California Climate Investments August 2024 Newsletter
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Now Introducing: The California Climate Investments Resource Portal!

What is the Resource Portal? A new, online, one-stop shop designed to support applicants and grantees in accessing California Climate Investments funding and learning about impacts. There are guides, tools, and analyses to expand knowledge and capacity about our programs.


Who can use it? Anyone interested in applying for California Climate Investments, current grantees, agencies that administer our programs, and other members of the public that want to learn more about our programs.


Why is it important? We want to help you find the right California Climate Investments program for your project ideas and priorities. Find best practices, examples of funded projects, upcoming public participation opportunities, and other materials. More access to California Climate Investments information means more climate, environmental, health, and economic benefits for Californians.


There are many useful features of the Resource Portal. We have included a few to help you get started:

  1. Browse available funding opportunities. You can now browse from a list of programs that are actively accepting applications. You can explore open programs by applicant type or project category.

  2. Examples of how funds can be used. Are you looking for inspiration of how program funds have been used in the past? Take a look at the library of Project Profiles to help you generate ideas for your project.

  3. Accessing partnerships. The Community Connections directory contains a list of organizations and agencies that are interested in partnering on California Climate Investments projects. Partnerships and collaboration can be effective pathways to increasing project capacity and maximizing project benefits.

  4. List of all resources. If there is a specific component of your project that you need support with or would like to learn more about, you can browse the full list of resources.


We want to hear from you! Now that you’ve had a chance to browse the new Resource Portal, do you have ideas for how it can better fit your California Climate Investments needs? We encourage you to email feedback to GGRFProgram@arb.ca.gov.


Announcements and Updates

An indoor exhibit for the California High-Speed Rail project. The space has high ceilings with bright lighting, several display panels, and a central booth thanking sponsors. A few visitors are interacting with the exhibits, which showcase information about the high-speed rail project. Large posters on the walls depict different aspects of the rail system.

In addition to the exhilarating rides and tasty fair food, attendees of this year’s California State Fair had the chance to check out the future of transportation at the High-Speed Rail exhibit. Construction of California’s high-speed rail system is already underway, and it will eventually connect Sacramento and San Diego at speeds exceeding 200 mph. Visitors of the exhibit not only learned about the economic and environmental benefits of the program, but also explored life-size demos of the train cars and stations.


On July 25th, our partners at the High-Speed Rail Authority exhibit were joined by a few of our very own California Climate Investments staff. The High Speed Rail project has been a part of the California Climate Investments portfolio for a decade, so the exhibit provided a great opportunity for our staff to see the progress firsthand, and to connect with program administrators at the High-Speed Rail Authority.


California Climate Investments staff were also able to chat with visitors about our other programs and open funding opportunities. There was specific interest in how California Climate Investments supports agriculture, access to clean mobility options, and Tribal funding. The team had a great time stepping away from their desks for the day to learn, engage, and connect at the State Fair!


On August 22, the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) will vote to award more than $680 million in funding to 21 projects as part of the AHSC Round 8 Cycle. These 21 projects, spanning 18 of California’s jurisdictions, will fund more than 2,100 rent-restricted units, with more than two-thirds of those units dedicated to extremely and very low-income residents (less than 50% of AMI). The projects will also fund the purchase of 43 Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs), build nearly 50 miles of bikeways, and fund more than 40 miles of new or repaired sidewalks.

CMO curated a compilation of videos that go deeper into understanding the impact of program funding on communities and their context. They were created to encourage communities to utilize transportation services actively and foster a greater understanding of how people engage with such essential systems. The stories also function as showcases, introducing the benefits of these projects to new communities, thereby expanding the reach and impact of innovative transportation initiatives.

Opportunities for Funding

Here are a few of our latest funding opportunities. Visit the
California Climate Investments program webpage for a complete list.

A rooftop with green metal panels is prepared for solar panel installation, with mounting racks and wiring in place. Workers are visible on the roof, with hills and a clear blue sky in the background.

The 40 Prado Homeless Services Center, a shelter located in San Luis Obispo, serves up to 100 occupants at a time. While it was built in 2018 under the 2013 Energy Code and met energy efficiency standards of the time, it was under the Low-Income Weatherization Program (LIWP) that the shelter was able to become even more energy efficient, adding a 120-kilowatt solar system and other energy efficiency measures thanks to California Climate Investments funding.

In the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s homelands, California Climate Investments funding is helping the Hoopa Valley Tribe re-introduce fire to an important oak woodland ecosystem. The work is supported by a $1.36 million grant from CAL FIRE’s Forest Health Program.  The eastern side of the Hoopa Valley, on the current Hoopa Valley Reservation in what is known today as Humboldt County, has historically been home to extensive oak woodlands.

Image courtesy of J.H. Fitzmaurice, Inc.

BRIDGE Housing recently opened Casa Sueños, a 181-unit affordable housing community in Oakland. Forty-six units are reserved for formerly homeless individuals and the property also features permanent supportive services. Casa Sueños is a beneficiary of California Climate Investments’ Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program.

Entrance sign for Yolo County Central Landfill with the address "44090 County Road 28H" displayed, near the gated entrance.

The Yolo County Central Landfill (YCCL) and Northern Recycling LLC have received a $10 million grant from CalRecycle to expand their composting operations. The expansion will increase the facility’s capacity by 50,000 to 60,000 tons annually. The grant is part of CalRecycle's Organics Grant Program, funded by California Climate Investments, which aims to divert an additional 600,000 tons of organic waste from landfills over the next decade.

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