. Programming will occur around the state with an initial concentration in Alabama's Black Belt region and counties with a higher prevalence of heirs' property. This initiative will collaborate with Faulkner University's Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, which provides pro bono legal assistance via estate planning, ancestral property, and mediation clinics.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
8016020303010%
9036099302050%
1230199303010%
8026020303010%
6050199302010%
1316030302010%
Knowledge Area
605 - Natural Resource and Environmental Economics; 801 - Individual and Family Resource Management; 903 - Communication, Education, and Information Delivery; 123 - Management and Sustainability of Forest Resources; 802 - Human Development and Family Well-Being; 131 - Alternative Uses of Land;

Subject Of Investigation
6020 - The family and its members; 6099 - People and communities, general/other; 0199 - Soil and land, general; 6030 - The farm as an enterprise;

Field Of Science
3020 - Education; 3030 - Information and communication;
Goals / Objectives
The statewide programmatic reach of Saving the Family Property: Heirs' Property Prevention, Resolution, and Land Use will operate to accomplish the following objectives:Project Objectives:1.Strengthen Cooperative Extension's expertise in and delivery of education related to problems stemming from inadequate estate planning and development of heirs' property.2. Increase individual knowledge of advance planning by disseminating education on estate planning.3. Host pro bono Elder Law community clinics in legal deserts to make estate planning accessible and affordable to low-income, limited-resources individuals and families.4. Increase participants' knowledge of heirs' property by widely disseminating education on the implications of creating heirs' property.5. Equip families with tools to collaboratively resolve clouded property titles.6. Engage undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Alabama A&M University to conduct genealogy searches and title abstraction services at no cost to program participants.7. Host pro bono heirs' property clinics to provide accessibility and affordability to low-income, limited-resources individuals and families and regions deemed legal deserts or having higher rates of heirs' property cases.8. Increase landowners' awareness of potential uses of family property that can result in income generation and subsequent generational wealth.9. Develop a database of diverse legal, business, agriculture, and community partners for program sustainability.10. Expand Alabama Extension at Alabama A&M University's footprint in rural and underserved areas.11. Recruitundergraduate and graduate students at Alabama A&M University and graduate students enrolled in Faulkner University's law school to provide services to program participants in alignment with events, programmatic series, and clinics.12. Increase skills of undergraduate and graduate students through trainings and experiential learning experiences.
Project Methods
Saving the Family Property: Heirs' Property Prevention, Resolution, and Land Use will enhance and expand previous programmatic efforts of Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) to disseminate education on estate planning and heirs' property. The principal investigator will oversee every aspect of this project and coordinate with collaborating partners on facilitation of educational events and mobile community clinics.Virginia Caples Lifelong Learning Institute (VCLLI) has conducted a virtual workshop series on estate planning and a second series on heirs' property. The principal investigator and co-principal investigator have completed curriculum training for Understanding Heirs' Property at the Community Level: Overview, Prevention, and Resolution. By collaborating with existing partners, program plans can begin soon after grant startup and orientation is complete.In Year One's first quarter of the funding cycle, grant-funded personnel will be hired, and a small planning team will be assembled to solidify an operation schedule and identify essential collaborators to invite to assist with project execution. During this organization phase, additional presenters will be invited to be trained in the Understanding Heirs Property at the Community Level: Overview, Prevention and Resolution curriculum. Implementation sites for initial program delivery will be determined by needs assessment, requests from County Extension Coordinators through the annual ACES Plan of Work process, and findings of current research. County level planning teams, comprised of local leaders and residents, will be recruited to facilitate community-level logistics including securing meeting space, effective marketing, and appropriate approach to implement program components. The project's program team, specifically the principal investigator and program assistants, will engage community teams regularly during implementation in their respective county/region and for post-implementation evaluation and reporting. County and regional estate planning and heirs' property education sessions will be presented beginning in the second quarter. Subsequent pro bono mobile clinics will be held to provide opportunities for the