Small Community Drought Relief Program

Department of Water Resources · State of California

At a glance

Small Community Drought Relief Program is a closed California state grant opportunity from the Department of Water Resources (State of California). The application deadline was December 29, 2023. Total estimated funding is $310M. Applicant types listed as eligible include nonprofit, public agency and tribal government. It is listed on the California Grants Portal. Cost sharing is not required.

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

Aug 11, 2021Posted
Dec 29, 2023Application deadline

Opened: Aug 11, 2021
Close date: Dec 29, 2023
Award floor: Not specified
Award ceiling: Not specified
Est. total funding: $310,000,000
Expected awards: Not specified
Matching funds: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant

Program details (as published on the California Grants Portal)

Type: Grant
Funding source: State — The Small Community Drought Relief Program (Program) was authorized by the Legislature pursuant to the Budget Act of 2021 as amended (Stats. 2022, ch. 44, § 25) and its Trailer Bill, (Wat. Code, § 13198 et seq.).
Matching funds: Not Required
Funding method: Reimbursement(s) — Small communities impacted by the drought can apply. Applications will be processed as they are received until funds are exhausted or until December 29, 2023, whichever comes first.
Estimated number of awards: Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.
Estimated award amounts: Dependant on number of submissions received, application process, etc.
Award period: 3 Years
Expected award announcement: Aug 2021 - June 2025
Letter of intent: Not required
Geography: Entire State of California
How to submit: By email: SmallCommunityDrought@water.ca.gov
Latest change note: A broken link was removed.

Who can apply

Applicant categories as listed on the California Grants Portal. GrantsJunction maps them to detailed applicant types for search and matching.

Nonprofit
Public Agency
Tribal Government

Additional information on eligibility (from the listing)

• Public agencies (e.g., Counties, cities)• Public utilities• Special districts (e.g., school districts, community service districts, irrigation districts, flood control districts, reclamation districts)• Colleges and universities• Mutual water companies• Nonprofit organizations1• Federally recognized Indian tribes• State Indian tribes listed on the Native American Heritage Commission's California Tribal Consultation List

Also named in the notice's eligibility text

Private colleges & universities

Matched from the wording above by GrantsJunction — confirm in the full announcement.

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Purpose and description as published on the California Grants Portal.

Purpose

The purpose of the Small Community Drought Relief Program is to provide immediate and near-term financial and technical support to help small communities survive this and future droughts.

Description

The Small Community Drought Relief Program (Program) was authorized by the Legislature pursuant to the Budget Act of 2021 as amended (Stats. 2022, ch. 44, § 25) and its Trailer Bill, (Wat. Code, § 13198 et seq.). The Trailer Bill authorized specified state agencies, defined as implementing agencies, subject to an appropriation for these purposes, to make grants and direct expenditures for interim or immediate relief in response to conditions arising from a drought scenario to address immediate impacts on human health and safety and on fish and wildlife resources and to provide water to persons or communities that lose or are threatened with the loss or contamination of water supplies. The funding for this Program ($305 million) also includes $20 million for the tank program. The tank program intends to provide household water storage tanks and hauled water for California residents whose wells have gone dry due to the ongoing drought. The small communities are those that are not supplied by an urban water suppliers as defined in California Water Code (Sec 10617). Urban water suppliers are those that provide drinking water with more than 3,000 connections or more than 3,000 acre-feet per year.

Program page on the agency site ↗

Past applications & awards

Historical data · not a prediction

Reported by the agency for this listing

Fiscal year 2023–24217 applications · 141 awards

Counts as published on the California Grants Portal. Award counts can read zero until decisions are announced.

Awards published: 141
Total awarded: $299,186,487
Median award: $1,600,000 calculated
Smallest – largest: $19,500 – $16,713,400

Recipients by type: Public Agency (112), Nonprofit (20), Tribal Government (9)

Areas served: Tulare County (15), Fresno County (13), Lake County (12), Shasta County (7), Humboldt County (7), Sonoma County (6), Mendocino County (6), Siskiyou County (5), Santa Cruz County (5), Tehama County (5), Marin County (5), Glenn County (5)

Largest awards to organizations

Peter R. CarrOrland Emergency Groundwater Resource Project$16,713,400 · FY 2023–24
Michael GeraceYurok Up-River Water Systems Interconnection Project$12,670,507 · FY 2023–24
Dario DominguezCity of Orange Cove Water System Improvement Project$7,921,640 · FY 2023–24
Adam EnnisExeter-Tooleville Emergency Intertie and Water System Improvement Project$7,406,051 · FY 2023–24
Jovanni TricerriGlenn County and Tehama County Emergency Water Hauling Project$6,892,990 · FY 2023–24
Frank CostnerKonocti County Water System Consolidation and Pipeline Replacement Project$6,496,613 · FY 2023–24
James H. WegleyStratford Water Storage Tank and Well Replacement Project$6,287,000 · FY 2023–24
Frank CostnerKonocti County Water System Consolidation and Pipeline Replacement Project$5,839,440 · FY 2023–24
Moises OrtizMalaga County Well and Storage Tank Project$5,444,054 · FY 2023–24
Tim TaylorSky View County Water District Water System Improvement Project$5,377,700 · FY 2023–24

Source: California Grants Portal grant award data. Awards to individuals are counted but not named. Past awards show who was funded; they do not predict future decisions.

Program contact (as published)

Small Community Drought Relief Program
SmallCommunityDrought@water.ca.gov
1-916-803-9251

Quick answers

Who is eligible to apply for “Small Community Drought Relief Program”?

The official listing names these applicant types as eligible: Nonprofit, Public Agency and Tribal Government. It adds: “• Public agencies (e.g., Counties, cities)• Public utilities• Special districts (e.g., school districts, community service districts, irrigation districts, flood control districts, reclamation districts)• Colleges and universities• Mutual water companies• Nonprofit organizations1…” Additional restrictions may apply; review the full guidelines.

How much funding is available through “Small Community Drought Relief Program”?

Per the notice, total estimated program funding is $310,000,000.

How do I apply for “Small Community Drought Relief Program”?

Applications go directly to Department of Water Resources, not through GrantsJunction. Submission: by email to SmallCommunityDrought@water.ca.gov. Read the program guidelines on the agency's site first; state programs set their own forms and registration requirements.

Other open California state opportunities, matched on agency, categories and wording.

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