California Air Resources Board

Access Clean California built and supports a statewide network of outreach partners, located in overburdened communities, who provide coordinated outreach for the State’s many consumer-focused clean transportation incentives programs. Access Clean California partners with grassroots community-based organizations that are trusted entities in their communities and provides them with funding and other resources to support their outreach efforts. Resources provided by Access Clean California include:

• A centralized application support webtool, called the Benefits Finder, helps outreach partners simplify the often complex and time-consuming process of finding and applying to multiple incentive programs. A public version of the Benefits Finder is hosted on the Access Clean California web-platform and can be used by any Californian to help find relevant clean transportation and clean energy incentive programs.
• The Access Clean California Customer Care System provides proactive, human-based support for those that may need additional help and/or advocacy to ensure their applications are completed.  
• Outreach partners have access to the Resource Hub, which compiles and translates outreach and educational materials for multiple incentive programs in a user-friendly, searchable database.

What Does it Fund?

Access Clean California is a multi-faceted outreach effort that helps streamline access to California Climate Investments' consumer-facing, equity-focused clean transportation and clean energy incentive programs for low-income and disadvantaged communities. It funds coordination, technical assistance and capacity-building, and outreach efforts across the state through a network of outreach partners.

Who is Eligible

Access Clean California does not directly fund incentives but instead provides resources to nonprofits, community-based organizations, and grassroots organizations to conduct outreach and help families in overburdened communities learn about, apply for, and participate in clean transportation and clean energy incentive programs.

How it’s Administered

Access Clean California is administered by GRID Alternatives, selected via competitive solicitation by CARB in 2018 and again in 2024. GRID Alternatives works with CARB to identify and formalize partnerships with nonprofits, community-based organizations, and grassroots organizations that conduct outreach and help applicants navigate the streamlined application processes for clean transportation and clean energy incentives.

Where and When it’s Offered

Access Clean California does not directly provide incentives. It is a grant program focused on supporting coordinated outreach for CARB’s equity-focused incentive programs, as well as other consumer-focused, clean transportation and energy incentives.

How do I Access Funds?

Visit Access Clean California to use the benefits finder tool, to learn how to get consumer-focused clean transportation and energy funding, and to explore how to join the outreach partner network. If you represent a CBO or grassroots organization that is located in a priority community and are interested in conducting outreach for CARB’s clean transportation equity projects, please contact Access Clean California.

Project Funding or Participation Requirements

When funding is available, Access Clean California will be looking to identify and partner with community-based organizations to conduct outreach in priority communities. Access Clean California provides outreach partners funding and resources to help conduct their outreach activities. Ideal outreach partners will be grassroots-level organizations located in overburdened communities that are capable of using funding provided by Access Clean California to conduct outreach on behalf of CARB. For organizations that don’t yet have the capacity to conduct outreach, Access Clean California also periodically implements a pilot capacity building grant project. Through this pilot, organizations gain the necessary competencies to conduct outreach and are put on a path to eventually become formal outreach partners with access to longer-term outreach funding.