California State Grants

Department of Public Health · Amount varies

Open to Skilled Nursing Facilities, nonprofits, consumer advocacy organizations, businesses, individuals, public agencies, and tribal governments in California for projects that directly improve life for nursing home residents, such as person-centered care, infection control training, or arts engagement. Research-only projects, capital improvements, staff salary payments, and high-cost technology like AI or telemedicine are explicitly not eligible. Award size depends on the project request, up to an allowable maximum, with projects running up to 36 months.

Tahoe Conservancy · Amount varies

Nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments working in the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin can apply for this Tahoe Conservancy program, funded by Proposition 4, covering land acquisition, planning, implementation, and monitoring for watershed, forest health, wildfire, and climate-resilience projects (with $25.5 million and $29 million allocated to specific purposes). Funding is typically awarded on a rolling basis without fixed deadlines, starting with a required pre-application letter of intent; no specific award amount per project is listed here.

State Treasurer's Office · $100K–$250K

California's Charter School Revolving Loan Fund Program, run by the State Treasurer's Office, provides low-cost loans of up to $250,000 to charter schools, with priority given to schools opening in the current fiscal year. This is loan financing, not a grant, is limited to California charter schools (nonprofit or public agency structures), and requires a credit evaluation process.

Wildlife Conservation Board · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments through the California Wildlife Conservation Board's Public Access program, supporting the state's Outdoors for All Initiative. Funds planning grants for future projects and implementation grants for construction of wildlife-oriented recreation and nature education facilities, including hunting, fishing, and non-consumptive recreation. No award amount or deadline is listed.

Department of Health Care Services · Amount varies

California nonprofit organizations operating DHCS-licensed residential substance use disorder (SUD) facilities can apply for funding to initiate or expand medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services for opioid and stimulant use disorders. Award size depends on facility bed count: up to $250,000 for 16 beds or fewer, $350,000 for up to 50 beds, and $550,000 for 51+ beds; facilities without IMS certification must work with a Center of Excellence to obtain it as part of the process.

San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments for projects along the Lower Los Angeles River in California that support severely disadvantaged communities through drought response and long-term water resilience, funded under Proposition 68. Applications go through a two-phase process: a Concept Proposal reviewed by Conservancy staff before an invited Full Application. No specific award amount or deadline is listed, and eligibility is limited to projects in the Lower LA River program area serving disadvantaged communities.

State Water Resources Control Board · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments in California; this state Cleanup and Abatement Account funds emergency responses to pollution or urgent drinking water needs when no responsible party is available to pay for cleanup. Funding priorities and availability depend on legislative appropriations, penalty/settlement funds, and loan repayments, so amounts vary and are not fixed. No specific award amount or deadline is listed.

Department of Housing and Community Development · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments through California's Department of Housing and Community Development (Local Housing Trust Fund NOFA, Round 5). Provides low-interest (up to 3%) construction and permanent financing loans for affordable rental housing, shelters, supportive housing, and accessory dwelling units. At least 30% of funds must serve extremely low-income households, no more than 20% may serve moderate-income households, and administrative costs are capped at 5%, making this a fairly restrictive, compliance-heavy program.

San Diego River Conservancy · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments for projects that support the San Diego River Conservancy's mission under its enabling legislation and strategic plan. No specific award amount or deadline is currently published. Limited to projects within the Conservancy's San Diego River service area in California.

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection · Amount varies

Open to businesses, individuals, nonprofits, other legal entities, and public agencies owning 20 to 5,000 acres of forest land in California; this program provides cost-share assistance (not full grants) for forest management planning, reforestation, and related improvement activities performed under a Registered Professional Forester. Broadcast, controlled, or cultural burning is not an eligible cost. No specific award amount or deadline is listed, and applicants should expect to cover part of the cost themselves.

Coastal Conservancy · Amount varies

The California Coastal Conservancy's Explore the Coast Overnight Program funds nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments to plan, design, permit, or build lower-cost overnight coastal accommodations, prioritizing access for low- and middle-income Californians and underserved communities. No specific funding amount or deadline is listed, and the program is limited to California coastal projects.

State Treasurer's Office · Amount varies

California charter schools (operating as nonprofits or public agencies) that serve a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals can apply for annual facility-cost grants through the State Treasurer's Office / California School Finance Authority. No specific award amount or deadline is listed here; availability is announced annually on the CSFA website, so applicants should check current-year details before applying.

Wildlife Conservation Board · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments through the California Wildlife Conservation Board's Riparian Habitat Conservation Program. Funds restoration of riparian vegetation, floodplain reconnection, invasive species control, and stream/fencing projects statewide in California. No specific award amount or deadline is provided.

Coastal Conservancy · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments for projects along the California coast, San Francisco Bay, and coastal watersheds. Funds feasibility studies, land acquisition, planning, design, permitting, and construction for beaches, parks, trails, habitat restoration, and climate resilience projects, but does not cover ongoing operations or maintenance. Most funding is awarded through a rolling pre-application process; geographically limited to coastal California, and no set award amount or deadline is listed.

Department of Fish and Wildlife · Amount varies

Open exclusively to California Native American tribes -- other applicant types are not eligible. Funds tribal emergency preparedness, response, and recovery efforts related to oil spills, protecting ancestral lands and communities, through the Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response. No award amount or deadline is specified.

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy · Amount varies

Nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments serving severely disadvantaged communities can apply for this Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy grant funded under Proposition 68 (2018), a $4 billion bond for drought, water, parks, climate, and coastal protection projects. No specific award amount or deadline is listed here; eligibility is narrowed to projects benefiting severely disadvantaged communities specifically.

Department of Fish and Wildlife · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments in California for river and stream restoration projects, including floodplain reconnection and riparian habitat work, funded through Proposition 68. No specific award amount or deadline is currently published. Geographic scope is limited to California rivers and streams.

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection · $5M–$20M

Individuals, nonprofits, other legal entities, public agencies, and tribal governments can apply for this CAL FIRE program funding large-scale wildfire and landscape resilience projects, including hazardous fuels reduction, prescribed fire, reforestation, biomass utilization, and workforce training, with awards ranging from $5 million to $20 million. The program favors applicants who can demonstrate strong administrative and technical capacity to manage large, multi-partner projects, and concept proposals are due by 3 p.m. PDT on June 30, 2026, so smaller organizations without prior large-grant management experience may be at a disadvantage.

Department of Toxic Substances Control · Amount varies

California's Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund Program, run by the Department of Toxic Substances Control, helps nonprofits, tribal entities, and local governments assess or clean up brownfield sites they own, as long as they are not liable for the contamination under federal CERCLA law. As of the program record, DTSC states it is not currently accepting applications due to insufficient funds in the revolving loan fund, so applicants should confirm funding availability before applying.

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments in California under the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy's Prop 68 River grant program. Funds drought, water, parks, climate, and coastal-protection projects tied to the 2018 Prop 68 bond act. No specific award amount or deadline is listed; eligibility is geographically tied to the Conservancy's jurisdiction.