WFH Learning Bundle 25: Grant Season

Grant Season Has Arrived!

Whether looking for funding to improve your community or increase your energy efficiency, the grant to help may be on this list!

If you need more help applying or a community partner to collaborate with, the SJVCEO can help. Email our Executive Director, Courtney Kalashian, ckalashian@pesc.com, to find out how we can support public agencies at no cost in pursuit of grant funding.

The SJVCEO has written more than $10 million in successful grant applications.  Our staff holds certification in Grant Writing and Grant Management from Grant Writing USA and Negotiating Federal Indirect Cost Rate 2 CFR Part 230 (A-122) from Management Concepts.

Take a look below at the open opportunities that can help you further your energy goals!

CALIFORNIA CLEAN AIR DAY EVENT MICROGRANT
We need your help to make California Clean Air Day a success! Our purpose is to raise awareness of air quality issues in our region and to celebrate and implement California Clean Air Day in your region on October 6, 2021.

Overview: Grant funding of up to $1,000 is available to groups and organizations to help make California Clean Air Day a success in your region. This potential funding is for local activities, events or projects that help clean our air.

Applicants must include at least two organizations — the lead organization and any partner organization. The lead organization and its partner organization(s) must fall into different categories as follows:

  • Category A: City, County, School District or Education Office, or other government agency manager, official or representative

  • Category B: A health care provider (public or private)

  • Category C: An established community nonprofit organization

  • Category D: A business organization (chamber of commerce, economic development agency, business improvement district, etc.)

  • Category E: A small business

Amount: Up to $1,000

Deadline: August 6th, 2021

CAL EPA ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SMALL GRANTS PROGRAM
Offers funding opportunities authorized by California Code of Regulations Title 27, Division 1, Chapter 3, Article 1 to assist eligible non-profit community organizations and federally recognized Tribal governments address environmental justice issues in areas disproportionately affected by environmental pollution and hazards. The EJ Small Grants are awarded on a competitive basis.

2021 Sample Project Focus Areas

  • Develop Community Led Solutions to Climate Change Mitigation, Adaption, and Resilience Challenges

  • Improve Access to Safe and Clean Water

  • Reduce Pollution, Exposure to Pesticides, and Toxic Chemicals, and Promote Resource Conservation

  • Build and Strengthen Collaborative Efforts to Enhance Local Capacity and to Uplift and Build Community Knowledge

  • Engage California Communities and Tribes in Multi-Benefit and Cooperative Strategies to Protect and Restore Biodiversity, and Natural and Cultural Resources

Amount: $50,000

Deadline: 8/13/2021

PG&E RESILIENCE HUBS GRANT PROGRAM
Overview:
Supports the development of local “resilience hubs” aimed at providing a physical space or set of resources that supports community resilience—such as access to power, shelter, and information—to climate-driven extreme weather events, including wildfires, as well as future Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events

PG&E Resilience hub projects may include, but are not limited to:

  • Conducting a feasibility analysis to assess resilience hub needs through local engagement

  • Planning and design of physical spaces or mobile resources that will provide resilience benefit

  • Retrofits of existing buildings or structures to support community resilience

Priority will be given to projects that address the needs of disadvantaged and/or vulnerable communities.

Amount:  total of $400,000 in grant awards at both the $25,000 and $100,000 level, depending on the applications we receive:

Feasibility Projects: Proposals for grants of $25,000 each, to fund an assessment of resilience hub need and conceptual ideas for a resilience hub

Design and Build Projects: Proposals for grants of $100,000 each, to fund the design and/or creation of a resilience hub

Deadline: 8/30/2021

PG&E S BETTER TOGETHER RESILIENT COMMUNITIES GRANT PROGRAM
Overview: Supports local climate resilience initiatives that build local capacity through community-driven approaches

Activities to build community resilience to one or more climate threats, such as projects that aim to:

  • Better understand potential climate hazards

  • Increase physical resilience

  • Increase the coping capacity of communities and households to climate hazards.

Projects should be community driven and aim to bring together a sustainable local network to address preparedness and resilience within communities. Priority will be given to projects that address the needs of disadvantaged and/or vulnerable communities.

Amount: Four grants of $100,000 each, $400,000 in total

Deadline: 8/30/2021

ENERGY UPGRADE CALIFORNIA: TIER 2 GRANT
Tier 2 grants are meant to assist organizations in executing programs and outreach to inform one of the below-mentioned audiences about energy efficiency measures and benefits. These outreach programs should include traditional person-to-person outreach (if the COVID-19 situation permits it) as well as digital, email, and social media communications.

Amount: $500-$3,000- an organization can apply to receive multiple Tier 2 grants; however, an organization can only receive up to three Tier 2 grants within a grant period (maximum of $9000).

Serve: hard-to-reach community subgroups (low-income, disability, senior, multicultural) 

Closes: September 1, 2021

CALIFORNIA RESILIENCE CHALLENGE GRANT RFP
Projects: support of climate resilience planning projects, with a preference for projects that will lead to implementation of resiliency infrastructure. Selected proposals will be for specific planning projects that will commence on or before July 31, 2022 and are to be completed by July 31, 2024.

Who can apply: Eligible local California public entities (including California Native American Tribes), non-governmental organizations, and community-based organizations to respond

Eligible Projects will consist of planning projects that are targeted at improving local or regional resilience to one or more of the following four climate challenges (listed in no particular order), and water and air quality impacts of the foregoing:

  • Drought

  • Flooding, including from sea level rise

  • Extreme heat and increasing frequency of hot days

  • Wildfire

Amount: It is CRC’s expectation that individual grants will be awarded for between $100,000 and $200,000, but CRC reserves the right to make smaller or larger grants, and the right to award less than the maximum amount of its Grant Fund.

RFP Timeline

  • July 12, 2021: RFP opens

  • September 13, 2021: RFP closes

  • September and October 2021: Proposals reviewed and evaluated

  • December 2021: Grant awards announced

BUILD BACK BETTER CHALLENGE
Designed to assist communities nationwide in their efforts to build back better by accelerating the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and building local economies that will be resilient to future economic shocks.

Overview: challenge will provide a transformational investment to 20-30 regions across the country that want to revitalize their economies. These regions will have the opportunity to grow new regional industry clusters or scale existing ones through planning, infrastructure, innovation and entrepreneurship, workforce development, access to capital, and more.

Deadline:
Phase 1: October 19th, 2021
Phase 2: March 15th, 2022

GOOD JOBS CHALLENGE
EDA’s American Rescue Plan Good Jobs Challenge aims to get Americans back to work by building and strengthening systems and partnerships that bring together employers who have hiring needs with other key entities to train workers with in-demand skills that lead to good-paying jobs.

EDA will fund proposals within the following three phases, as applicable to regional needs:

  • System Development: Help establish and develop a regional workforce training system comprised of multiple sector partnerships

  • Program Design: Develop the skills training curriculum and materials, and secure technical expertise needed to train workers

  • Program Implementation: Implement non-construction projects needed to provide workforce training and connect workers with quality jobs, including wrap-around services

Deadline: January 26th, 2022

EDA’S AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Overview
: grants made under this program will help hundreds of communities across the nation plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through construction or non-construction projects designed to meet local needs. A wide range of technical, planning, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and public works and infrastructure projects are eligible for funding under this program.

Deadline: March 15th, 2022

SJVCEO