Funding Wizard

The SAFER program supports permanent and sustainable drinking water solutions that ensure all Californians have access to safe, affordable, and reliable drinking water.

The primary purpose of the SAFER program is to bring true environmental justice to California and address the continuing disproportionate environmental burdens in the state by creating a fund that will assist in providing safe drinking water in every California community, for every Californian.  SAFER funds will help water systems provide a safe, accessible, and affordable supply of drinking water to communities in both the near and long terms by accelerating implementation of short- and long-term drinking water solutions, moving water systems to more efficient modes of operation, providing short-term operation and maintenance support as a bridge until long-term sustainable solutions are in place, and providing long-term operation and maintenance support when necessary.

The program was established from the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water (SADW) Fund through Senate Bill 200 (SB200) in 2019. The Fund will provide $130 million per year that will be used to ensure that one million Californians who currently lack safe drinking water receive safe & affordable drinking water as quickly as possible. The SAFER program also aims to reach sustainable operations for all of the state’s drinking water systems and is a critical element for achieving the goals of safe, accessible, and affordable water for all Californians.

Projects and/or services that are eligible for Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Funds must address: 1) existing or potential water quality compliance issues;  2) Technical, Managerial, or Financial capacity deficiencies that prevent a system from sustainably providing safe and affordable drinking water; and 3) improvements to public water systems, community water systems, state small water systems and domestic wells that are in violation or considered at-risk.

Through the California Climate Investments (CCI​) Fire Prevention Grant Program, CAL FIRE aims to reduce the risk of wildland fires to habitable structures and communities, while maximizing carbon sequestration in healthy wildland habitat and minimizing the uncontrolled release of emissions emitted by wildfires.

Project Types and Activities – The three qualifying projects and activities include those related to hazardous fuel reduction and removal of dead, dying, or diseased trees, fire prevention planning, and fire prevention education. Examples of qualifying projects and activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Hazardous Fuel Reduction
• Fire Prevention Education
• Fire Prevention Planning

All project and activity work related to grants must be completed by March 15, 2025 or March 15, 2026, depending on the source of the funds awarded.

Corpsmembers aged 18 – 25 years old complete a year of paid service and receive on-the-job training while completing projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Energy Corps projects include energy efficiency audits and retrofits. Individuals can apply to participate in the Energy Corps and organizations can apply to provide projects for the Energy Corps.

Corpsmembers aged 18 – 25 years old complete a year of paid service and receive on-the-job training while completing projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  California Conservation Corps (CCC) projects include reforestation, forest fuel reduction, habitat restoration, urban greening and community forestry.

Individuals can apply to participate in the Forest Health CCC program and organizations can apply to provide projects for the Forest Health CCC program.

The LIWP Farmworker Housing Component provides no-cost rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems and energy efficiency upgrades to low-income farmworker households to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower energy costs for participants. The Farmworker Housing Component is part of CSD's Low-Income Weatherization Program (LIWP) and is designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by saving energy and generating clean renewable energy. 

Farmworkers are one of the most vulnerable populations in the state because of seasonal employment and low wages. Farmworker families pay a larger share of their annual income on home energy, and often cut back on other critical needs to pay their energy bills. This new LIWP Farmworker Housing Component will increase the energy efficiency of homes owned or rented by farmworker families; reduce energy bills; provide access to solar energy; and provide health and safety improvements to homes. All services will be provided at no cost to eligible low-income farmworker households. LIWP, part of California Climate Investments, is an energy efficiency and renewable energy generation program administered by CSD that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and provides important co-benefits to households and communities including energy cost savings and job creation and training opportunities.

CSD selected La Cooperativa Campesina de California as the Administrator for the Farmworker Housing Component though a competitive procurement and a funding award of approximately $10.7 million. La Cooperativa, a nonprofit corporation, was established in 1995 with the mission to improve the lives of California's farmworkers, their families, and rural communities through advocacy and service. La Cooperativa previously served as a Regional Administrator for LIWP's Single-Family Energy Efficiency and Solar PV Program in a region that included Imperial, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, and San Diego Counties. While this program was not focused solely on farmworker housing, many farmworker households were able to benefit from accessing services under the program. La Cooperativa and a team of partner organizations that includes MAROMA Energy Services and Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Agencies will lead efforts across twelve counties with the highest farmworker populations to enroll eligible farmworker households and install energy saving and solar measures in single-family dwellings and buildings of 2-4 units.

