California Air Resources Board

The Air Grants Program is a part of CARB’s overall efforts to implement Assembly Bill 617.  Signed into law in 2017, AB 617 established a community-based framework to improve air quality and reduce exposure to toxic air pollutants in California communities most impacted by air pollution. As an initial step toward building the capacity of California communities to participate in the implementation of AB 617, CARB developed the Air Grants Program. CARB is proposing to award 29 applicants under the fiscal year 2018-2019 State budget for a total of $5 million.

CARB is proposing to award Community Air Grants to the following list of applicants.  Final awards are contingent upon the following conditions:

• No award can be made until CEQA requirements are satisfied via reviews now underway;
• No agreement between CARB and the proposed awardee is in effect until the agreement is signed by the proposed awardee and the authorized CARB representative.

CARB staff may be contacting proposed awardees for additional information.  Such information may include information necessary to complete CEQA review prior to approval of the grant.  CARB reserves the right to cancel this solicitation at any time.

Awardee Summaries

All Positives Possible: Identifying Community Health Impacts from Vapor Intrusion

This project will serve the South and East Vallejo areas. The project will reduce, and ultimately eliminate, adverse health impacts from Vapor Intrusion toxic air pollution that enters homes and affects indoor air quality by conducting research, identifying residents/homes affected by Vapor Intrusion, carrying out educational and outreach activities to raise awareness and generate solutions to minimize residents' exposure to these toxic contaminants.

Air District: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $100,000.00

Blue Lake Rancheria: Community Air Monitoring with Kids Making Sense

The Blue Lake Rancheria is a Native American Reservation, eligible for Community Air Grant Funding. The educational project will bring hands-on air quality monitoring and curriculum to Blue Lake Elementary, with focused AB 617 information.  Through the Pathmakers Program, the project would additionally serve three priority populations at Arcata High School, McKinleyville High School and Hoopa High School.

Air District: North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $98,334.00

BREATHE California of Los Angeles County: BREATHE LA Collaborative Air Quality Initiative

This project will serve Pacoima in Los Angeles County. This project will provide specific information about the direct effects on community residents with asthma who are most vulnerable to air quality conditions. Air monitoring will support and track individual exposures using personal, portable monitors to help increase awareness by understanding the impact of air quality on inhaler use.

Air District: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $293,148.00

Brightline Defense Project: Brightline Defense Project

This project serves the South of Market, Mid-Market, and Tenderloin neighborhoods of San Francisco.  This project will continuously evaluate air pollution levels throughout these three communities with Clarity Node-S devices as well as analyze the data to help shape programs and policies to create sustainable environments. The Brightline Program also creates a collaboration with current youth programming to identify long-term career and job pathways for priority populations.

Air District: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $299,920.00

Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Stockton: Stockton Port Project

This project will serve the Port of Stockton area. This project will address community-level air quality concerns, build community capacity, increase their ownership of local projects, and improve community understanding of AB 617 through participation in identifying and evaluating air pollution sources and determining best strategies to improve air quality.

Air District: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
Amount Requested: $100,000.00

Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice: Toward Air Quality and Climate Resilience in West San Bernardino

This project will serve the community of Westside San Bernardino in San Bernardino County. This project will deliver an inclusive, community-centered planning process that can maximize the benefits of air monitoring, climate preparedness action and building physical (body) and behavioral resiliencies among lower-income populations and communities of color, while creating a greater resilience by empowering those most affected to shape the decisions that will impact their lives. Transformative actions, such as policies that address the root causes of persistent social inequities, can be paired with measures that prepare communities for future climate change impacts and reduce potential hazard vulnerability.

Air District: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $300,000.00

Central California Asthma Collaborative: Community Air Grant II

This project will serve the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) area (8 counties). The project includes the continued operation, data collection, and real-time display of calibrated data from low-cost particulate matter air monitors installed in communities across the SJV.  This project will also expand the capacity of the SJV Community Air Monitoring Network and the associated outreach in SJV communities. 

Air District: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
Amount Requested: $298,896.00

CleanEarth4Kids.org: #SolutionsForPollution and #SolutionsForClimateChange

The project will teach community members how to advocate for children's health, clean air, clean water and non-toxic lands through education, collaboration, activities, contests and challenges.

Air District: San Diego Air Pollution Control District
Amount Requested: $99,560.00

Coalition for Clean Air: Community Health Assessment & Environmental Education Project

This project will serve North LA (Pacoima), South East LA, Del Amo, Wilmington, Carson, and West Long Beach. The project will acquire new information regarding air quality and related health impacts and raise awareness of air pollution in the target communities. Project tasks include pre-survey outreach and communications, truck count surveys, air quality sensor deployment, community health assessment survey development, community health assessment surveys data collection, data analysis and report writing, and report distribution. Community and key stakeholder meetings will be held, along with health fairs.

