OPC Proposition 1 Grant Program

OPC Proposition 1 funds are no longer available.  

Coastal Environmental Justice Solicitation, Round 4 (2021)

Six projects were approved by OPC for the Coastal Environmental Justice Grant Solicitation at the December 7, 2021 Council meeting. Review the Staff Recommendation for this round of approved projects. Also, see this blog post announcing these multi-benefit projects that span California’s coastline.

Solicitation Overview

In March of 2021, the California Ocean Protection Council released a solicitation for letters of intent on coastal projects that benefit environmental justice communities and improve water quality. This solicitation included a Letter of Intent phase and a Full Proposal phase. Letters of Intent were reviewed, and selected applicants were invited back to submit Full Proposals. General information about the solicitation and resources for applicants who were invited to submit full proposals are available below.

• Maximum Funding Available in this round: $7.5 million
• Minimum and Maximum Award Amounts: $100,000-$5 million (OPC strongly encourages project budgets over $250,000)
• Maximum Project Length: Projects must be complete by December 2024 (with projects starting in 2022)
• Full proposals were due June 30, 2021 using the Full Proposal Template. This solicitation is no longer open.

Applicants should carefully review the resources below and the OPC Prop 1 Grant Guidelines, the Solicitation.

Application Resources

• Full Proposal Template
• Supplemental Document Forms:
  • CEQA and Environmental Compliance Form
  • Permit Approval Status Form
  • Land Tenure/Property Data/Site Control Form
  • Nonprofit Organization Questionnaire
  • Governing Body Resolution
  • STD (State Form) 204 – Needed for Department of Finance to issue payment
  • STD (State Form) 205 – Optional, only needed if mailing address is different from address provided on STD 204
• Frequently Asked Questions (from the Letter of Intent phase)
• Grant Guidance for Grantees
• California Conservation Corps Consultation Process and Information

Developing Partnerships and Engagement Resources

OPC is seeking projects that include community-based organizations in project implementation. Resources for developing partnerships and engagement with Communities are provided below:

• The Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership, Facilitating Power
• Partnering with Community-Based Organizations for more Broad-Based Public Engagement, Institute for Local Government
• Tips for Meaningful Community Engagement, State Coastal Conservancy
• Meaningful Engagement for Environmental Justice Without Public Meetings – Slides, Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice (EJ IWG) Panel
  • Webinar Video
• Miro: An Online Visual Collaboration Platform for Teamwork
  • Miro Tutorial

OPC Prop 1 Priority Areas Interactive Web Map:

Coastal EJ Solicitation Webinars

Full Proposal Webinar: OPC staff held a webinar on June 2, 2021 from 2:00-3:00PM for selected applicants invited back to submit a full proposal. OPC staff walked through the full proposal template, additional forms, and answered questions. Webinar recording and slides are available.

Informational Webinar: OPC staff held an informational public webinar for prospective applicants on March 29 from 2:00-3:00 PM. OPC staff presented on solicitation priorities, the application process and timeline, and received questions. Webinar recording and slides are available.

Contact Information

If you have questions about this solicitation and application process, please email OPC_Prop1grants@resources.ca.gov.

The lead staff for this Prop 1 solicitation is Maria Rodriguez.

OPC Adopts New Proposition 1 Grant Guidelines

The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) has adopted the revised Proposition 1 (Prop 1) Grant Guidelines at its February 2021 meeting. The Grant Guidelines focus OPC’s Prop 1 funds on projects benefitting communities entitled to environmental justice (Communities). Major revisions to the Prop 1 Guidelines included changes to OPC’s priority projects and to the scoring criteria.

Previous Versions of OPC Proposition 1 Grant Guidelines

• 2017 OPC Prop 1 Grant Guidelines
• 2015 OPC Prop 1 Grant Guidelines

Proposition 1 Background

The Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014 (Proposition 1 or “Prop 1”) was approved by voters in November 2014 (California Water Code CWC Division 26.7). Funding from Prop 1 is intended to fund projects that provide more reliable water supplies, restore important species and habitat, and develop a more resilient and sustainably managed water system (water supply, water quality, flood protection, and environment) that can better withstand inevitable and unforeseen pressures in the coming decades.

Prop 1 Chapter 6, “Protecting Rivers, Lakes, Streams, Coastal Waters, and Watersheds,” allocates $30 million to the OPC for a competitive grant program for multibenefit ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration projects in accordance with statewide priorities, CWC §79730 and §79731(d). It is the intent of the OPC to fund projects that meet Prop 1 criteria and fulfill of the mission of the OPC to ensure that California maintains healthy, resilient, and productive ocean and coastal ecosystems for the benefit of current and future generations.

More information about Proposition 1 can be found at the California Natural Resources Agency’s Bond Accountability Website.

Contact

General Inquiries
copcpublic@resources.ca.gov

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