FAQ

Using the California Grants Portal

Where does information about these grants come from?

The state agency or department that administers the grant opportunity inputs all information into the Grants Portal. See the Glossary for a description of all information departments provide.

Are all of the state’s grants on the California Grants Portal?

No. The Grants Portal only hosts state grants that are offered on a competitive or first-come basis. Some grants may not be offered on a competitive or first-come basis, and those grants are not listed on this website.

Can I have new grant opportunities emailed to me?

Yes. You can subscribe to email updates about all new grant opportunities and new grant opportunities in a specific category. View a list of categories that you may subscribe to.

Can I apply for a grant through the California Grants Portal?

No. The Grants Portal hosts information about grant opportunities offered by different state agencies. You can find information about how to apply for each grant on the Grants Portal, but grantseekers must apply through the grantmaking agency’s own application processes.

Where can I find definitions for the terms used on the Grants Portal?

Find definitions for terms in the Glossary. In addition, when using the Find Grants page, hover over terms underlined with a dotted line to see a brief definition.

How often do you get new grants? 

State agencies are required to register each of their grants in the Grants Portal prior to the beginning of the solicitation or award process.

I have a question about a specific grant opportunity. To whom can I ask my question?

Each grant opportunity includes a “Resources” box that includes contact information at the grantmaking agency. Grantseekers may send any grant-related questions to the provided email or phone number. There is also a link to the webpage (or RFP, etc.) the department hosts for that particular grant. The Grants Portal provides a summary, but it remains important to read all grant information provided by the department.

Can I also find the same grant on the website of the state agency offering the grant?

Yes. When viewing a grant opportunity through the Grants Portal, you’ll see in the “Resources” box a link to the agency’s website as well as a link for more details about the grant, which will be hosted on the agency’s website as well.

Do you have grants for individuals?

Yes. Some grants are available to individuals. There are various ways to sort grants by eligibility. For example, when using the homepage grants search tool, select “Individual” under “Any Applicant Type.” This will allow you to view all grants that an individual is eligible for.

How can I print grant details? 

You can print the grant details page or save the page as a PDF by using your browsers print function.

What post award information do grantmaking agencies submit and how can I access it?

Per AB132 grantmakers are required to submit data about each awardee for grants that close on or after July 1, 2022. Visit the Glossary to review post award data elements. You can view post award data at the bottom of the grant details page. Note that grantmakers may take up to one year to submit post award data.

Why don’t I see any post award data for some state agencies?

Grantmaking agencies often take several months to review applications and sign grant agreements with awardees. For this reason, grantmakers have up to one year to submit data. Post award data is only required for grants closing on or after July 1, 2022; therefore, many agencies may not submit their first set of data until mid to late 2023.

How do I find additional information about grant sub-recipients?

Post award data will indicate if sub-recipients were included in a grant agreement; however, the California Grants Portal does not collect additional information on sub-recipients. You can reach out to the administering agency to learn more about sub-recipients. Agency contact information is available under the “Resources” section of the grant details page.  

Building the California Grants Portal

Why was this site created?

The Grant Information Act of 2018 (Stats. 2018, Ch. 318) required the State Library to build one website by July 1, 2020, “that provides a centralized location … to find state grant opportunities.”

How were the categories devised? 

The State Library developed grant categories based on feedback about the number of grants in different categories by various state agencies, discussions with grantseekers, and a review of other grant search tools. We expect to make changes to the list as the first year of data allows for a better view into the number and type of grants made available by the State of California, as well as the search queries grantseekers use to find relevant grant opportunities.  

Who decides the categories for each grant? 

The State Library offers state agencies and departments a list of categories their grant may fall under. Agencies and departments select which categories best fit each opportunity.

Accessing Grants Data

Do you have an API? How can I find the raw data for this site?  

Yes, the Application Programming Interface (API) is available through the State Library’s page on data.ca.gov, the State’s open data portal. You can also download the data in csv.  

How many state grants are there?  

The number of active grants administered by the state vary throughout the year based on programming priorities and available funding. Visit our statistics page to view the number of grants posted on the California Grants Portal. Note that this website went live in July 2020 and does not include past grant opportunities.  

Which agency has the most grants? 

We are collecting and making available statistical information about grants and you can view the statistics page to find more information.  Since the Grants Portal is still very new, we do not yet have complete data to answer this question.