California Agriculture Grants

This program provides financial assistance to organic farmers and processors in California affected by extreme weather and climate-related disasters.

This program provides financial reimbursement to small businesses and agricultural cooperatives in the Western U.S. for international marketing efforts aimed at expanding their global reach and increasing exports of U.S. food and agricultural products.

This grant provides funding to California PreK through 12 educators to create engaging agricultural projects that enhance student learning and connect agriculture to core academic subjects.

This grant provides funding for projects that improve outdoor recreation access, preserve cultural resources, and address climate change in the Coachella Valley and surrounding mountains, prioritizing support for disadvantaged communities.

This program provides funding to organizations and institutions that aim to improve the competitiveness of California's specialty crop industry through projects focused on market enhancement, education, training, or research.

This program provides financial compensation to livestock producers for confirmed or probable losses due to wolf attacks, while also encouraging the implementation of nonlethal deterrent strategies to reduce future conflicts.

This program provides cost-share assistance to private and public landowners with 20 to 5,000 acres of forest land to improve forest resources, including wildlife habitat and soil and water quality, through various forestry management activities.

This program provides funding for research and educational projects aimed at improving methods to control vertebrate pests that threaten California's agriculture, environment, and public safety.

This program provides funding to organizations that support California farmworkers by offering essential skills training, job placement assistance, and wraparound services to help them advance in their careers.

This program provides funding to organizations and entities that enhance the competitiveness of California's specialty crop industry, including fruits, vegetables, and horticulture, through innovative projects that benefit the industry as a whole.

This program provides funding to public and private landowners in California's Central Valley for projects that conserve and restore wetlands and habitats to support various bird populations.

This program provides funding to California dairy operations for implementing advanced manure management technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental sustainability.

The Artistic Legacy Grant (ALG), funded by the San Francisco Arts Commission, offers $10,000 to $100,000 for a 3-year period to support and celebrate an artist who has significantly contributed to San Francisco's arts and culture for at least 25 years, with funds to be used for professional development, artistic planning, sabbaticals, and other related costs.

This program provides funding to four designated initiatives to support dairy businesses in developing, marketing, and distributing innovative dairy products while enhancing regional resilience and farmer income.

This funding opportunity supports projects that promote sustainable pest management practices to protect human health and the environment, particularly in underserved communities and agricultural areas near schools.

This grant provides financial support to small and mid-sized arts organizations in San Francisco that are deeply connected to their communities, helping them cover essential operating costs and foster artistic expression.

The Effectiveness Monitoring Committee (EMC) is seeking project proposals that: (1)   Address one or more of the EMC’s Research Themes and Critical Monitoring Questions and; (2)   Address natural resource protection issues that are important for California forestlands. The critical monitoring questions are organized under 12 Research Themes. Four prioritized critical questions were determined by vote amongst the current EMC members at the beginning of each calendar year:  Are the FPRs and associated regulations effective in...  Question 1h: managing WLPZs to reduce or minimize potential fire behavior and rate of spread? Question 6c:  managing fuel loads, vegetation patterns and fuel breaks for fire hazard reduction? Question 6d: managing forest structure and stocking standards to promote wildfire resilience? Question 12a: improving overall forest wildfire resilience and the ability of forests to respond to climate change (e.g., in response to drought or bark beetle; reducing plant water stress) and variability, and extreme weather events (evaluate ecosystem functional response to fuel reduction and forest health treatments)? I.       FUNDING AVAILABILITY. Funding available for newly proposed projects is anticipated as follows: $973,392 over three FYs beginning in 2024/25, comprising: $173,232 in FY 2024/25; $375,160 in FY 2025/26; and $425,000 in FY 2025/26. II.     AWARD LIMITATIONS. Applicants requesting more than the stated annual amount available for funding will not be considered. In the case that EMC funding for the full three years is awarded to one new project, project solicitation may not occur in the subsequent two FYs. While the EMC may choose to fund projects that span multiple FYs up to the annual funding cap, the EMC generally prefers to fund multiple research projects annually. Proposers should keep this in mind when developing their project and annual budget requests. Longer-term projects (greater than three years) may re-apply for funding for additional years through the competitive grants process advertised in the EMC’s Request for Proposals. Annual allocations are dependent upon demonstrated progress towards project completion pursuant to the project schedule and workplan.  a.      ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES. Eligible projects will test one or more specific FPRs or other rule or regulation under the Board’s jurisdiction and which addresses one or more of the EMC’s Research Themes and Critical Monitoring Questions. Proposed projects must clearly apply to management activities on private timberlands in California. Projects on public land may be eligible for EMC funding provided they clearly apply to the activities and systems that also exist on non-federal timberland. b.      ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS. Eligible applicants are local, state, and federal agencies including federal land management agencies; institutions of higher education; special purpose districts (e.g., public utilities districts, fire districts, conservation districts, and ports); Native American tribes; private landowners; for-profit entities; and non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations.

Funding and Duration: The CA Dept. of Food and Agriculture anticipates that up to $180,000 will be awarded to projects to support agricultural education and training. Grant amounts range from $2,500-153,000. The maximum grant duration is one (1) year, six (6) months and grant funds cannot be expended before January 1, 2025, or after June 30, 2026. CDFA reserves the right to offer an award amount less than the amount requested. * NOTE: Non-profit programs administered or managed by a university, such as the 4-H Youth Development Program are exempt from this limitation. Two funding opportunities available: Tier 1 – California Adopted Agricultural Education Programs Up to 85 percent ($153,000) of total available grant award funding is reserved for the California FFA Association; the non-profit organization that represents state-adopted Agricultural Education Programs (Education Code Sections 52450-52454). These programs have proven to be effective on a statewide basis in meeting the priorities and intent of the CalAgPlate program. Tier 1 grant awards range from $10,000 to $153,000 per project. Tier 2 – Local/Community/State Agricultural Education Programs Up to 15 percent ($27,000) of available funding will be awarded to eligible Local/Community/State Agricultural Education Programs. This Tier is open to non-profit organizations, as well as state, local, and Indian tribal government agencies within California which promote and administer agricultural education and leadership programs targeting K-12, post-secondary, and adult education. Individual schools and school districts are encouraged to partner with eligible non-profit organizations. Institutes of higher learning are ineligible to directly apply*, however, they can partner with eligible organizations on a proposed CalAgPlate project. Tier 2 grant awards range from $2,500 to $10,000 per project. Funding Category I: Agricultural Education In this funding category, CDFA will consider projects that enhance and benefit agricultural education opportunities for students and educators. Examples:• Agricultural curriculum development and implementation• School/community garden enrichment programs• Interactive agriculture learning experiences, outdoor agricultural education programs (e.g., farms/ranches)• Agriculture demonstrations/activities (e.g., exhibits). Funding Category II: Agricultural Career Awareness, Development and Training In this funding category, CDFA will consider projects that advance, promote and support agricultural career development and training for high school and college students. Examples:• Interactive training experiences and mentorship programs• Practical career preparation and career advancement opportunities• Outreach programs and career expos• Informational workshops for next-generation/beginning farmers. Funding Category III: Agricultural Leadership Development In this funding category, CDFA will consider projects that provide leadership experiences and skills for participants that encourage agricultural leadership development. Examples:• Agricultural leadership conferences• Agricultural leadership training programs• Education tours focusing on agricultural policy issues/areas.

This program provides funding to support the restoration and enhancement of wetland habitats in California, benefiting wildlife areas and nesting bird habitats on both public and private lands.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations for repairing, replacing, and installing electric vehicle charging ports in California to improve the reliability and accessibility of the state's EV charging infrastructure.