Other California Tribal Funding Opportunities

CA Energy Commission (CEC)

The California Energy Commission offers a variety of funding opportunities to advance the state’s transition to clean energy and transportation through innovation, efficiency, and the development and deployment of advanced technologies.

• California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment Tribal Research Grant Program: Leveraging diverse expertise throughout the state, the Fifth Assessment will contribute to the scientific foundation for understanding climate-related vulnerability throughout California. Funding through the Tribal Research Grant Program is available to support tribally led projects focused on climate research, traditional ecological knowledge, and similar projects deemed a priority by Tribes.

CA Office of Emergency Services (CalOES)

The ​CalOES Grants Management Section is responsible for administering more than $2 billion in funds for homeland security, emergency management, justice programs and victim services, a majority of which are distributed to local and regional entities to enable the most effective prevention, detection, response and recovery efforts. Building partnerships with Tribal governments is essential in California emergency management​ planning, response and recovery.  Effective relationships with Tribes are a necessary step in working together to build more resilient and better prepared communities. Visit the Office for Tribal Coordination website for more information.

CA Financing Coordinating Committee

The California Financing Coordinating Committee (CFCC) was formed in 1998 and is a state/federal committee made up of eight funding members: five state and three federal entities. CFCC representatives facilitate and expedite the completion of various types of infrastructure projects helping customers combine the resources of different agencies. Project information is shared between representatives so additional resources can be identified.

CFCC representatives conduct free funding fairs statewide each year to educate the public and potential customers about the different member agencies and the financial and technical resources available. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the fairs will be held virtually until further notice.

California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA)

The Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program was developed in response to the consultations and input received from California Native American tribes during the tribal consultations on Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-82-20 (Nature-Based Solutions Executive Order), the Pathways to 30×30 Strategy, and Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy. In the Executive Order and both Strategies, the California Natural Resources Agency has committed to working towards meaningful partnerships with California Native American tribes in the implementation of our nature-based solutions policies and programs.  The new Tribal Nature-Based Solutions program and grant funds are part of that commitment and will be available to assist California Native American tribes in advancing multi-benefit nature-based solutions priorities for their communities.

Strategic Growth Council

• Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program (AHSC) builds healthier communities and protects the environment by increasing the supply of affordable places to live near jobs, stores, transit, and other daily needs. The program funds the construction of affordable housing along with sustainable transportation projects like sidewalks, bikeways, and transit. Funded through the states Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), the AHSC program has awarded more than $2.4 billion in funding across the state since its inception and the program has a goal to fund at least one tribal entity per round. The program offers state-funded Technical Assistance and Capacity Building to tribes and under-resourced communities to help them plan and implement a competitive application on an ongoing basis. 
• The Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC) protects agricultural lands and lands utilized for the cultivation of traditional foods, herbal medicine, fibers, and dyes from conversion to more greenhouse gas intensive uses while promoting smart growth, ensuring open space remains available, and supporting healthy agricultural and tribal food systems, and resulting food security. The program provides grants for three types of projects: Land Use Planning grants to develop local and regional land use policies; Agricultural Conservation Acquisition grants to permanently protect croplands, rangelands, and lands utilized for the cultivation of traditional resources from conversion to non-agricultural uses; and Capacity and Project Development grants to expand organizational capacity to develop agricultural conservation acquisition projects.   SALC is administered by the CA Department of Conservation. 
• The Transformative Climate Communities Program (TCC) funds transformative, innovative, and flexible projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution in while achieving achieve major environmental, health, and economic benefits. TCC empowers the communities most impacted by environmental burden to choose their own strategies best suited to achieve their community vision and enact transformational change. Tribal communities are encouraged to apply and will receive individualized technical assistance on their application. Tribes also have the opportunity to request modifications on certain requirements to make it best fit their community’s existing structure. Examples of eligible activities include affordable and sustainable housing developments, weatherization and solar projects,  greening projects, and more. To date, TCC has awarded over $326 million, with 4 tribes winning a grant. A fact sheet for tribal applicants can be found on our website. 
• The Community Resilience Centers (CRC) Program will fund neighborhood-level resilience centers to provide shelter and resources during climate and other emergencies, as well as year-round services and programming that strengthen community connections and ability to withstand disasters. CRC takes a holistic approach to building community resilience by bringing together a comprehensive set of infrastructure upgrades, service delivery, and supportive programming that are developed and implemented in partnership with neighborhood residents. Three grant types are available in Round 1 – Planning, Project Development, and Implementation Grants. CRC intends to award at least 5 grants in Round 1 to Tribes. 
• The Regional Climate Collaboratives (RCC) program is a capacity building grant program that helps communities establish partnerships, funding pathways, plan and policy readiness, and a technical assistance network to pursue investment and implement projects. The RCC program funds cross-sectoral collaboratives to build capacity to advance both place-based and regional climate projects. The goal of the program is to strengthen local coordination, leadership, knowledge, skills, and expertise with a focus on increasing access to funding for the region’s under-resourced communities to drive and sustain climate action. The RCC Program Objectives are to create actionable plans and projects, build social infrastructure, center community engagement and decision-making, and develop equity-centered processes.   
• The Tribal Capacity Building Pilot Program is a new program that will provide funding and tailored technical assistance to California Native American Tribes. Administered by the Strategic Growth Council (SGC), the goal of the pilot program is to assist tribes in developing long-term capacity to secure funding and implement tribal-led climate solutions.