California Natural Resources Grants

This funding opportunity provides financial support to nonprofit organizations in specific California counties to improve educational outcomes for boys and men of color by enhancing access to post-secondary education and addressing systemic barriers.

This funding opportunity provides financial support for organizations involved in recycling beverage containers, such as local governments, non-profits, and material recovery facilities, to improve their sorting infrastructure and technology.

This funding opportunity is designed to assist local governments and organizations in developing and maintaining recreational trails and facilities for motorized trail users.

This funding opportunity is designed to support the planning, design, and construction of desalination projects for brackish and ocean water, benefiting communities and organizations across California.

This grant provides up to $750,000 in matching funds to public entities for the cleanup and restoration of local landfill sites, with the aim of protecting public health, safety, and the environment.

This grant aims to address the issue of illegal solid waste dumping in California, which negatively affects property values, public health, and community pride, by providing funds for the cleanup and restoration of abandoned or underutilized properties.

This grant provides financial support to nonprofit organizations that deliver community services and arts programs benefiting residents of Santa Clarita, California.

This funding opportunity supports projects that engage youth and adults in California through education and stewardship related to the coast and its watersheds, particularly targeting underserved communities.

This grant provides funding for projects in California that utilize tire-derived aggregate for various applications, such as retaining walls, stormwater management, and landfill enhancements, aimed at promoting sustainable waste tire recycling.

This grant provides funding to farmers and ranchers for the cleanup and remediation of solid waste on their properties, helping to address illegal disposal issues and promote environmental sustainability.

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 [email protected] for more information.   CDFA reserves the right to offer an award amount different than the amount requested.    

This program provides funding to landowners of working forests and rangelands in California to protect and manage their properties while allowing them to retain ownership and certain rights, promoting conservation of important environmental and cultural values.

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 installation, replacement of current infrastructure, plumbing, maintenance, additional attachments or modifications, or related educational and outreach activities/materials promoting water refill stations.• Litter reduction and cleanup 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 cleanup 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.

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.

History/Background: Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) has been an active installation since the 1940s, focusing on providing services, material support, and training venues that promote combat readiness. Since, its inception and the establishment of the Sikes Act in 1960, MCAS Miramar has actively been monitoring the effects of military land use on the overall condition of natural resources. In 1994, the Center for Earth Systems Analysis Research, a shared educational and research center located at San Diego State University, established a long term monitoring protocol to provide the mechanism for documenting the effects of military operations and training on vegetation native to MCAS Miramar. This protocol provided a continuous database of which to assist in altering land management actions to ensure long-term availability of natural areas for training and conservation. Brief Description of Anticipated Work: The project is to develop and implement a work plan for the current iteration of this monitoring effort, re-survey 82 permanently established monitoring plots according to MCAS Miramars standardized ecosystem monitoring program that inventories and monitors the condition of training lands and natural resources, identify and describe any ecological trends developing as indicated by the previous and current survey efforts for the monitoring plots, provide detailed site descriptions and information on disturbance and erosion, provide individual summaries of the composition, structure and site characteristics of the 82 plots surveyed in the 2003 LTEM report, provide contrast of summaries of the individual plots that comprise each major vegetation type for the three survey efforts, provide evaluation and discussion of management implications, provide photographic documentation of the plots, and submit draft and final reports along with all associated Geographical Information System (GIS) deliverables and maps for this monitoring effort that integrates all years efforts, results, analyses, evaluates the effectiveness of this effort. Please see enclosure 1 for full scope of work and enclosure 2 for applicable terms and conditions.

This program provides funding to local governments, regional park districts, and eligible Tribal Entities in California to promote the use of recycled rubberized pavement in public roadways and pathways, helping to reduce tire waste and support sustainable practices.

The 2024 Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) and Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) offer grants, funded by the California State Budget, to support projects that reduce methane emissions from dairy and livestock operations in California, with a focus on funding new projects and those that have successfully implemented AMMP projects in the past.

