Browse grants

Coastal Conservancy · Amount varies

The Coastal Conservancy funds a wide variety of projects along the California coast, San Francisco Bay, and in coastal watersheds to increase availability of beaches, parks and trails for the public, protect and restore natural lands and wildlife habitat, preserve working lands, and increase community resilience to the impacts of climate change. The Conservancy will fund most stages of a project including: pre-project feasibility studies, property acquisition, project planning including community involvement, design, environmental review, permitting, construction, and project-related monitoring. We do not fund operation and maintenance activities. Most Conservancy grants are awarded through this rolling pre-application solicitation. This includes Climate Ready, Wildfire Resilience, and all regional grant programs. Explore the Coast, Coastal Stories, and some other grant programs are NOT awarded through this rolling process.

Department of Toxic Substances Control · $1–$100K

DTSC's ISCP Loan Program provides loans for property owners, developers, community groups, and local governments to conduct preliminary endangerment assessment of underutilized urban properties. Loan used to conduct preliminary endangerment assessments. If redevelopment of property is determined not to be economically feasible, up to 75 percent of the loan amount can be waived.

Coastal Conservancy · Amount varies

The Conservancy’s Explore the Coast Overnight Program was created to expand more opportunities for all Californians to stay overnight at the coast, particularly individuals and youth from low and middle-income households, communities of color, at-risk or underserved populations, and others that face barriers to accessing the coast. The goals of the Explore the Coast Overnight Program include: Helping improve existing, and develop new lower-cost coastal accommodations; Ensuring that new or renovated coastal accommodation projects are available to all Californians, in particular low and middle-income Californians and organizations that serve under-resourced communities; Supporting innovative pilot projects; Creating and preserving a variety of lower-cost coastal accommodations; and Maintaining and increasing the stock of lower-cost coastal accommodations along the California coast. The Conservancy provides grant funds for the planning, design, permitting, and/or construction of lower-cost coastal accommodation projects that advance the goals and priorities of the Explore the Coast Overnight Program.

State Water Resources Control Board · Amount varies

Replacing, Removing, or Upgrading Underground Storage Tanks (RUST) grants are available to assist small business underground storage tank (UST) owners and operators in financing up to 100 percent of the costs necessary to upgrade, remove, or replace project tanks to comply with the requirements of Health and Safety Code section 25284.1, 25292.05, 25292.4, 25292.5, or 41954. Please note that removal-only projects are now eligible for RUST grants. Grants are available for between $3,000 and $70,000 to eligible UST owners/operators. An additional $140,000 in RUST grant moneys above the $70,000 maximum is available for remote public fueling stations for the purpose of removing and replacing a single-walled UST. (See Health and Safety Code § 25299.107(e) for more information.) Eligibility Requirements Grant applicants must be a UST owner and/or operator and meet all of the following requirements: • The applicant is a small business that employs fewer than 20 full-time and part-time employees, is independently owned and operated, and is not dominant in its field of operation; • The grant applicant’s principal office and its officers must be domiciled in California; • The facility where the project tank is located was legally in business retailing gasoline after January 1, 1999. • All of the tanks owned and operated by the grant applicant are subject to compliance with Health and Safety Code chapter 6.7 and implementing regulations; • The facility where the subject tank is located has sold, at retail, less than 900,000 gallons of gasoline annually for each of the two years preceding the submission of the grant application; (Gallonage is based upon taxable sales figures provided to the State Board of Equalization (BOE) on the grant applicant’s BOE 401 GS including Schedule G.) • The grant applicant meets either of the following: The grant applicant is in compliance with Health and Safety Code sections 41954 and 25290.1, 25290.2, 25291, or subdivisions (d) and (e) of section 25292; (The facility must provide a current UST permit, a current Permit to Operate, and proof of EVR compliance as evidence of compliance with the permit compliance requirements.) or Revised 1/2020 The grant applicant meets the requirements for a waiver from the RUST grant permit compliance requirements. (The project is for removal-only and the grant applicant does not qualify for a RUST loan.) This is not a reimbursement program. Work cannot begin until you have an agreement executed by the State Water Board.

