SACRAMENTO – A newly launched online portal makes key information about California Climate Investments easy to access to learn more about funding opportunities, see funding success stories and provide a one-stop shop for implementation partners. The investments program largely benefits the state’s disadvantaged and low-income communities and spurs greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

The release of the new California Climate Investments resource portal comes as the program marks 10 years and more than $11 billion in investments. The portal features tools that help communities participate in the success and impact of the program, which include:

• An up-to-date list of open funding opportunities to see which California Climate Investments programs are currently open to applicants.
• A library of over 200 California Climate Investments project profiles that highlight how program funds can be used to make an impact locally and beyond.
• Resources to support Tribal communities in accessing California Climate Investments funding.
• A Community Connections directory so that aspiring applicants can find other partners to strengthen project applications or learn from success stories.
• Resources specifically targeted to state and community partners to assist with designing California Climate Investments programs and projects to support high-quality jobs, perform outreach and community engagement, and deliver meaningful benefits to California’s communities.
• The California Climate Investments funding and public participation calendar, which provides upcoming funding timelines and displays public participation opportunities such as workshops, public comment periods and listening sessions.
• An interactive map of the more than 500,000 projects that have received California Climate Investments funding.

“The California Climate Investments resource portal is a game-changing opportunity for communities and partners that are seeking funding support. This resource portal makes key information readily accessible so that all communities can engage with California Climate Investments, develop competitive applications, and learn about impacts in their area,” said Mario Cruz, chief of the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Climate Investments Branch, which oversees and manages the portfolio of investments.

Alongside the website update, CARB is also releasing updated funding guidelines that provide direction for agencies that administer California Climate Investments to design and implement their programs in ways that facilitate greenhouse gas emissions reductions, meet statutory requirements and target investments to the state’s disadvantaged and low-income communities. The draft 2024 Funding Guidelines for Agencies that Administer California Climate Investments are available for public comment through July 26, and CARB will hold a public workshop on the funding guidelines and resource portal on July 11 at 1:00 p.m. Interested parties can register to attend.

Ease in accessing program information and application resources is key to ensuring that California Climate Investments continues to maximize benefits to the state’s disadvantaged and low-income communities that often face barriers in receiving public resources. The California Climate Investments Resource Portal complements the funding guidelines by providing all relevant resources in a single, user-friendly point of access.

California has authorized $28 billion in climate investments in the last 10 years, already delivering $11 billion to more than half a million projects that fight climate change and cut pollution. The remaining $17 billion will fund more projects in the coming years. The investments include a wide range of solutions such as putting affordable housing near job centers, building the nation’s first high-speed rail, and adding zero-emission transportation options in underserved communities.

The funding comes from the state’s Cap-and-Trade Program, which charges polluters for the carbon emissions they create in the state. The dollars collected then go to California Climate Investments, which deliver the funds to communities statewide.

About 76% of project funds have been spent in underserved and low-income communities that face the greatest environmental burdens from pollution. California Climate Investments projects funded over the last decade have directly supported 30,000 jobs and are expected to reduce 109 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, which is the equivalent of removing 25 million cars off California’s roads for one year – representing 80% of the state’s total gas-powered cars currently on the roads.

In 2023 alone, California Climate Investments implemented over 17,000 new projects through $1.7 billion in funding, with 85% of project dollars directly benefiting disadvantaged communities and low-income communities and households.

Resources Portal