The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is accepting applications for its Green Schoolyards Grant.
Donor Name: California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)
State: California
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/28/2023
Size of the Grant: $2,500,000
Details:
Two grant options will be offered for Green Schoolyards projects. These two grant types are independent of each other. The Planning Grant focuses on all planning activities only; funding for the implementation of the project may be awarded by CAL FIRE if funding is available and a future grant application is successful. The implementation grant type can include all activities covered under the Planning Grants plus the implementation of all project components.
Option 1: Implementation Grant
- Eligible Applicants: cities, counties, qualifying districts (including schools and eligible child care facilities), or nonprofit organizations.
- Budget limitations: Between $500,000 and $30,000,000 awarded per applicant including $2,500,000 max. per school campus included in the project. Funds paid on reimbursement basis. Advance payment options available to nonprofits serving disadvantaged communities.
Option 2: Planning Grant
- All planning aspects of the grant project are included in this option following the eligible practices and costs section for the Implementation Grants. The goal of this option is to complete the plan for implementation of a Green Schoolyards project including preliminary site designs, environmental assessments (e.g., HazMat identification and plan for remediation), CEQA, stakeholder engagement, any permitting, and other steps required for the implementation of the project. The goal of this grant type, grantees are able to have a shovel-ready project including the associated project budget estimate. At the end of this grant period, applicants can apply for an Implementation Grant with the CAL FIRE Urban and Community Forestry Program or other funding entity when funding is made available.
- Budget limitations: Between $75,000 and $3,000,000 awarded per applicant including $200,000 max. per school campus included in the project. Funds paid on reimbursement basis. Advance payment options available to nonprofits serving disadvantaged communities.
- Eligible Applicants: cities, counties, qualifying districts (including schools and eligible child care facilities), or nonprofit organizations.
Eligible Applicants and Priority Populations
Eligible applicants include cities, counties, qualifying districts, or nonprofit organizations qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Districts include, but are not limited to, school or park districts.
Up to $117 million will be available for Green Schoolyards projects including at least $30 million for grants to eligible child care facilities receiving government funding. The word “School” in these guidelines shall include eligible child care facilities.
Note: Applicants shall obtain a memorandum of understanding (MOU), resolution, or certified letter from the respective local educational or child services agency supporting the project before being awarded a grant. Overall, at least 70% of funds will be made available to projects that focus on in-need education facilities, which are:
- School sites located in disadvantaged communities or low income communities as identified by CalEnviroscreen 4.0 (defined in Section 39711 and Section 39713 of the Health and Safety Code) or
- School sites in which 70 percent or more of the students are eligible for free or reducedprice meals (defined in Section 42238.01 of the Education Code)
- School sites with an unduplicated student count of free/reduced-price meals, English learners & foster youth of 70% or more per California Department of Education Education Data Partnership.
With justification, other tools or indices may be used to identify disadvantaged status, such as the California Heat Assessment Tool or Healthy Places Index.
Proof will be required at the application submittal stage and any application not meeting the claimed status will be rejected. Funding recipients will need to report on how the project benefits have addressed the identified community need.
For more information, visit Green Schoolyards Grant.