State Water Resources Control Board · Amount varies

Replacing, Removing, or Upgrading Underground Storage Tanks (RUST) loans are available to assist small business underground storage tank (UST) owners and operators in financing up to 100 percent of the costs necessary to upgrade, remove, or replace project tanks, including corrective actions, to meet applicable local, state, or federal standards, including, but not limited to, any design, construction, monitoring, operation, or maintenance requirements adopted pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 25284.1, 25292.05, 25292.4, or 41954. Loan Terms Low-interest loans are available for between $10,000 and $750,000, for a term of 10 or 20 years. • Ten-year loans are secured by the Uniform Commercial Code Financing Statement on business assets. • Twenty-year loans are secured by a deed of trust on real estate with adequate equity. • A loan fee of 2 percent must be paid at final loan closing. • Please contact the State Water Board or your local Financial Development Corporation for the current interest rate. Eligibility Requirements Loan applicants must be a UST owner and/or operator and meet all of the following requirements: • The loan applicant is a small business that employs fewer than 500 full-time and part-time employees, is independently owned and operated, and is not dominant in its field of operation; • The loan applicant’s principal office and its officers must be domiciled in California; • All of the tanks owned and operated by the loan applicant are subject to compliance with Health and Safety Code chapter 6.7 and the regulation adopted pursuant to that chapter; • The loan applicant must provide financial and legal documents necessary to demonstrate the ability to repay the loan and availability of adequate collateral to secure the loan; and Revised 8/2020 • The loan applicant must have complied, or will comply, with the financial responsibility requirements specified in Health and Safety Code section 25299.31 and the regulations adopted pursuant to this section. This is not a reimbursement program. Work cannot begin until you have an agreement executed by the State Water Board.

State Water Resources Control Board · Amount varies

The Cleanup and Abatement Account (CAA) was created by Water Code Sections 13440-13443 to provide grants for the cleanup or abatement of a condition of pollution when there are no viable responsible parties available to undertake the work. Water code section 13442 authorizes the State Water Board to utilize CAA funds to address an urgent drinking water need. This includes needs due to drought, contamination, or other eligible emergencies. The CAA is funded by various monies including those: appropriated by the Legislature; collected as part of criminal penalties or civil proceedings brought pursuant to Division 7 of the Water Code; collected or recovered by the State Water Board or a Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Water Board) under Chapter 6.7 of Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code; and repaid by loan recipients, including principal, interest, and fees. In some instances, a court judgment or settlement agreement specifies how collected funds are to be spent (e.g., a specific cleanup, investigation, or supplemental environmental project [SEP]). Those funds are typically set aside in the CAA for that identified purpose, consistent with statutes governing uses of the CAA. After accounting for these needs and other prior encumbrances, remaining CAA funds may be utilized to fund: (1) projects that clean up and/or abate the effects of a waste on waters of the State, or (2) projects that address urgent drinking water needs.

State Water Resources Control Board · Amount varies

Eligible Applicants: Any city, town, district, or other public body created under state law, including state agencies A Native American tribal government or an authorized Native American tribal organization having jurisdiction over disposal of sewage, industrial wastes or other waste Any designated and approved management agency under Section 208 of the Clean Water Act 501(c)(3)'s and National Estuary Programs Eligible projects include, but are not limited to: Construction of publicly-owned treatment facilities: wastewater treatment, local sewers, sewer interceptors, water reclamation and distribution, stormwater treatment, combined sewers, and landfill leachate treatment. Implementation of nonpoint source (NPS) projects to address pollution associated with: agriculture, forestry, urban areas, marinas, hydromodification, wetlands, and development and implementation of estuary comprehensive conservation and management plans for: San Francisco Bay Morro Bay Santa Monica Bay. Financing Terms: Interest Rate - ½ most recent General Obligation (GO) Bond Rate at time of funding approval Financing Term - up to 30 years or the useful life of the project Financing Amount - No maximum funding limit, but partial funding may be applied in annual CWSRF Intended Use Plan. No maximum disbursement limit! Repayment - Begins 1 year after completion of construction Applicants qualifying as small disadvantaged communities (DACs) or small severely disadvantaged communities (SDACs) may be eligible for grants and/or principal forgiveness. Based on affordability criteria, applicant agencies may qualify for 50%, 75%, or 100% grant up to a maximum grant amount.

