California State Grants

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.

Department of Fish and Wildlife · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments in California conducting research or technological innovation on the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation. Funds projects on water use, land management, native species, and community engagement related to cultivation practices. No award amount or deadline is listed in the posting, so applicants should confirm current funding levels and timelines with CDFW before applying.

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy · Amount varies

Nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments can apply to this Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy program for regional wildfire prevention, forest health, and forest resilience projects that reduce risk to populated areas near wildlands. Funds are available for encumbrance through June 30, 2028 and liquidation through June 30, 2031, but no specific award amount or application deadline is listed here.

Department of Housing and Community Development · Amount varies

Businesses, nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments can apply for this roughly $101 million California HCD Super NOFA funding multifamily rental housing and infrastructure programs, but awards are strictly limited to projects located in Los Angeles County affected by the January 2025 wildfires. Funding covers new construction, rehabilitation, and conversion of affordable, supportive, transit-oriented, or veteran-focused rental housing, plus infrastructure gap funding for qualifying infill projects; organizations outside LA County are not eligible.

State Treasurer's Office · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits and public agencies operating charter schools in California, administered by the State Treasurer's Office (California School Finance Authority). Provides facility incentive grants; the Authority received a $30 million federal award for a new round starting the 2025-26 school year, but no per-applicant amount or deadline is given. Limited to charter school facility projects, a narrow use case.

State Treasurer's Office · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits and public agencies operating charter schools, administered by the California State Treasurer's Office using a $10 million federal Credit Enhancement grant. Enhances financing arrangements to lower the cost of permanent charter school facilities. No specific per-applicant award amount or deadline is listed, and eligibility is narrowly limited to charter school facility financing.

State Water Resources Control Board · $1–$300K

Open only to local public agencies in California -- nonprofits, businesses, and individuals are not eligible. Funds planning studies (feasibility work, not construction) for recycled water treatment, storage, groundwater recharge, or indirect potable reuse projects, with awards from $1 to $300,000; operations and maintenance costs are not covered. All community types, including disadvantaged communities, may apply.

Tahoe Conservancy · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments for near-shore environmental improvement projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin, particularly managing aquatic invasive species or improving public access to sovereign land. The program allocates approximately $350,000 annually, so awards are likely modest relative to total demand. Geographic scope is limited to the Lake Tahoe Basin in California.

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy · Amount varies

Nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments in California can apply for this Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy funding tied to the Randall Preserve, aimed at reducing climate impacts on disadvantaged communities and expanding outdoor recreation. Funds are available through June 30, 2028; no award amount or deadline has been specified, so applicants should confirm current availability directly with the Conservancy.

State Treasurer's Office · Amount varies

California businesses, nonprofits, individuals, public agencies, and tribal governments building or expanding a manufacturing facility involving recycled feedstock, advanced manufacturing, alternative energy, or advanced transportation technologies can apply to CAEATFA for a sales and use tax exclusion on qualifying equipment purchases. This is a tax exclusion rather than a direct cash grant, so applicants should confirm it fits their funding needs; no dollar cap or deadline is specified here.

Baldwin Hills & Urban Watersheds Conservancy · Amount varies

Nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments can apply to this Baldwin Hills & Urban Watersheds Conservancy Consolidated Grant Program, which prioritizes projects delivering measurable climate resilience or recreational access benefits to disadvantaged communities and vulnerable populations in its region. No specific award amounts or deadlines are listed, so applicants should confirm current funding rounds directly with the Conservancy.

Wildlife Conservation Board · Amount varies

Open to nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments through the California Wildlife Conservation Board's Wildlife Corridor and Fish Passage program. Funds construction of wildlife crossings, removal of fish passage barriers, and related planning projects, with priority given to sites on state-identified wildlife movement or fish passage priority lists. No specific award amount or deadline is provided.

CA Energy Commission · Amount varies

Businesses, individuals, public agencies, and tribal governments in California may apply for this CA Energy Commission program, which provides cost-share funding to match federal geothermal energy grants (energy, science, technology, and R&D projects). No award amounts or deadlines are listed here, and applicants should consult the program's application manual for full eligibility rules and required documentation.

State Water Resources Control Board · $250K–$500K

Nonprofits, public agencies, and tribal governments operating public water systems in California can apply to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund for planning support, covering costs like feasibility studies, engineering plans, and environmental review. Small disadvantaged community water systems can receive up to $500,000 in principal forgiveness/grant funding, while other systems may only qualify for loans with subsidized interest rates rather than outright grants; applications are accepted on a continuous basis with no fixed deadline.