PILOT BLOCK GRANT AWARDS ANNOUNCED FOR HEALTHY SOILS PROGRAM AND STATE WATER EFFICIENCY AND ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM

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SACRAMENTO, September 12, 2023 – CDFA’s Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation is pleased to announce more than $106 million in grants to 23 organizations, to work with producers to design and implement carbon sequestration and irrigation efficiency projects through the Healthy Soils Block (HSP) Grant Pilot and State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) Block Grant Pilot programs.  

CDFA has administered the HSP and SWEEP since 2014, accepting applications and providing grants directly to producers for projects on their farms. Both programs are popular with producers and have an important role in the state’s climate change and water resilience strategies. 

Under these new block grant programs, qualified organizations in California can apply for state funding and then disburse funds to eligible farmers/ranchers or agricultural operations for on-farm projects. Additionally, awarded organizations provide technical assistance to implement on-farm projects or will partner with technical assistance providers to provide this support. 

"We are excited about the interest in our block grant programs, and the potential for locally led and coordinated projects to help build relationships," said Virginia Jameson, Deputy Secretary for Climate and Working Lands at CDFA. "We hope that these grants will build capacity in communities to address their specific resource challenges with the solutions that are right for them." 

Producers interested in receiving technical or financial assistance for a soil health or irrigation efficiency project can review block grant organizations, including their contact information, at the block grant websites listed below.  
•    Healthy Soils Block Grant Pilot: 14 Awards, Totaling $62 million 
o    https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/healthysoils/BlockGrantProgram.html 
•    SWEEP Block Grant Pilot: 9 Awards, Totaling $42.5 million 
o    https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/sweep/block_grant.html 

CDFA will open traditional direct-to-producer HSP and SWEEP application periods late in 2023. 
 

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