State Water Resources Control Board · Amount varies

In 2019, Senate Bill 200 (SB200) established the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water (SADW) Fund to address funding gaps and provide solutions to water systems, especially those serving DACs, to address both their short- and long-term drinking water needs. The SADW Fund is one of several funds that are part of the larger SAFER Program. Complementary funding sources administered by the State Water Board’s Division of Financial Assistance for drinking water projects include: General Fund allocations, the Cleanup and Abatement Account, Proposition 68 Drinking Water, Proposition 1 and Proposition 68 Groundwater, and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), which offers repayable, low-interest financing and loans with partial or complete principal forgiveness. Up to $130 million per year will be available from the SADW Fund for ten years (starting with Fiscal Year 2020-21) for local assistance and state operations. The amount available from complementary funding sources varies each year. The priority uses of the SADW Fund include: 1) addressing any emergency or urgent funding needs, where other emergency funds are not available and a critical water shortage or outage could occur without support from the Fund; 2) addressing community water systems (CWSs) and school water systems out of compliance with primary health standards, focusing on small Disadvantaged Communities (DACs); 3) accelerating consolidations for systems out of compliance, at-risk systems, as well as state smalls and domestic wells, focusing on small DACs; 4) providing interim solutions and initiating planning efforts for long-term solutions for state smalls and domestic wells with source water above a primary maximum contaminant level (MCL). Anticipated expenditures of the SADW Fund will be consistent with the priorities and will be used in conjunction with other available complementary funding available in the larger SAFER Program to address funding gaps. Priorities for the complementary funding sources part of the larger SAFER Program generally align with the priorities of the SADW Fund.

State Water Resources Control Board · $2M–$10M

The Division of Financial Assistant (DFA), State Water Board manages the DWSRF program and prioritizes financing for projects that address the most serious human health risks, are necessary to comply with SDWA, and assist public water systems (PWS) most in need on per household basis. Periodically funding programs that help provide clean and safe water are used in combination with the DWSRF program. Eligible community water systems (CWS) currently may receive principle forgiveness (PF)/grant from $2,000,000 up to 100% of total eligible project cost depending on the project types, community served by the CWS, and residential water rates as a percentage of MHI. Financing terms varies from 0% interest to half of California's average general obligation bond rate for the previous calendar year. Repayment may be amortized for 30 to 40 years or the useful life of he financed construction facilities. Construction of water systems' infrastructures (treatment facilities, water sources, storages, and distribution systems) and contingency of change orders are common eligible construction cost. Additional eligible construction cost examples are value appraisal and land purchase for right-of-way and easements, planning and design, administration, and construction management. Applications for the DWSRF program and associated funding are accepted on a continuous basis. After DFA receives a complete application, a detailed technical, environmental, legal, and financial review is conducted to determine the applicant’s eligibility for DWSRF and associated drinking water funding.

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

The Division of Financial Assistant (DFA), State Water Board manages the DWSRF program and prioritizes financing for projects that address the most serious human health risks, are necessary to comply with SDWA, and assist public water systems (PWS) most in need on per household basis. Periodically funding programs that help provide clean and safe water are used in combination with the DWSRF program. Eligible small community water systems (SCWS) serving a small disadvantage community (DAC) and small severely disadvantage communities (SDAC), eligible non-transient non-community water systems (NTNC) serving a small DAC or small SDAC, and public water systems (PWS) extending service to small DACs andsmall SDACs may receive the maximum principle forgiveness (PF)/grant of $500,000. Other public water systems may receive loan or partial loan with subsidized interest rate and maximum term for repayable of five or ten years. Planning costs may include the preparation of planning/design documents such as Feasibility studies and project reports, plans and specifications, engineering and specifications, environmental documents, capital improvement plans, etc. Other costs such as legal costs and fees, environmental review, TMF assessments, water rate studies, and test wells are also eligible for funding under planning projects. Applications for the DWSRF program and associated funding are accepted on a continuous basis. After DFA receives a complete application, a detailed technical, environmental, legal, and financial review is conducted to determine the applicant’s eligibility for DWSRF and associated drinking water funding.

State Water Resources Control Board · $1–$1M

Senate Bill 445 (Hill, chapter 547, statutes of 2014), effective September 25, 2014, changed the OSCF eligibility criteria by not limiting the program to brownfield sites. Grant Details Grants provide funding for response actions that characterize, assess, andinvestigate an unauthorized release from petroleum USTs. These actions include apreliminary site assessment, soil and groundwater investigations, and preparation of a corrective action plan in accordance with California Code of Regulations, Title 23, Chapter 16, Article 11. Grants may also provide funding for UST system removal, petroleum product removal and soil excavation, not to exceed 500 cubic yards at the eligible site. Grants also provide funding for response actions that carry out cleanup activities,implement a corrective action plans, and perform verification monitoring in accordance with California Code of Regulations, Title 23, Chapter 16, Article 11. If a corrective action plan is required, the State Water Board cannot award a cleanup grant until the applicant demonstrates the corrective action plan is complete and approved by the regulatory agency. However, the applicant may apply for a cleanup grant before completion and approval of the corrective action plan. Note that only the current property owner is eligible for a Cleanup Grant.

