Funding Wizard

ecoTech™ Grants were created to combat the notion that students needed to choose between “the screen” or “the green” and to encourage educators and students to explore the role technology can play in designing and implementing solutions to some of our most pressing environmental challenges. We believe that technology can present innovative ways to address environmental challenges – and that when dealing with digital natives, we do ourselves a disservice by asking them to unplug.

Originally developed in partnership with the Ray C. Anderson Foundation and now funded with ongoing support from Voya Financial Foundation, ecoTech™ Grants are specifically offered to engage children in inquiry-based, STEM-related projects that leverage technology and/or use nature-based design to address environmental problems in local communities.

Examples of previous e

The Air Resources Board (CARB) Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) Policy allows community-based projects to be funded from a portion of the penalties received during settlement of enforcement actions. SEPs can improve public health, reduce pollution, increase environmental compliance, and bring public awareness to neighborhoods most burdened by environmental harm.

We are currently seeking project proposals that could be funded under proposed policy changes to CARB’s SEP Policy.

In order to qualify, project proposals must meet all the following criteria:

• Reduce direct/indirect air emissions or exposure to air pollution (e.g. Diesel PM, NOX, Greenhouse gases, VOCs, etc.)
• Relate to the violation
• Not benefit the violator
• Go above and beyond regulatory requirements
• Demonstrate that the proposal is technically, economically and legally feasible.
• Pursuant to Assembly Bill 1071, higher consideration will be given to projects within or that benefit disadvantaged communities.

In order for a project to be considered for funding, a SEP Proposal Form with supporting documentation is required. These proposals must meet the minimum requirements as listed above.

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The Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program provides incentive grants for cleaner-than-required engines, equipment, and other sources of pollution providing early or extra emission reductions. Eligible projects include cleaner on-road, off-road, marine, locomotive, and stationary agricultural pump engines. The program provides monetary grants to private companies and public agencies to clean up their heavy-duty engines beyond that required by law through retrofitting, re-powering, or replacing their engines with newer and cleaner engines.

In July of 2017, the California Assembly and Senate passed AB 617 directing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop the Community Air Protection Program (CAPP).  The Program’s focus is to reduce exposure in communities most impacted by air pollution and uses a variety of strategies including community-level monitoring, uniform emission reporting across the State, stronger regulation of pollution sources and incentives for both mobile and stationary sources.  To support AB 617 requirements, the Legislature has appropriated incentive funding, Community Air Protection (CAP) Incentives, to be administered by air districts in partnership with local communities, to support early actions to address localized air pollution.  The District will work collaboratively with CARB and actively engage with members of impacted communities in Placer County to create a community-focused action framework to address emission impacts, respond to concerns, improve air quality, and reduce exposure to criteria air pollutants and toxic air contaminants.

There are an estimated 320,000 fireplaces and wood stoves in Sacramento County homes. Wood smoke created from the use of wood and pellets in these devices is a significant source of particulate matter, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, toxic air contaminants and odors, especially during the winter. These pollutants are linked to serious health impacts. 

The Sac Metro Air District is committed to reducing pollution coming from wood burning fireplaces and wood stoves. It has an incentive program that helps people change out their existing wood burning units to cleaner units, and an enforcement program to stimulate compliance with rules related to wintertime burning activities.

The program offers deep discounts and, for low income qualified, may be free to some. See the FAQ below more details. In the process of reducing emissions from wood burning devices, South Coast AQMD is offering an incentive for residents, renters (with landlord approval), or landlords of a rental property in the areas surrounding cities of Riverside and San Bernardino or the community of Boyle Heights to replace their wood burning device. If you are a resident of one of these areas you may be eligible to receive funds for an installation of a cleaner burning alternative.

The purpose of this solicitation is to fund a design-build competition that will challenge multi-disciplinary project teams to design and build a mixed-use development – using cutting-edge energy technologies, tools and construction practices - that is affordable, equitable, emissions-free and resilient to climate change impacts and extreme weather events.

