Just awarded! CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture) has released a list of organizations, that have been awarded to the Healthy Soils Program (HSP) and State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) Block Grant Pilot Programs. HSP funds agricultural practices that improve soil health and sequester carbon. SWEEP funds on-farm irrigation efficiency practices that save water and energy.
The organizations awarded block grant funding will now receive the money to disburse to farmers and ranchers in their area. Each organization will be creating program requirements unique to their area. Growers can apply with these awarded organizations just like they do with the traditional solicitations directly through CDFA. They can still use free Technical Assistance expertise to apply to these organizations. The organizations that are awarded block grants, will choose which growers get awarded and then administer the grant for its entirety.
Please look for your county below.
The full list of HSP Block Grant Awardees can be found here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/docs/HSP_Block_Grant_2023AwardedProjects.pdf
The full list of SWEEP Block Grant Awardees can be found here: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/docs/2023/2023_SWEEP_BGP_Awards_List.pdf
For example: Here's what this means for Sutter-Yuba Growers…
The Colusa Indian Community Council has been awarded the money to disburse for HSP and SWEEP practices. Growers will be able to submit applications to the Colusa Indian Community Council just like they would with CDFA's traditional incentive programs SWEEP and HSP grants. Growers can get help from a local Technical Assistance Provider to apply for these grants. Once growers have applied to the grants when they open, they will receive updates from the Colusa Indian Community Council to learn if they were awarded or not.
CDFA Incentive Grants for HSP and SWEEP
If there are no block grant awardees in your county, you can still apply directly through CDFA's traditional incentive programs for HSP and SWEEP. These grant applications are not currently open, but we expect them to be available later this Fall of 2023.