CDFA - Grant Programs

Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) awards competitive grants to California dairy and livestock operations implementation of non-digester manure management practices in California that will result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

This program will help support and improve new or existing beginning farmer training programs and agricultural apprenticeship programs, strengthen networks, and develop strategies to overcome barriers, including but not limited to education and training programs, land access, capital and equipment for production and marketing of crops with a focus on prioritizing direct assistance to historically underserved groups to ensure the transition to farm ownership is successful.

The Biologically Integrated Farming Systems (BIFS) grant program is designed to provide outreach of innovative, biologically integrated plant-based farming systems that reduce chemical pesticide inputs.

A competitive solicitation process awards CalAgPlate grant program funds that promote agricultural education and leadership activities for students at K-12, post-secondary, and adult education levels.

The California Livestock Methane Measurement, Mitigation and Thriving Environments Research Program (CLIM³ATE-RP) will award competitive grant(s) to California based Institutions for research projects that address key barriers to achieving goals aligned with California's efforts to successfully implement climate smart agriculture.

The California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) encourages the purchase and consumption of healthy, California–grown fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts by nutrition benefit clients. Housed within the Office of Farm to Fork, the program provides monetary incentives for the purchase of California grown fruits and vegetables at Certified Farmers Markets and small businesses.

CNIP provides competitive grant funding to organizations to provide incentives to nutrition benefit shoppers, support program operations and outreach.

The California Underserved and Small Producers (CUSP) Grant Program is designed to facilitate direct assistance to individual small and mid-scale and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who need support applying for economic relief grant programs and assistance with business planning and marketing strategies. This program also includes direct relief payments for historically underserved and small producers impacted by COVID-19 and drought.

The Conservation Agriculture Planning Grants Program (CAPGP) is designed to fund the development of a plan that will help farmers and ranchers identify actions for climate change mitigation and adaptation, further environmental stewardship on farms and ranches and ensure agricultural food security into the future.

Technical assistance in the form of hands-on application assistance to farmers and ranchers is critical to the success of CDFA’s Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) programs including the Healthy Soils Program (HSP), the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) and the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP). One-on-one technical assistance improves accessibility of incentive funding to agricultural operations that otherwise may not have the resources or technical expertise to complete the application process and implement the CSA programs incentivized practices.

The Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP) awards competitive grants to California dairy operations and digester developers for the implementation of dairy digesters that result in long-term methane emission reductions on California dairies and minimize or mitigate adverse environmental impacts.

The Dairy Plus Program will award competitive grants to California dairy farms for the implementation of advanced manure management practices that reduce both methane emissions and nutrient surplus.

The purpose of this program is to advance local communities’ resilience in the face of natural disasters by upgrading fairground infrastructure. Additionally, the program will also provide grants to local governments to engage stakeholders in the development of community resiliency plans and to upgrade facilities identified in the plans.

CDFA’s Farm to Community Food Hub Program will provide planning and implementation grants to mission driven food hubs throughout the state of California.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture Office of Farm to Fork (CDFA-F2F) 2021 California Farm to School Incubator Grant Program is focused on supporting local and regional farm to school projects that promote nutrition education, sustainable food production and procurement, and high-quality student engagement through experiential learning.

The Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) funds and facilitates research and outreach to advance the environmentally safe and agronomically sound use and handling of fertilizing materials. FREP serves growers, agricultural supply and service professionals, extension personnel, public agencies, consultants, and other interested parties.

Through this program, CDFA funds energy efficient refrigeration units in corner stores and small businesses in low-income or low-access areas throughout the state to stock California-grown fresh produce, nuts and minimally processed foods. The purpose of the program is to improve access to healthy food choices in the small retail environment for underserved communities, while promoting CA-grown agriculture.

Healthy Soils Program consisting of Incentives Program and Demonstration Projects, provides grants for incentivizing and demonstrating the implementation of conservation agricultural management practices that sequester carbon, reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases and improve soil health.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) 2023 Livestock Enteric Methane Emission Reduction Research Program (LEMER-RP) will award competitive grant(s) to fund demonstration trials evaluating additives and dietary modifications that have the potential to reduce enteric methane emissions in the dairy and livestock sectors.

The purpose of the Organic Transition Pilot program is to fund assistance to farmers and ranchers who want to transition land to organic certification. The program is designed to provide direct financial assistance for eligible expenditures and improve access to knowledge and technical assistance, including business planning, for farmers and ranchers with land under transition to organic (pre-certification).

The Pierce’s Disease and Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (PD/GWSS) Board accepts proposals for research and outreach projects addressing Pierce’s disease, glassy-winged sharpshooter, and other designated pests and diseases of winegrapes. These competitive grants are funded through a special assessment paid by the California winegrape industry.

The Pollinator Habitat Incentive Program will provide financial incentives to farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices that promote pollinator habitat and forage on working lands, such as cover crops and hedgerows.

The Proactive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Solutions grant program is designed to anticipate which exotic pests are likely to arrive in California and to identify and test IPM strategies that can be rapidly implemented if the pests become established in California.

The purpose of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program is to build resilience in the middle of the food supply chain, to provide more and better markets to small farms and food businesses, to support the development of value-added products for consumers, fair prices, fair wages, and new and safe job opportunities.

The Safe Animal Feed Education (SAFE) program of California uses outreach, education, and a comprehensive Voluntary Quality Assurance program to lead the nation in ensuring a safe and wholesome supply of commercial feed.

The Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program is 100 percent federally funded and provides seniors 60 years of age or older who are on a limited income access to fresh produce from local farmers throughout California.

CDFA offers two Spay and Neuter Grant programs that are available on a competitive basis. The Animal Homelessness and Cruelty Fund (AHCF) Program and the Pet Lover's License Plate Program. The AHCF is supported by California taxpayer contributions while the Pet Lover's License Plate Program is supported by the purchase of the Pet Lover's Specialty License Plates. Both programs distribute funds to offer low-cost or no-cost spay and neuter services within California.

Each year, CDFA conducts a two-phase competitive solicitation process to award funds to projects that solely enhance the competitiveness of California specialty crops. Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).

This program is offered by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service. The SCMP competitively funds projects to solely enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through collaborative, multi-state projects that address regional or national-level specialty crop issues, including food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crop-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion.

CDFA awards grants to eligible projects that implement on-farm water irrigation systems that reduce energy use resulting in greenhouse gas (GHGs) emission reductions and water savings.

CDFA’s Urban Agriculture grant will help urban farmers and community-based organizations by 1) funding urban food system infrastructure (land access, capital equipment purchases, facilities, etc.); 2) supporting jobs, internships, and professional development opportunities, ensuring youth from all backgrounds have access to paid positions developing urban food systems; and 3) backing experienced technical assistance providers to mentor, train, and support urban farmers and community-based organizations.

The Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) grant program is designed to facilitate technical assistance to agricultural operations for on-farm water and energy use efficiency and nutrient management.