Deadline to Submit:

• Concept Application Abstracts: April 9, 2021 - 5PM PDT
• Full Applications for the Design Phase: July 28, 2021 - 5PM PDT
• Application Materials for the Build Phase: June 23, 2023 - 5PM PDT

The Transformative Climate Communities (TCC) Program provides unique opportunities to address climate change mitigation and adaptation together at the community scale.  Implementation Grants fund transportation, greening, energy, water, waste, housing, and health projects together.  Planning Grants fund community-led development of projects and goals to improve resilience.  TCC applications are developed through intensive community engagement.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) seeks to further develop and nurture a national innovation ecosystem that guides the output of scientific discoveries closer to the development of technologies, products, processes, and services that benefit society. The goal of the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Program, created in 2011 by NSF, is to reduce the time and risk associated with translating promising ideas and technologies from the laboratory to the marketplace, to increase the economic competitiveness of the United States, to encourage collaboration between academia and industry, and to train NSF-funded faculty, students, post-docs, and other researchers in innovation and entrepreneurship skills.The I-Corps Program utilizes experiential learning of customer and industry discovery, coupled with first-hand investigation of industrial problems and processes, to quickly assess the translational potential of inventions. The I-Corps Program is designed to support the commercialization of so-called "deep technologies," i.e., those based on fundamental discoveries in science and engineering. The I-Corps program addresses the skill and knowledge gap associated with the transformation of promising basic research outcomes into deep technology ventures (DTVs). In the program's initial phase, I-Corps Nodes and Sites were funded separately to serve as the backbone of the National Innovation Network (NIN). Previous solicitations for NSF I-Corps Nodes and NSF I-Corps Sites have now been archived. A solicitation for a new operational model, the I-Corps Hubs Program, was introduced in 2020 and replaced funding for Nodes and Sites. This revised I-Corps Hubs Solicitation has been informed by feedback received from the community and lessons learned over the first ten years of the I-Corps Program. In 2017, the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA, Public Law 114-329, Sec. 601) formally authorized and directed the expansion of the NSF I-Corps Program. Through this solicitation, NSF seeks to continue to evolve the current structure, in which NSF I-Corps Teams, Nodes, and Sites are funded through separate programs, toward a more integrated operational model capable of sustained operation at the scope and scale required to support the expansion of the NSF I-Corps Program as directed by AICA. In this more integrated model, I-Corps Hubs, comprising a Lead and initially seven Partner institutions, form the operational backbone of the NIN. Each Hub is funded through a single award, and the term "Hub" refers to a consortium of institutions identified in a proposal responding to this solicitation, including the Lead and Partner institutions. The I-Corps Hubs Program will support proposals from former Nodes and Sites (Track 1) and institutions new to I-Corps (Track 2). I-Corps Hubs are consortia of institutions of higher education spanning distinct geographic regions with common goals and challenges to collaborate to provide entrepreneurial training to members of the scientific community (students, postdocs, faculty, and other researchers). These collaborating institutions participate ina Hub to achieve operational excellence and to facilitate interactions with stakeholders in their entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem. Each Hub has a Lead institution to oversee operational management of the consortium and seven initial Partner institutions that contribute to the success of the Hub objectives, activities, and expected outcomes. A Lead institution may be a current or former I-Corps Node or Site (Track 1), or they may be entirely new to the I-Corps program (Track 2). Hubs are required to add at least one New Partner Institution(NPI)annually.NPIsare institutions of higher education that seek to join an existing Hub.Funding for NPIs will be provided through supplemental funding. NPIs are expected to collaborate with the Hub and demonstrate that the proposed activitiesof the NPI are coordinated with the Hub’s objectives and expected outcomes. It is expected that a process for Hub Renewals will be announced at a later date and may provide up to five additional years of funding for existing Hubs that are able to demonstrate their regional and national impact on the innovation ecosystem.