California Natural Resources Grants

This funding opportunity supports conservation projects that provide employment and training for young adults and veterans, helping them gain experience in environmental stewardship and resource management on public lands.

This grant provides funding to public agencies in California for the development and improvement of boat launching facilities to enhance recreational water access and support community development.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to federally recognized Indian Tribes in the western U.S. to address immediate drought challenges and improve water resource management.

This funding opportunity is designed to support organizations in Napa County that focus on wildlife conservation, education, and habitat improvement projects, particularly those benefiting school-aged children.

This funding opportunity is designed for research institutions affiliated with the Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit to study vegetation health and water use in the Lower Colorado River's riparian areas using remote sensing technologies.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for land acquisition projects that help with the planning and implementation of conservation efforts aimed at protecting natural communities and habitats in California.

This program provides funding to California-based organizations and businesses to promote sustainable farming practices and improve access to healthy food in diverse communities.

This program provides financial incentives to certified glass cullet processors in California to expand their processing capacity and promote the use of recycled glass in new beverage containers.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is soliciting proposals to reduce whale mortality from fishing gear entanglement in Southern California. This grant directly aligns with NFWF's mission to sustain, restore, and enhance the nation's fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats for current and future generations by addressing a critical threat to cetacean populations. The program aims to provide compensatory restoration for injuries to cetaceans caused by the Refugio Beach Oil Spill (RBOS), thereby mitigating past environmental damage and fostering healthier marine ecosystems. The primary beneficiaries of this program are cetaceans in Southern California, particularly those susceptible to entanglement in fishing gear. The impact goals are to increase the capacity of the entanglement response network, improve documentation and disentanglement efforts, and broadly support activities that reduce serious injuries or mortalities from entanglements. This initiative contributes to the foundation's strategic priority of healthy oceans and coasts by safeguarding marine mammals. The program prioritizes several key areas to achieve its goals. These include directly enhancing entanglement response in Southern California, and potentially beyond if it benefits local cetaceans, coordinating with federal, state, and local resource agencies to improve the overall West Coast Marine Mammal Entanglement Response Program, and training and developing volunteer response capacity. Furthermore, proposals should outline how activities will contribute to the development of the overall capacity and infrastructure of the program. Expected outcomes include a more robust and efficient entanglement response network, a reduction in the number of entangled cetaceans, improved survival rates of entangled animals through effective disentanglement, and enhanced coordination among relevant agencies. Measurable results would likely involve metrics such as the number of successful disentanglements, the increase in trained responders, and the documented reduction in entanglement-related mortalities. An estimated $250,000 will be available for a Phase 1 project award, anticipated to last 1-2 years, with a priority geographic focus on the coastlines off Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, and Orange Counties.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for California-based research organizations to enhance the resilience of desert ecosystems at a military training site by using advanced modeling techniques to study and manage key species and habitats.

The California Tahoe Conservancy (Conservancy) leads California's efforts to restore and enhance the extraordinary natural and recreational resources of the Lake Tahoe Basin. The principal goal of the Conservancy's Science and Lake Improvement Account program (SB 630, 2013) is to support near-shore environmental improvement program activities and projects, particularly projects that manage aquatic invasive species or improve public access to sovereign land in Lake Tahoe.More specifically, such projects manage aquatic invasive species, or improve public access to sovereign land in Lake Tahoe, including planning and site improvement or reconstruction projects on public land, and land acquisitions from willing sellers. SB 630 (2013) allocates the Conservancy approximately $350,000 annually. Please contact staff at robert.larsen@resources.ca.gov and 916.402.7508 for more information.

