The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is seeking applications for its Healthy Soils Program Block Grant Program.
Donor Name: California Department of Food and Agriculture
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/15/2026
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
Through the Block Grant model, CDFA’s Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS), partners with regional organizations to administer local grant programs that support farmers and ranchers implementing healthy soils practices.
The Healthy Soils Program (HSP) stems from the California Healthy Soils Initiative, a collaboration of state agencies and departments that convened in 2015 to promote healthy soils on California’s farmlands and ranchlands. In 2025, CDFA finalized a definition for regenerative agriculture that recognizes building soil health as a key outcome. The department defines regenerative agriculture as an integrated approach to farming and ranching rooted in principles of soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem resilience, while maintaining or improving productivity. Since 2017, HSP has provided incentives to farmers and ranchers for a suite of on-farm practices known to promote carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas reductions.
Objectives
- Phase 1. Outreach and On-Farm Project Selection
- Develop a Process for Selecting On-Farm Projects- In collaboration with OARS, create a fair, transparent and goal-aligned selection process.
- Perform Outreach- Widely advertise the funding opportunity to the service area identified in the Scope of Work, with a focus on reaching growers who will help the project meet identified goals.
- Provide Application and Project Design Technical Assistance- Work closelywith producers to gather necessary application information and prepare an eligible project design.
- Select On-Farm Projects- Complete on-farm project selection.
- Phase 2. On-Farm Project Implementation and Outcomes
- Obtain Grant Beneficiary Commitments – Develop written agreements with producers that lay out the responsibilities of both the Beneficiary and the BGR in implementing the on-farm project.
- Provide Implementation Technical Assistance and Facilitate On-Farm Project Completion- Maintain technical assistance throughout the onfarm project implementation with a commitment to the best possible outcomes for beneficiaries, including recurring site visits as appropriate.
- Disburse Funds to Grant Beneficiaries in a Timely Manner- Provide advances and/or reimbursements in a timely manner as on-farm projects progress and are verified as complete.
- Amplify Project Outcomes- During the grant term host at least one demonstration field event and develop case studies and media materials to document the outcomes of on-farm projects
Goals
The most competitive applications will demonstrate readiness to support the following targets set in the Climate Bond:
- Target 1: 40% of Climate Bond funds must provide “meaningful and direct benefits” to DACs, SDACs and vulnerable populations (which includes SDFRs and Tribes).
- Target 2: 10% of Climate Bond funds must provide meaningful and direct
benefits to SDACs. - Additionally, CDFA also has a requirement under the Canella Act to dedicate 25% of technical assistance funding for HSP and SWEEP to supporting SDFRs.
- Target 3: 25% of technical assistance funds will support SDFRs
Funding Information
$65 million for grants that promote practices on farms and ranches that improve soil health or accelerate atmospheric carbon removal or soil carbon sequestration.
Eligibility Criteria
- Lead Applicant
- The following organizations are eligible to apply as a Lead Applicant:
- Public agencies
- Local agencies
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
- Special districts
- Joint Powers Authorities
- Public utilities and locally owned utilities
- Mutual water companies
- California Native American Tribes
- The following organizations are eligible to apply as a Lead Applicant:
- Technical Assistance Providers (TAPs)
- Block Grant Recipients may serve as the Technical Assistance Provider Lead Organization if they are eligible under the Canella Environmental Farming Act.
- Eligible entities include:
- Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs)
- University of California Cooperative Extension
- California public colleges and universities
- Nonprofit organizations
- Groundwater Sustainability Agencies
- Irrigation districts.
- Grant Beneficiary (Beneficiary) Individuals or entities that either own or control the agricultural land where HSP practices /SWEEP projects will be implemented. Grant Beneficiaries’ projects will be referenced as “on-farm projects.
For more information, visit CDFA.