Air District: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $297,220.00

Communities for a Better Environment: CBE Communities 2020 617 Engagement for Clean Air

This project will serve Wilmington, Southeast Los Angeles, East Oakland and Richmond areas. This project will aim to increase AB 617 awareness and engagement of the residents and increase leadership development in order to effectively engage in decision-making; in-house technical assistance will be provided.

Air District: South Coast Air Quality Management District and Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $99,998.00

Fighting Back Partnership - Vallejo Citizen Air Monitoring Network: Vallejo Citizen Air Monitoring Network Outreach and Community Engagement

This project will serve the Vallejo area. The project aims to conduct outreach to understand the community's needs around air quality/health, create an opportunity to gather community feedback on challenges, build an understanding of air pollution and environmental issues, empower communities to engage in the decision-making process for improving air pollution and possible remediation through green infrastructure, and forge alliances with sister groups to ready the community for future work.

Air District: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $99,986.00

Groundwork Richmond, Inc.: Air Rangers II: Citizen Science Environmental Monitoring - Capacity Building Program

This project will serve the Richmond area. The project will extend a near-real time air quality monitoring, modeling, and information-dissemination program (Air Rangers) that is critical to the development and evaluation of planned community emissions reduction intervention in one of the most highly affected disadvantaged communities in California.  Black carbon concentration data will be collected, relevant information to Richmond communities will be disseminated to remove barriers to participation in the growing effort to reduce local emissions, and further engagement of the Richmond community in understanding and ameliorating their air pollution exposure will occur. This project will also provide Richmond youth with a job opportunity, powerful quantitative skills, and marketable skills in environmental data science, advocacy, and research.

Air District: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $299,095.00

Human Impact Partners: Assessment of Coal and Petcoke Project

This project will serve Richmond. This project will conduct local air quality monitoring that detects coal-specific particulate matter air pollution at a current coal terminal in Richmond and associated rail lines.  Dispersion modeling will be conducted to create a neighborhood risk profile of ambient coal-related PM concentrations. Based on that profile, mortality, morbidity, and health services impacts expected from the measured exposure will be quantified.

Air District: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $256,158.00

Little Manila Foundation: Dr. Dawn Mabalon Asthma Initiative

This project will serve the South Stockton area. The project will leverage AB 617 funding that will be targeted to increase community air monitoring and develop emissions reduction strategies by educating and engaging residents and community leaders, and conducting trainings to empower residents and leaders to advocate for change.

Air District: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
Amount Requested: $100,000.00

Morongo Band of Mission Indians: Morongo Community Air Quality Network

The Morongo Community Air Quality Monitoring Network will be located on the Morongo Indian Reservation, in Riverside County, California. Five low-cost air quality monitors will be installed in strategic locations on the Reservation. Most of them will be in undeveloped, open space, adjacent to the Morongo Community area. Due to the remote monitoring locations, these sensors will be configured with solar power.

Air District: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $150,531.00

Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles: SCLA-PUSH Moving Towards Meaningful Solutions

This project will serve the South Central Los Angeles area. The project aims to strengthen community residents' technical capacity to develop solutions leading  to tangible improvements in air quality while minimizing susceptibilities and bolstering small business. The project will provide community education and technical training on emission reduction solutions, develop a set of tools to assess the viability of Best Available Control Technologies and community driven solutions, and design a community Regeneration Plan through community visioning and planning.

Air District: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $300,000.00

Physicians, Scientists, and Engineers for Healthy Energy: Richmond Air Monitoring Network Phase II: Black Carbon and Particulate Matter Characterization

This project will serve the cities of Richmond, North Richmond and the San Pablo areas. The project will expand the Richmond Air Monitoring Network which will allow increased air quality data collection and understanding of air pollution in the Richmond area.  It will take advantage of existing community engagement efforts, monitoring sites, and data visualization platforms.

Air District: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $299,786.00

Safe Routes to School National Partnership: Safe Routes Muscoy Air Quality (SRMAQ)

The goal of the Safe Routes Muscoy Air Quality project is to increase community knowledge of air quality topics, to inform community needs assessments related to Safe Routes to School as a solution, and provide education and training to support community advocacy regarding the allocation of AB 617 incentive funding and other opportunities for community members to address environmental justice air quality issues.  This goal will be accomplished over 18 months and includes three objectives with aligned tasks, activites, and defined outcomes.  The objectives, tasks, and activities outlined to support the Safe Routes Muscoy Air Quality project overall goal, aim to enable and empower the community of Muscoy to understand, engage, and improve the air quality in their community and ultimately improve the health of the community.

Air District: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $100,000.00

San Leandro 2050: Community Outreach and Listening Sessions

The project will create a framework for building climate literacy and capabilities among San Leandro's focus neighborhoods.  The project aim is to ensure that all climate mitigation or adaptation planning, projects, or funding equally benefits all of San Leandro's citizens including those that live in areas not typically involved in city project discussions.  The project could serve as a catalyst for a long-term relationship with these neighborhoods in the City's affairs and further strengthen the City as a diverse and inclusive community.  The project timeframe coincides with the City of San Leandro Climate Action Plan update.