State Treasurer's Office · Amount varies

The California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA) Sales and Use Tax Exclusion (STE) Program (the “Program”) excludes from sales and use taxes purchases of Qualified Property if its use is either to process Recycled feedstock or using Recycled feedstock in the production of another product or soil amendment; or that is used in an Advanced Manufacturing process; or that is used to manufacture Alternative Source products or Advanced Transportation Technologies. Eligible manufacturers planning to construct a new manufacturing facility or expand or upgrade a currently existing manufacturing facility may apply to CAEATFA for an STE award, and if approved, the purchases of Qualified Property for the project are not subject to state and local sales and use tax.Please refer to https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/caeatfa/ste/regulations/index.asp and https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/caeatfa/ste/faq.asp#program for more information.

State Water Resources Control Board · $1–$1M

The UST Cleanup Fund provides a means for petroleum UST owners and operators to meet the federal and state requirements of maintaining financial responsibility to pay for damages arising from unauthorized releases from their petroleum USTs. The Fund assists a large number of small businesses and individuals by providing reimbursement for expenses associated with the cleanup of leaking USTs.

Department of Forestry and Fire Protection · Up to $0

Tribal Wildfire Resilience grants fund projects that serve California Native American tribes, support Traditional Ecological Knowledge and cultural fire, improve forest health through forest fuels reduction, pest management, reforestation, biomass utilization, forest watershed restoration, upper watershed, riparian, and mountain meadow restoration, or research thereof, and directly or indirectly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These projects address critical needs in tribal communities, and may include a combination of: Implementing & training Traditional Ecological Knowledges & indigenous stewardship Cultural and prescribed burns Creation and maintenance of shaded fuel breaks and defensible space Forest and wildfire resilience projects such as: reforestation dead and dying tree removal understory thinning and/or removal Forest health & restoration projects Increasing biodiversity and improving access to and use of traditional foods and culturally significant species Workforce Development and training programs in fire, forestry, and related Traditional Ecological Knowledge Mapping projects Development of restoration plans, fire or forest management plans Biological and cultural surveys Environmental compliance and permitting Fuels management Fire reintroduction (and planning for fire reintroduction)

Strategic Growth Council · $1M–$10M

CRC Implementation Grants will fund new construction and upgrades of CRC Facilities and Campus Amenities that support use of the CRC Facility. Additionally, Implementation Grants fund programs and services that build social cohesion and community resilience. In addition to advancing general program objectives Implementation Grant activities include pre-development, community engagement, construction, services and programs, and evaluation. Eligible implementation activities include: - Pre-Development Phase: pre-construction activities such as facility condition assessments, planning, engineering, architectural, and other design work, and soft costs for construction plans. - CRC Facility Construction and Retrofits: Activities related to direct construction, retrofits, and other upgrades to the CRC Facility itself. - Campus Amenities: Activities related to construction or improvements to amenities located at the CRC Facility that strengthen the local community’s resilience to climate and other disasters. - Community Resilience Services and Programs: Services and programs that operate out of the CRC Facility that build community resilience and encourage year-round use of the CRC Facility. - Partner Sites: Site(s) managed by Applicants that offers programming and services that advance resilience within the community. Each CRC Implementation Grant application must include at least two Partners with at least one being a community-based organization (CBO), if the Lead Applicant is not already a CBO. The Lead Applicant and Partners will submit a signed Collaborative Governance Worksheet and letters of commitment at application. Application Technical Assistance (Application TA) is available during the application period for eligible applicants. CRC will prioritize Tribal applicants for Application TA. Application TA may be available for additional applicants on a case-by-case basis. If you are interested in Application TA, complete the Application TA Request Form by July 31, 2026: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/2aSjd31Y7E