Applications may be considered under one or both of the following project priorities. Project Type - Transition from Provisional License to Annual License: To transition to an annual license, provisional licensees must meet all regulatory requirements in Title 3 of the California Code of Regulations, sections 8102, 8105, and 8106. Eligible activities under this project type include, but are not limited to: cleanup, remediation, and restoration, professional services, consulting, and infrastructure related to cleanup, remediation, and restoration. Eligible costs include but are not limited to: compliance costs (except the ineligible costs described above); meeting the avoidance, minimization, or mitigation requirements approved in the project’s CEQA document; or county permitting requirements. If the applicant is representing a provisional license cultivator, actions outlined must lead to the issuance of an annual license or lead to on-the-ground implementation that will result in the issuance of an annual license from the licensing authority. Project Type - Sustainable Cannabis Cultivation Practices: Sustainable cannabis cultivation practices should alleviate direct and indirect environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation and enhance environmental stewardship. Activities that may be eligible include but are not limited to: sustainable water consumption, sustainable waste management, integrated pest and disease management, erosion control, and/or riparian protection. Qualified Cultivator - The following qualified cultivator may be represented by an eligible applicant. The qualified cultivator being represented by the eligible applicant must at a minimum have a valid and active provisional license or annual license issued by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA; now the Department of Cannabis Control). Bus. & Prof. Code, § 26050.2 et seq.). Priority will be given to qualified cultivators with ownership and/or financial interest in no more than 10,000 square feet of total canopy. However, cultivators with ownership and/or financial interest accumulating between 10,000-20,000 square feet of total canopy may still qualify. All proposed projects must benefit qualified cultivators as defined below. Qualified cultivation license types are: Specialty cottage:-“Specialty Cottage Outdoor” is an outdoor cultivation site with up to 25 mature plants.-“Specialty Cottage Mixed-Light Tier 1” only, is a mixed-light cultivation site with 2,500 square feet or less of total canopy Specialty:-“Specialty Outdoor” is an outdoor cultivation site with less than or equal to 5,000 square feet of total canopy, or up to 50 mature plants.-“Specialty Mixed-Light Tier 1” only, is a mixed-light cultivation site between 2,501 and 5,000 square feet of total canopy. Small:- “Small Outdoor” is an outdoor cultivation site between 5,001 and 10,000 square feet of total canopy.- “Small Mixed-Light Tier 1” only, is a mixed-light cultivation site between 5,001 and 10,000 square feet of total canopy. “Mixed-light Tier 1” is without the use of artificial light or the use of artificial light at a rate above zero, but no more than six watts per square foot.

This funding opportunity supports community programs that teach and engage diverse families in fishing, boating, and aquatic conservation efforts throughout California.

Introduction EEM projects must contribute to mitigation of the environmental effects of transportation facilities. The California Natural Resources Agency (Agency) prescribes procedures and criteria to evaluate grant project proposals and submits a list of projects recommended for funding to the California Transportation Commission (CTC). The CTC awards grants to projects from Agency’s list. Related Transportation Facility EEM projects must mitigate, either directly or indirectly, the environmental impacts of a) the modification of an existing Transportation Facility or b) the construction of a new Transportation Facility (hereafter Related Transportation Facility or RTF). The EEM project can be the required mitigation for the RTF or enhancement to mitigation required for the RTF. Statewide Project Goals Agency grant programs assist state and local entities to develop more sustainable communities, increase adaptability to climate change using nature-based strategies, and protect biodiversity in compliance with Executive Order N-82-20, the Pathways to 30 x 30 California, and the Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy. Projects that demonstrate the following multiple benefits will be more competitive: • Improved air and/or water quality. • Reduced consumption of natural resources and energy. • Increased reliability of local water supplies. • Increased adaptability to climate change. • Increased protection and restoration of biodiversity Eligible Projects Examples The list below isn't comprehensive, but provides examples of project elements that meet statutory conditions. Urban Forestry: • Planting of trees and plants along urban streets and medians. • Greening existing public lands and structures, including school campuses and urban parks. • Greening vacant lots and abandoned sites. • Restoration of urban creeks. Resource Lands: • Removal of invasive and restoration of natural plant species. • Enhancement or restoration of natural areas such as inland wetlands, forests, oak woodlands, mountain meadows, creeks, and streams with riparian or riverine fish or wildlife habitat, wildlife corridors and fish passages, coastal estuaries, grazing land and grasslands. • Acquisitions in fee title or through conservation easements to safeguard regional water supplies, protect riparian and wildlife habitats, conserve agricultural lands for secure wildlife migration corridors, and provide public access for compatible wildlife/nature-oriented recreation by the wider community. • Acquisitions to preserve in perpetuity Resource Lands for agricultural uses, open space, wetlands, biodiversity, etc. Mitigation Projects Beyond the Scope of the Lead Agency: Project examples listed under Urban Forestry and Resource Lands categories may be eligible for the Mitigation Projects Beyond the Scope of the Lead Agency category, if the mitigation or enhancement measures for the RTF were infeasible or beyond the jurisdiction and/or authority of the Lead Agency for the RTF. Project Criteria Questions Applicants must choose only one project category and respond to all questions in the selected category. If a question doesn't apply to the project, indicate Not Applicable with a brief explanation.