application of knowledge learned. Information sessions on land use and management practices will both be incorporated into community events and offered as standalone workshops that include production agriculture and/or related tours. Virtual workshop series will be added to the VCLLI course offerings.Students and faculty in Faulkner's GAP Clinic will participate in a Spring Break Public Service Trip to Alabama's Black Belt counties to provide students with on-the-ground experience in the provision of legal services to rural communities, particularly in the areas of heirs' property and estate planning. Secondarily, this mission trip will provide pro bono civil and legal assistance to residents of rural and traditionally disadvantaged populations in Alabama's central "Black Belt" region.To disseminate education more widely, workshops and mobile clinics will be integrated into the Successful Aging Initiative conferences held in five Alabama Extension at AAMU Urban Centers (Mobile, Montgomery, Anniston, Florence, and Huntsville; reaching 13 counties). The Successful Aging Initiative, referred to as SAI, is a one-day event designed to address the needs and concerns of older adults. Information and resources presented are designed to help older adults make informed decisions, maintain independence, play active roles in society, and improve the quality of life for themselves and their families. Print resources to help individuals effectively communicate with families, resolve family conflicts, organize important papers, discuss estate plans, and understand heirs' property and resolution strategies will be distributed at education events. Publications include but are not limited to an ACES Estate Planning Basics: A Guide to Life's Organization, an ACES Heirs Property in Alabama booklet, and a Farmland Access Legal Toolkit's HEIRS' PROPERTY: Understanding the Legal Issues in Alabama. Audiences will be provided with a pre-training survey to obtain baseline data to help the program team understand participants' prior basic knowledge and the challenges they face that the training will hopefully address.Participants will receive a post-session evaluation and later a post-delayed evaluation to capture data on how knowledge gained was put to use and their progress towards achieving clear title, implementation of income-generating land use strategies, and other expected outcomes. Results, outputs, and outcomes will be reported on the USDA/NIFA reporting schedule as well as through Extension publications, conferences and other events. Evaluation PlanEvaluation for this project will include multiple phases and varied assessments. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to ascertain participant pre-training knowledge and post-training knowledge gain, anticipated and actual behavior change, actions taken during and after the program, program effectiveness, and perceived value of the experience.Evaluation Framework Quantitative measures will describe program outputs, such as the number of participants reached, knowledge gained, behavior changes, expansion in geographic and demographic reach, and other variables. Surveys distributed will be pre-, post, and delayed post assessments. A pre-survey, the formative evaluation, will assess specific program activities such as whether participating individuals have an estate plan, the extent of their understanding of each advance planning document, plans of action for developing an estate plan, current property ownership status, and knowledge of potential land uses. A survey evaluating these measures will be administered, digitally and/or printed, prior to educational sessions. A post-session evaluation will be immediately administered at the conclusion of education sessions, curriculum series, and conferences. This evaluation will include questions to determine the actions participants plan to take because of the training/experience and knowledge gained. Three months following the educational sessions, participants will receive an online delayed post-survey to learn of actions taken by participants and to determine resources needed to propel them to their intended goal. At the conclusion of Year 1, the principal investigator will conduct check-ins with families who begin title resolution, during this project, through Faulkner University Jones School of Law GAP clinic.Qualitative results will be determined by interviews with co-owners and family members during the process of clearing property titles. Interviews with heirs' property co-owners will provide practitioners and Cooperative Extension with an understanding of the family history, sentimental affects, and intended use of land parcels.Evaluation Management Plan: All evaluation data will be collected by authorized members of the project implementation team and stored securely in locked documents storage containers, for all print copies. Online evaluations will be distributed via email link and/or QR code and data are captured using the Qualtrics software. Evaluation hardcopies will be input into Qualtrics for analysis and consolidation with online submissions. Recordings will also be stored in a separate OneDrive folder accompanied by ACES media releases. Reports downloaded from Qualtrics will be stored in a protected OneDrive file.?