Air District: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $83,480.00

Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians: Chumash Community Air Monitoring Network

This project will serve the Santa Ynez Chumash Reservation in Santa Barbara County. The Chumash Community Air Quality Monitoring Project will help improve air quality on the Reservation. This goal will by achieved through the establishment of a real-time monitoring network, strategic air quality sampling, community engagement and education, and tribal capacity building.

Air District: Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District
Amount Requested: $177,101.00

Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs - Central California Environmental Justice Network: Collaboration for Clean Air in the San Joaquin Valley

This project will serve communities in Kern, Tulare, Kings, Fresno, and San Joaquin Counties. The project will build capacity for AB 617 communities in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), continue to support Year 1 communities in the SJV during implementation phase, and conduct volatile organic compound, particulate matter, and pesticide sampling.

Air District: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
Amount Requested: $300,000.00

Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs - Valley Improvement Projects: Stanislaus County Air Quality Awareness Project

This project will serve Stanislaus County. This project will focus on reaching out to communities, providing them with educational information, learning from the residents' experiences, developing networks and organizing infrastructures. Furthermore, it will focus on assisting in the navigation of pertinent regulatory agencies and developing actions that will lead to the improvement of air quality.

Air District: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
Amount Requested: $49,850.00

Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs - Coalition for a Safe Environment: Coalition for a Safe Environment

This project will serve Wilmington in Los Angeles County. This project will establish the first Environmental Justice Community based low-cost multi-gas VOC stationary air quality monitoring network pilot program in Wilmington. A project Air Quality Monitoring Data Platform and Dashboard will be created on the website, along with a wireless low cost sensor/monitor network. A community based participatory research science project will create a Community Advisory Committee, student and adult internship training program and include project open houses, public presentations, public information, and public website. University scientists and technical assistance consultants will support the successful implementation of the pilot project.

Air District: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $300,000.00

Strategic Energy Innovations: Air Quality Education: East Bay

The project will engage Oakland, Antioch, and Pittsburg middle and high school students in air quality education and action planning utilizing the Kids Making Sense air quality education program.  Kids Making Sense teaches students about monitoring and improving air quality in their communities.  In this program, students learn about particulate matter pollution, its sources, health effects, and actions that can be taken to reduce air pollution.

Air District: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $90,829.00

Strategic Energy Innovations: Air Quality Education: Rialto

The project will engage Rialto Unified School District middle and high school students in air quality education and action planning.  Strategic Energy Innovations (SEI) and Sonoma Technology, Incorporated (STI) will recruit teachers to implement air quality education in their classrooms using existing SEI and STI networks. SEI and STI will plan and administer a teacher training to prepare teachers to teach air quality monitoring, data analysis, and action planning.  In the teacher training, teachers will learn how to use Kids Making Sense Kits and the environmental justice and air quality curriculum.  During the school year, SEI will offer instructional planning and direct instruction support to all teachers participating, while guiding students in their action campaigns.

Air District: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $90,829.00

The Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment: The Bay Area Youth (BAY) Air Action Plan Project

This project will serve the Oakland and Richmond areas. This project will strengthen youth engagement in AB 617-related planning and community outreach by broadening community knowledge about air pollution and its health impacts in the area, encouraging participation in AB 617 planning and participation by young people and community members, and building a broad base of support for action to address long-standing pollution problems.

Air District: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $45,015.00

Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians: Establish Tribal Air Monitoring Program

This project will serve the Coachella area. The project will continue the Tribe's air monitoring efforts as the Quantification Settlement Agreement begins to be implemented and will continue sharing real-time air quality data with the community. This project will also continue to facilitate acquisition of publicly available, regulatory-quality air data. This data may be used to inform community air management decisions in the future and accurately assess the changes in air quality due to the receding Salton Sea. This project will provide valuable air quality information directly to the impacted community through outreach at community events, information posted on the Tribal Government website, and air quality updates through in-person community events, and digitally via text or email.

Air District: South Coast Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $167,722.00

United Way of Kern County: UWKC's Community Clean Air Project

United Way of Kern County's Community Clean Air Project will take place at two existing Born Learning Trail Locations: Baker Library in Bakersfield, CA and Cormack Park in Wasco, CA.  The benefits of this project will be the environmental/clean air education brought to the disadvantaged communities, bringing together community leaders and members to achieve clean air goals and change community health by offering resources on clean air living.

Air District: San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
Amount Requested: $100,000.00

Valley Vision, Inc.: Sacramento Neighborhoods Activating on Air Quality (SNAAQ)

The project will empower community residents, business owners and educational institutions in vulnerable Sacramento communities to identify solutions for achieving cleaner air and to take ownership of environmental decision-making processes that affect neighborhoods.  The project involves four primary components: 1) air monitoring outreach and siting; 2) education; 3) community workshops; and 4) coalition building.

Air District: Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District
Amount Requested: $299,590.00