Grants and Loans

We offer a number of grant and loan programs that support integrated watershed management activities addressing environmental stewardship, water supply reliability, flood risk, groundwater sustainability, drought, and more. Public agencies are eligible for most of our grant and loan programs, but other applicants may also be eligible, depending upon the program. Visit the Grants Best Practices and Tips for Success page for information and resources that can help you better succeed in the grant process. Our latest grant program announcements are found below, followed by additional grant program details.

Open Solicitations

These programs are accepting applications for funding.

Riverine Stewardship Program: This Program offers $15 Million in funding to plan and implement projects that will reduce flooding, improve water quality, and restore streams, creeks, and rivers to enhance the environment for fish, wildlife, and people. The funding will be delivered through the Riverine Stewardship Program and its two subprograms: the Urban Streams Restoration Program (USRP) and the San Joaquin Fish Population Enhancement Program. To apply for grants through these programs project proponents must submit a concept proposal and submit a full application if invited to do so by the RSP team. Funding is available on a first come, first serve basis until all funds have been expended.

Stream Gage Improvement Program: This Program has $7,000,000 in funding to upgrade, reactivate, or install new surface water monitoring stations, at no additional cost, that share stream flow data to help inform water management decisions.

Grants and Loans

We offer a number of grant and loan programs that support integrated water management activities addressing environmental stewardship, water supply reliability, public safety, and economic stability. Public agencies are eligible for most of our grant and loan programs, but other applicants may also be eligible, depending upon the program. Our latest grant program announcements are found below, followed by additional grant program details.

Climate Change

Watershed Resilience Program

The Watershed Resilience Program provides financial and technical support to improve regional resilience at the watershed scale, a vision and framework described in the California Water Plan 2023.

Dam Safety

Dam Safety and Enhancements Grant Program

The Dam Safety and Enhancements Grant Program's purpose is to provide state funding for repairs, rehabilitation, enhancements, and other dam safety projects at existing state jurisdictional dams and associated facilities that were in service prior to January 1, 2023.

Drought

Small Community Drought Relief Program

This program provides $200 million to implement needed resiliency measures and infrastructure improvements for small water suppliers and rural communities. The Program will support projects and programs that provide immediate and near-term water supply reliability benefits and improve small communities’ drought and water shortage resiliency and preparedness.

2021 Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Grant Program

This program provides $100 million for Urban Communities and $200 million for Multibenefit projects. These grants are intended to provide water to communities that face the loss or contamination of their water supplies, to address immediate impacts on human health and safety, and to protect fish and wildlife resources.

2022 Urban Community Drought Relief Grant Program

This program provides close to $300 million dollars for Urban Communities to implement drought response projects.

Environmental Restoration

Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects

This program works directly with local agencies to provide critical financial assistance for flood protection in the Delta by providing funding to safeguard public benefits from flood hazards. Those public benefits include roads, utilities, urbanized areas, water quality, recreation, navigation, and fish and wildlife.

Flood Corridor Program

This program provides grant funding to proponents of nonstructural flood management projects throughout the state that includes wildlife habitat enhancement and/or agricultural land preservation.

Riverine Stewardship Program – Grants

This program provides technical and financial assistance to support the planning and implementation of watershed-based riverine and riparian improvements that help reduce flood-risk, restore and enhance fish populations and their habitat, and improves air quality, among other environmental benefits. The program coordinates implementation of the Urban Streams Restoration Program and the San Joaquin Fish Population Enhancement Program.

Urban Streams Restoration Program

This program provides grants to local communities for projects that reduce flooding, erosion, and associated property damage; restore, enhance, and/or protect the natural ecological values of streams; or promote community involvement, education, and stewardship. It has helped fund more than 270 grants ranging from $1,000 to $1 million to communities throughout California.

Flood Related

Coastal Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Program

The Coastal Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Grant Program will fund projects in coastal areas that focus on multi-benefit flood risk reduction.

Central Valley Tributaries Program

This program will fund multi-benefit flood risk reduction projects that (1) address flood risk for urban communities, small communities and/or rural areas; and (2) enhance ecosystems by improving fish and wildlife habitat and water quality downstream.

Delta Levees Maintenance Subventions

This program provides funding on a cost share basis to local levee maintaining agencies for rehabilitation and maintenance of levees in the Delta.

Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects

This program works directly with local agencies to provide critical financial assistance for flood protection in the Delta by providing funding to safeguard public benefits from flood hazards. Public benefits include roads, utilities, urbanized areas, water quality, recreation, navigation, and fish and wildlife.