Progress 04/01/24 to 03/31/25

Outputs
Target Audience:The Saving the Family Property: Heirs Property Prevention, Resolution, and Land Use project provided education to individuals and families who seek to prevent the creation of heirs' property, resolve a clouded title, learn about estate planning, and understand available resources for agribusiness and land uses. Curriculum training, virtual education series, and AHPA education events offered a clearer understanding of estate planning and heirs' property to landowners, attorneys, legal partners, local elected officials, and community partners. A partnership with Alabama A&M University (AAMU) Small Farms Research Center expanded awareness and education of the subjects to farmers and potential successors. During the first year of programming, efforts were targeted in Alabama Black Belt counties, which consist of smaller rural communities, restricted resources, and high instances of heirs' property, as determined by research. Additionally, community information sessions and clinics were hosted in varied regions of the state as an attempt to expand knowledge of heirs' property and estate planning statewide. Marketing centered on targeted communities, and countywide promotion. Adults of all ages and multiple family members were encouraged to attend. Undergraduate students at AAMU were employed to conduct research on heirs' property caseloads with Faulkner University Jones School of Law. Students conducted people and property searches, prepared a Family Tree for open cases, and calculated fractional interest for case based on the family tree. Additionally, third year Faulkner Law students were assigned to collaborate with AAMU students on updating casefiles for families navigating heirs' property resolution. Changes/Problems:Major changes include: Full-time program coordinator began late-January 2025; which was 9.5 months after grant began resulting in expenditure for personnel being significantly underspent. Participation at community-wide information sessions and pro bono clinics has been lower than anticipated at several planned activities. Heirs Property and Estate Planning community education session and Elder Law clinic planned that to be rescheduled due to low registration orsevere weather. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has presented the following training and professional development opportunities: New hire's participation in national training of Understanding Heirs Property at the Community Level curriculum Participated in hosting a local curriculum training Understanding Heirs Property at the Community Level to educate more Cooperative Extension professionals and legal partners. The creation of a presentation/curriculum on preparing for property taxes for Cooperative Extension plan of work increases Alabama Cooperative Extension System's expertise in the content and capacity to educate local residents. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?No program results have been disseminated to communities of interest to date. An infographic and news article will be created to publicize the program impacts and reach. An article featuring AAMU student involvement in the project has been initiated with campus media teams. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Plans are underway to increase community education and host legal clinics to assist individuals and families with resolving heirs' property issues and beginning estate and succession planning. Alabama Extension at Alabama A&M University will increase its efforts to develop a exhaustive database of partners and collaborators to advance heirs property awareness statewide. During the next reporting period the following goals are planned: Attend extended facilitators training of Understanding Heirs Property at the Community Level Host two curriculum trainings on Understanding Heirs Property at the Community Level for local educators and legal partners Host a minimum of ten regional estate planning and heirs' property education sessions Integrate information sessions on land use and management and preparing for property taxes in community education sessions Conduct Entrepreneurship/Small Business Training to interested landowners Host a minimum of eight county Pro Bono Estate Planning Clinics Host three regional Pro Bono one-hour attorney consultation clinics Offer workshop and clinic at Huntsville/Madison County Successful Aging Initiative conference Present virtual Fall semester Heirs Property Education Series Present virtual Spring semester Estate Planning Education Series Identify and Disseminate Educational Resources Host Faulkner Law Spring Break Public Service Trip to rural communities Train and Oversee caseload of Alabama A&M University undergraduate researchers

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Strengthen Cooperative Extension's expertise in and delivery of education related to problems stemming from inadequate estate planning and development of heirs' property. By partnering with the Alabama Heirs Property Alliance and colleagues in the land-grant system who specialize in heirs' property education, this programmatic effort hosted a two-day curriculum training. Approximately 40 Cooperative Extension educators and legal professionals increased their knowledge in heirs' property prevention and resolution with the use of USDA supported Cooperative Extension developed Understanding Heirs Property at the Community Level curriculum. Increase individual knowledge of advance planning by disseminating education on estate planning. Faulkner Law presented five estate planning information sessions and disseminated relevant information at each event and partner events in Central Alabama. Meaningful Monday Estate Planning is a virtual education series covering a general overview of estate planning and details on Last Wills and Testament, Powers of Attorney for Finances, and Advance Directives for Healthcare. Legal Services Alabama presentedtwo community education events, one subsequent estate planning clinic,and one Ask the Experts panel. Host pro bono Elder Law community clinics in legal deserts to make estate planning accessible and affordable to low-income, limited-resources individuals and families.Faulkner Law hosted pro bono elder law community clinics in the Black Belt region for a total