This grant cycle has been designed for smaller projects that complement existing and/or regional HHW programs in California. Grant applications must include one or more of the following types of projects: HHW public education and outreach for general audiences (may include extended producer responsibility [EPR] information).Implementation of sustainable EPR collection opportunities, to include but not limited to: (1) Promotion of an ongoing retail take-back program such as batteries or fluorescent lamps at local hardware stores, businesses, or government facilities.(2) Promotional collection events hosted at businesses or government facilities.(3) Promotional public education and outreach materials specifically for local retail take-back programs. (4) Project to: Determine and implement the most safe and cost effective methods for collecting propane gas cylinders and/or marine flares.Implement effective education programs and identify effective incentives that reduce the disposal of household hazardous waste. The incentives must be something reusable to replace HHW being disposed (does not include monetary or SWAG incentives, rechargeable batteries, adapters, valves, caps or other accessories for refilling propane canisters).(5) Set-up and operation of temporary or mobile collection program for one-day or multi-day collection events for the following except for those materials that are currently covered by another recycling/collection program (e.g. covered electronic waste, cell phones, thermostat, etc.): Common HHW materials and universal waste.Marine flaresPropane gas cylinders up to 5 gallonsSolar panels as a pilot project. Awardees are required to collect and report data on type/style of panels, manufacturer, volume, and the method of disposal.(6) New or expanded curbside and/or door-to-door collection programs to allow for the collection of new and eligible HHW materials. (7) Minor improvements to an existing HHW facility. (Examples include but are not limited to: storage bins, signage, painting, paving, shelving, etc.). Purchase of personal protection equipment. (8) 8-hour refresher Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standards (HAZWOPER) training. Projects that do not fall within one of these eight categories will not be eligible for grant funding. A Resolution is required by the secondary due date.  

This competitive grant offering is designed to fund construction projects that establish new or expand existing HHW programs in California. HHW construction projects do not qualify for CalRecycle grant funding unless they are past the design phase of the project and are prepared for construction (shovel ready). Applicants must have completed proper site analysis, conceptual design and most of the local approval processes. The permitting, licensing and siting approval process must be well underway. Applicants must provide documentation by providing a completed General Checklist of Business Permits, Licenses and Filings form (CalRecycle 669). The applicant must convincingly indicate that they are beyond the planning phase of the construction project and can successfully complete the HHW construction project before the Grant Term ends (date of Notice to Proceed email to September 30, 2026). Grant applications must indicate one of the following types of projects: (1) Construction of a new Permanent HHW Collection Facility or Recycle-Only HHW Collection Facility; or (2) A construction project that expands/upgrades an existing Permanent HHW Collection Facility or Recycle-Only Collection Facility. A Resolution is required by the secondary due date.  

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW‐OSPR) is seeking grant applications to help fund projects that enhance, restore, or acquire habitat for wildlife, with available funding totaling $5,000,000. These grant funds come from CDFW-OSPR’s Environmental Enhancement Fund (EEF), which acquires funds from spill violations in accordance with California’s Lempert-Keene-Seastrand Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act. The EEF selection committee includes representatives from the California Coastal Conservancy, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and CDFW‐OSPR. The selection committee is seeking projects with a minimum requested grant award of $500,000. Projects must be completed by April 1, 2031. Multiple projects may be submitted for funding. Disbursement of money from the grant is contingent on the availability of funds in the EEF. To qualify, an environmental enhancement project must 1. Be located within or immediately adjacent to waters of the state, 2. Have measurable outcomes within a pre-determined timeframe 3. Be designed to acquire, restore, or improve habitat or restore ecosystem function, or both, to benefit fish and wildlife. Eligible Applicants include nonprofit organizations, cities, counties, cities and counties, districts, state agencies, and departments; and, to the extent permitted by federal law, to federal agencies. All eligible groups and projects are encouraged to apply. For more information, please go to www.wildlife.ca.gov/OSPR/Science/Environmental-Enhancement-Fund/About