Flood Corridor Program

This program provides grant funding to proponents of nonstructural flood management projects throughout the state that include wildlife habitat enhancement and/or agricultural land preservation.

Flood Control Subventions Program

This program provides financial assistance to local agencies cooperating in the construction of federally authorized flood control projects.

Flood Emergency Response Projects Grants Program

Since 2012, we've provided $20 million through 3 different types of Flood Emergency Response grants to improve local flood emergency response and contribute to increased public safety.

Floodplain Management, Protection, and Risk Awareness Grant Program

The Floodplain Management, Protection and Risk Awareness (FMPRA) Grant Program supports local agency efforts to prepare for flooding by providing financial assistance for flood risk reduction activities related to stormwater flooding, mudslides, and flash floods.

Local Levee Assistance Program

This program provides financial assistance to local public agencies responsible for flood management outside the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This assistance helped local agencies obtain the information needed to repair damaged levees and restore or maintain levee accreditation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Small Communities Flood Risk Reduction Program

This is a local assistance program works to reduce flood risk for small communities protected by State Plan of Flood Control facilities.

Systemwide Flood Risk Reduction Program

The Systemwide Flood Risk Reduction Program oversees the work necessary to develop and implement Delta and Central Valley multi-benefit flood risk reduction and habitat restoration projects that further the goals and objectives of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan (CVFPP) and other systemwide priorities identified by Governor Newsom or the Legislature. The State may improve the system through direct investment in new or improved facilities for the State Plan of Flood Control or through proposal solicitations.

Urban Flood Risk Reduction

This program works to improve flood protection for urban areas associated with State Plan of Flood Control. Specifically, the program seeks to increase flood protection, provide ecosystem restoration and improvement, protect farmland, and improve operation and maintenance of State Plan of Flood Control facilities.

Groundwater

Sustainable Groundwater Planning Grant Program

This program funds projects that develop and implement sustainable groundwater planning and projects.

Integrated Regional Water Management

Integrated Regional Water Management Grant Programs

Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) is a collaborative effort to manage all aspects of water resources in a region. Our IRWM grant programs fund planning, implementation, and disadvantaged community involvement.

Water Quality or Drinking Water

Proposition 50 Delta Water Quality Grants Program

This program supports projects that improve water quality or ecological conditions within the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta.

Proposition 84 Delta Water Quality Program

This program provides $90 million in grants to implement Delta water quality improvement projects that protect drinking water supplies and facilities.

Proposition 204 Drainage Reuse Grant Program

This program encourages development of methods of using subsurface drainage, reducing its toxic elements, and concentrating, separating and utilizing its salts.

San Joaquin River Water Quality Grant Program - Proposition 84

This program supports projects that will result in direct, measurable water quality improvements to the San Joaquin River by reducing or eliminating discharges of subsurface agricultural drainage.

Water Supply or Management

Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects

This program works directly with local agencies to provide critical financial assistance for flood protection in the Delta by providing funding to safeguard public benefits from flood hazards. Public benefits include roads, utilities, urbanized areas, water quality, recreation, navigation, and fish and wildlife.

LandFlex Program

This program provides immediate drought relief to drinking water wells in drought-stricken communities and limit unsustainable groundwater pumping in critically overdrafted (COD) basins.

Sustainable Groundwater Planning Grant Program

This program funds projects that develop and implement sustainable groundwater planning and projects.

Water Desalination Grant Program

This program supports the planning and development of potable water for municipal uses to meet the water resources needs of the state by providing project grants for the treatment of naturally occurring saline water: brackish water and seawater. Eligible applicants will utilize the continuous application process to submit their proposals. Selected projects are awarded on a first-ready, first-awarded basis until all grant funds are exhausted.

Water Use Efficiency

Agricultural Water Use Efficiency Grants Program - Proposition 1

This program helps urban and agricultural communities cope with water shortages and drought conditions through the implementation of water use efficiency projects.

Agricultural Water Use Efficiency's DWR/CDFA Joint Request for Proposal (RFP)

This joint program highlights the benefits of efficiency and conservation, awarding $3 million from Proposition 1 to projects that address water use efficiency and reduction, greenhouse gas emission reductions, groundwater protection, and sustainability of agricultural operations and food production.

Calconserve Water Use Efficiency Loan Program

This program offers $10 million in loans to local agencies for specific types of water conservation and water use efficiency projects and programs that seek to achieve urban water use targets. Loans are available on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted.