Transformative Climate Communities Round 6 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT Grant (FY 25-26)

Details

Purpose:

The TCC Program furthers the purposes of AB 32 (Nunez, 2006) and AB 2722 (Burke, 2016) by funding projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) through the development and implementation of neighborhood-level transformative climate community plans that include multiple coordinated GHG emissions reduction projects that provide local economic, environmental, and health benefits to disadvantaged communities.

Description:

The Transformative Climate Communities Program (TCC), established by AB 2722 (Burke, 2016), invests in community-led climate resilience projects in the state’s most overburdened communities. The program objectives are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve public health and the environment, and support economic opportunity and shared prosperity. TCC’s unique, place-based strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is designed to catalyze collective impact through a combination of community-driven climate projects in a single neighborhood.

The Project Development Grants support disadvantaged communities by funding pre-development and basic infrastructure activities that advance the communities’ climate and community resilience goals and prepare them for future funding opportunities aligned with the TCC Program Objectives. Project Development Grants should respond to previous community planning efforts that identified priority projects and need additional project development and basic infrastructure support funding to get ready for future resilience funding. SGC developed this pilot grant type in Round 5 TCC in response to the expressed support gap between Planning and Implementation Grant funding and to meet communities where they are in their climate resilience efforts, and will continue it into Round 6. 

Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities (DUCs), Tribal Communities, Planning Grant Grantees, and Previous Implementation Grant Applicants will be prioritized for Project Development Grants, with DUCs given the most priority.

TCC Implementation Grants and Planning Grants support holistic neighborhood proposals and planning activities, respectively, to advance community-led goals and projects. Please see separate Grants Portal entries for information on Planning Grants and Implementation Grants.

A wide variety of activities and costs can be funded through the grant. Please see the Round 6 Guidelines for a list of example eligible activities.

Multiple Co-Applicants are required. A diverse range of community, business and local government stakeholders must form a Collaborative Governance Structure to develop a shared vision of transformation for their community.

Applicants must include community engagement activities and address climate resilience through the proposal. Applicants may also address other transformative elements such as displacement avoidance and workforce development, if applicable.

Applicants from Tribal Communities, Tribally-owned non-profits, and with Project Areas in Disadvantaged Unincorporated Communities are prioritized for Application Technical Assistance. July 31, 2026, is the priority deadline to request Application Technical Assistance via the TA Application Request Form. Application TA services may be available to additional applicants depending on funding availability and TA provider capacity, after the July 31st deadline. 

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Nonprofit
  • Public Agency
  • Tribal Government

A Lead Applicant must be based in California and be one of the following:
• California Native American Tribes
• Tribally-owned nonprofit
• IRC 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization
• Public agency
• Local agency
• Special district
• Joint powers authority
• Public utility
• Local publicly owned utility
• Mutual water company

Private shareholder corporations (as defined in Appendix A) are not eligible as Lead Applicants or Co-Applicants.

Eligible Geographies:

Project Areas must be designated as disadvantaged communities per the TCC Guidelines, and may include eligible incorporated, unincorporated, and Tribal areas within federally recognized Tribal territories. Project Areas may be any shape and must have a continuous boundary, with exceptions for Tribal applicants and Project Areas in rural areas. See Section 3.3 Project Area Eligibility for more info and options for establishing eligibility.

 

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
Spring 2027
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
2 years

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$15,000,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
$1 – $5,000,000
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • State

Funding Source Notes:

2024 Climate Bond

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Advances & Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

Lead Grantees may request reimbursement from SGC on a quarterly basis (every three months). Advance payments can be up to 25 percent of the total grant award, which can be provided in one payment or spread across a series of smaller installments and is to be determined in the Grant Agreement.

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
1-916-324-9775, tcc@sgc.ca.gov