These energy efficiency measures may include:
Insulation, Central Heating and Cooling System Upgrades, Washers, Dryers, Refrigerators and Freezers, Lighting Upgrades, Water Heater Replacement, Window Replacement, Rooftop Solar PV systems

The Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) promotes clean vehicle adoption by offering rebates of up to $7,000 for the purchase or lease of new, eligible zero-emission vehicles, including electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell vehicles. As long as funds are available, eligible California residents can follow a simple process to apply for a CVRP rebate after purchasing or leasing an eligible vehicle.

The Low-Income Weatherization Program's (LIWP's) Farmworker Housing Component installs no-cost energy efficiency improvements and/or solar PV systems for qualified farmworker households. Funded by the State of California to help households save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the program lowers energy costs for families and makes other improvements to improve the livability of housing. 

Launched in 2019, the LIWP Farmworker Housing Component provides services in the 12 counties in California that have the highest farmworker populations, including: 

​​​FRESNO COUNTY - IMPERIAL COUNTY​​ - KERN COUNTY - MADERA COUNTY - MERCED COUNTY - MONTEREY COUNTY - SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY - STANISLAUS COUNTY - RIVERSIDE COUNTY - SANTA BARBARA COUNTY - TULARE COUNTY - VENTURA COUN​​​​TY 

Provides technical assistance and incentives for the installation of energy efficiency measures and solar PV in low-income multi-family dwellings serving priority populations. These projects reduce residential energy demand and GHG emissions. Low-income residents that participate in this program benefit from lower energy costs. The program also helps preserve affordable housing by reducing owner operating costs.

CSD modeled its Multi-Family Program to improve the energy efficiency of multi-family buildings and achieve greenhouse gas emission reductions. Each building is thoroughly assessed and evaluated both visually and through the use of diagnostic energy audit tools to determine a suite of greenhouse gas reducing energy efficiency and renewable energy measures for installation and living in common areas.

The Association for Energy Affordability, Inc (AEA) serves as the statewide administrator of the LIWP Multi-Family Program. AEA conducts energy audits and modeling to identify energy efficiency measures and renewables for installation in qualifying multi-family buildings, with assistance and incentives to property owners towards agreed-upon scopes of work.

The Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation (SALC) Program fights climate change by protecting our productive farmlands and encouraging compact transit-oriented communities.

The SALC Program utilizes Cap-and-Trade proceeds to protect agricultural lands on the outskirts of cities and near residential neighborhoods from development.  The SALC program simultaneously supports California’s food security and encourages infill development and low-carbon transportation to curb sprawl.  Urban sprawl not only increases greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, as people have to drive further to get where they need to go, but also encroaches on agricultural lands that both store carbon and sustain our economy.

The program provides application assistance, partnership development and capacity building activities for eligible California Climate Investments applicants and is administered by the Strategic Growth Council to create more equitable opportunities by helping under-resourced applicants access funding.

The California Climate Investments Technical Assistance Program supports communities in applying to the California Climate Investments (CCI) funding programs. Created in 2016, the program aims to level the playing field for applicants that may lack the capacity to successfully access these funds, particularly those in that live in the state’s most disadvantaged communities. The Strategic Growth Council (SGC) works alongside a number of State agencies that implement CCI programs to provide application assistance, partnership development and capacity building activities to eligible applicants, enabling them to positively impact their communities. 

Each California Climate Investments program has its own set of goals and intended outcomes, meaning specific technical expertise is often required. In order to provide assistance that is tailored to each program, the SGC has divided resources amongst many of the agencies that administer programs. In many cases, technical assistance is provided through a partnership between state agencies and outside organizations with expertise in each program’s focus. A description of each of the participating CCI programs is listed below.