of eightevents in Central Alabama. Legal Services Alabama hosted an estate planning clinic in north Alabama. Increase participants' knowledge of heirs' property by widely disseminating education on the implications of creating heirs' property. In year one, this project hosted/support eightheirs' property education events in sevencounties. A virtual program series was offered in Spring 2024 and Fall 2024. Collaborative efforts were made with the Alabama Heirs Property Alliance (AHPA) and the Virginia Caples Lifelong Learning Institute's Successful Aging Initiative (SAI) conference. The AHPA, of which Alabama Extension at AAMU is an organizing member, hosted bi-monthly community-based watch parties in twelve counties around the state to educate on various topics related to heirs' property prevention and resolution and increased awareness of resources offered of Cooperative Extension statewide on the topics. Virgina Caples Lifelong Learning Institute, a program of Alabama Extension at AAMU, included a heirs property presentation and elder law clinic to the SAI conference activities in 2024. Equip families with tools to collaboratively resolve clouded property titles.At community resource fairs and educational events, this project provided the following resources to individuals and families: ACES Estate Planning Basics: A Guide to Life's Organization,ACES Heirs Property in Alabama booklet,Legal Service Alabama Heirs Property FAQ handout, Farmland Access Legal Toolkit's HEIRS' PROPERTY: Understanding the Legal Issues in Alabama,Alabama State Bar publications on mediation and last will and testament,Putting Your House in Order,Online Organizer Engage undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Alabama A&M University to conduct genealogy searches and title abstraction services at no cost to program participants. Seven Alabama A&M University undergraduate students have been employed to work on heirs' property cases represented by Faulkner University Jones School of Law and Legal Services Alabama, both entities providing free legal aid to individuals and families. AAMU students met weekly with Faulkner Law staff attorney and graduate law students to participate in "case rounds" as AAMU students assisted with creating family trees, conducting property searches, and collecting other critical data for case filings. One student expressed: "I thoroughly enjoyed my time working with Heirs Property and the GAP Clinic. If I only had a few words to describe my time here, there [are] three that come to mind immediately -- engaging, exciting, and essential. The work done here is by no means menial and serves as a great challenge to those willing to put in the time and effort for it. It's like putting together a puzzle which each piece creating more clarity and forming a much bigger picture. No work feels wasted and you can feel your efforts truly making an impact. It's an opportunity I deeply believe every student should try because it is something truly atypical to your regular work studies..." Host pro bono heirs' property clinics to provide accessibility and affordability to low-income, limited-resources individuals and families and regions deemed legal deserts or having higher rates of heirs' property cases.In addition to legal advice given at the community clinics, Faulkner Law students provided full, pro bono representation to 16 total clients under the grant project during the reporting period. Law students spent 183.7 hours on project-related cases. The cost of that representation would have exceeded $40,000 if those families had hire private practice attorneys; the average hourly rate for attorneys in Alabama is $200 to $250. Moreover, the heirs' property issues in 6 of the 16 cases were successfully resolved during the reporting period. Ten cases remain active. Increase landowners' awareness of potential uses of family property that can result in income generation and subsequent generational wealth.The AHPA collaborated with Alabama Extension at AAMU to present information on agribusiness management and land uses. In addition, a new collaboration has been established with Limited Resource Landowner Education and Assistance Network (LRLEAN) to offer comprehensive assistance and support to landowners in central Alabama, in areas of forestry-related needs and land management. Develop a database of diverse legal, business, agriculture, and community partners for program sustainability.Considerable progress was made on the development of a database comprised of legal, business, agriculture, and community partners. New partnerships and collaborations have been established with foresters, community groups and legal entities. Expand Alabama Extension at Alabama A&M University's footprint in rural and underserved areas.This project has expanded Alabama Extension at AAMU programmatic reach to new regions of the state to include offering education in northwest, Colbert and Lauderdale counties; central, Lowndes and Montgomery counties, west, Marengo and Dallas counties, northeast, Madison and Jackson counties; southeast, Bullock; east central, Macon County; and southeast, Bullock County. Recruit undergraduate and graduate students at Alabama A&M University and graduate students enrolled in Faulkner University's law school to provide services to program participants in alignment with events, programmatic series, and clinics. Students from Alabama A&M University providing support to this project represent four majors and three colleges within the University system. Recruitment occurred through communication with professors, dean, and student referrals. Increase skills of undergraduate and graduate students through training and experiential learning experiences. Student research employees were trained in software and processes utilized by Faulkner Law to conduct genealogy research to create family trees, people search to complete required documentation, and property searches of decedents assets. Students have been trained to use databases and online portals to conduct legal research such as LexisNexis, Ancestry.com, Citizen Access Portal, Alabama GIS, and local websites of probate judges. The skills they have gained have increased their employability and workforce readiness as well as provided essential service to the project's targeted communities.

Publications