Funding and Duration: Grant amounts for the conventional program range from $100,000 to $500,000. The maximum grant duration is two (2) years, eight (8) months, and grant funds cannot be expended before November 1, 2025, or after June 30, 2028.   Projects submitted through the Additional Assistance for Historically Underrepresented Organizations (Additional Assistance) Program will range from $100,000 to $250,000. Program requirements and submission deadlines differ for Additional Assistance Program applicants. Please reference the 2025 Request for Concept Proposals - Additional Assistance Program or email grants@cdfa.ca.gov for more information.   CDFA reserves the right to offer an award amount different than the amount requested.    

This funding opportunity is designed for organizations specializing in invasive species management to develop and implement biosecurity strategies at Wake Island Airfield and surrounding military properties in the Pacific region.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR) is offering a grant program through its Environmental Enhancement Fund (EEF). The EEF acquires funds from spill violations, aligning with California’s Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act. This initiative directly supports CDFW-OSPR's mission to protect and restore California's natural resources by funding projects that enhance, restore, or acquire habitat for wildlife. The primary beneficiaries of these grants are various entities including nonprofit organizations, cities, counties, districts, state agencies, and, where permitted, federal agencies. The ultimate impact goal is to benefit fish and wildlife populations by improving their habitats and restoring ecosystem functions. All eligible groups and projects are strongly encouraged to apply, fostering a broad approach to environmental enhancement. The program prioritizes environmental enhancement projects that are located within or immediately adjacent to waters of the state, as defined in California Government Code (of Section 8670.3). These projects must also demonstrate measurable outcomes within a predetermined timeframe and be specifically designed to acquire, restore, or improve habitat or restore ecosystem function, or both, for the benefit of fish and wildlife. The selection committee, composed of representatives from the California Coastal Conservancy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and CDFW-OSPR, will evaluate proposals based on these criteria. Expected outcomes include tangible improvements in habitat quality, increased biodiversity, and enhanced ecosystem resilience. Projects are required to have measurable outcomes, ensuring accountability and demonstrating the effectiveness of the funded initiatives. The selection committee is specifically seeking projects with a minimum requested grant award of $500,000, indicating a focus on substantial and impactful projects. All projects must be completed by April 1, 2031, providing a clear timeframe for implementation and results. This strategic approach reflects a theory of change where targeted investment in habitat restoration and acquisition directly leads to the recovery and enhancement of California's diverse fish and wildlife populations.

This grant provides funding to California-based researchers, universities, government agencies, and nonprofits to develop innovative pest management strategies for addressing invasive agricultural pests.

Private entities must be authorized to conduct business in the State of California, by either being registered with the California Secretary of State as a business located in California, being registered as a foreign (out–of–state or out–of–country) business or processing a business license issued by a California city, county, or city and county. Private, non-profit entities, in addition to being registered with the California Secretary of State, must also be registered with the California Department of Justice, and appear on their Registry of Charitable Trusts. If a non-profit entity is excluded from registering with the Department of Justice, proof must be provided with the application. Eligible applicants include: Collection Programs (CP) that are building workforce development for innovative redemption models. The Collection Program must be certified and in good standing with CalRecycle. Workforce Development innovative recycling redemption models include:• Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) • Bag Drop Projects Available Funds• $ 5,000,000 is available for this grant cycle, fiscal year 2022–23, subject to funding availability. • $ 750,000 is the minimum available for individual grant awards.• $ 2,500,000 is the maximum available for individual grant awards.

This grant provides financial support to citrus growers in select California counties to implement sustainable farming practices that improve soil health, enhance climate resilience, and promote environmental stewardship, with a focus on assisting socially disadvantaged farmers, women, and veterans.