Strategic Growth Council · $100K–$500K

CRC Planning Grants will support planning activities to prepare communities to implement Community Resilience Centers. CRC Planning Grant activities should focus on preparing for a future CRC Implementation Grant or similar funding opportunity, and must demonstrate effective, robust community engagement and planning efforts. Planning activities should engage key parties and ensure that all the necessary project components are in place for the future construction or retrofit of a CRC. They should also engage key parties in broader community resilience to climate emergencies and intersecting social and economic issues, in addition to advancing general program objectives. Proposed planning activities will: Advance the community’s ability to identify, envision, design, construct, resource, and activate sites as CRCs. Increase the accessibility of future community resilience centers to community members, especially during and after emergencies. Build, strengthen, and sustain community resilience, in connection with a proposed CRC. Prepare for future implementation funding opportunities to construct or retrofit the CRC. Each Planning application must include at least one Partner in addition to the Lead Applicant. Lead Applicants and Partner(s) must also submit a Letter of Commitment describing their roles, responsibilities, and commitment to supporting completion of the grant project on time and within budget at application. If an applicant is pursuing a Planning Grant with the intention of pursuing a CRC Implementation Grant in a future round, the applicant should familiarize themselves with the Implementation Grant requirements and propose Planning Grant activities that prepare them for a future Implementation Grant application. Please note that the Planning Grant can prepare applicants to apply for multiple sources of implementation funding, not just the CRC Program. Application Technical Assistance (Application TA) is available during the application period for eligible applicants. CRC will prioritize Tribal applicants for Application TA. Application TA may be available for additional applicants on a case-by-case basis. If you are interested in Application TA, complete the Application TA Request Form by July 31, 2026: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/g/2aSjd31Y7E

Department of Water Resources · Amount varies

Approximately 10 percent of the 1,236 State jurisdictional dams regulated by DWR’s Division of Safety of Dams (DSOD) have been assigned a condition assessment classification of less than “Satisfactory” (e.g., they have noted deficiencies that need remediation). In many cases, these dams pose a significant threat to communities downstream. As an interim risk reduction measure, more than 40 of these dams have had reservoir restrictions imposed. The loss of water storage from these reservoir restrictions is about 350,000 acre-feet. Many dam owners, even those with sources of funding, do not have the ability to secure funding for dam remediation or improvement projects. This program will provide much-needed grant funding for the repair, retrofit, and rehabilitation of these critical infrastructure facilities, reduce the unacceptable risks to the public, and regain lost storage capacity that is needed to face California’s climate-related water shortages.

Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery · $75K–$275K

CalRecycle is seeking projects that implement new programs or enhance existing programs to provide convenient beverage container recycling opportunities in various locations statewide. Eligible projects include: • Multi-family residential dwellings (five units or more). • Public colleges/universities, non-profit colleges/universities, and public K-12 school districts. • Curbside Residential Program locations (excluding single stream). • Community events including, but not limited to, those sponsored by local jurisdictions. • Parks/recreational areas. • Purchase of water refill stations, including the installation, education and outreach, or replacement of infrastructure, plumbing, maintenance, additional attachments or modifications. • Purchase of mobile water trailer bars, including replacement of filters, maintenance, additional attachments or modifications, reusable cups utilized for the water trailer bars, and related educational and outreach activities/materials as eligible expenditures. • Litter reduction and clean-up along the United States-Mexico border where the waste stream includes beverage containers that will be recycled. o Out of State beverage containers collected as part of the litter abatement and clean-up projects cannot be funded under this grant program. Ongoing collection programs may include the following activities as a component of the grant project: • Temporary Community events (i.e., recycling or collection events sponsored by local jurisdictions, Earth Day events). • Drop-off, Collection Program, or Community Service Program. • Education and Outreach related to beverage container recycling. Note: Education activities and/or materials (signage, flyers, curriculum, etc.) related to the beverage container recycling project are capped at 25 percent of the total grant award. • Funding must have a direct connection to the California Redemption Value (CRV) of beverage containers and the overall program. If non-CRV items are included in the grant, they are subject to proportional cost. For example: a three-bin system with composting, paper and CRV recycling, can only be funded at one third of the cost. A mixed recycling bin will be funded proportionately based on the CRV content of materials collected. Priority funding will be given to Tribal Entities and applicants with litter abatement projects along the United States-Mexico border. Applicants who meet the criteria will be given priority and will be considered for funding first.

San Diego River Conservancy · Amount varies

Multi-benefit projects that advance a number of goals, including but not limited to: • Conserving land • Protecting resources • Reducing flood and fire risk • Improving water quality • Protecting and enhancing wildlife habitats and corridors • Completing the San Diego River Trail • Providing public access for the enjoyment of the San Diego River Park and open space, trails, campgrounds and park facilities • Removing invasive plant species from the watershed • Increasing native habitat and promoting the re-establishment of native species • Promoting cultural and tribal preservation, and historical interpretation of the San Diego River and its people

San Diego River Conservancy · Amount varies

Hazardous fuels reduction, wildfire prevention planning and wildfire prevention education.