The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has given $5.25 million to California's Peninsula Open Space Trust so the environmental group can complete a 2,428 acre ranch land purchase, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

This is the largest grant received by the POST group. The grant will be applied to the $6.25 million purchase price. POST also has received $3.25 million from local governments for the land deal, the Mercury News reports.

In addition to finalizing the Rancho Cañada de Oro purchase - which will become part of a county park - the Packard Foundation grant will help POST complete other land deals in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, the newspaper reports.

POST is a private, nonprofit land conservancy. It was founded in 1977 to preserve "the beauty, character, and diversity of the San Francisco Peninsula," the group states.

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