FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

UPCOMING AND OPEN FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:

2026 Climate Action Event Microgrant Program: California Volunteers’ California Climate Action Corps, in partnership with Keep California Beautiful, is offering one-time funding up to $1,500 to eligible entities through the 2026 Climate Action Event Microgrant Program to support volunteer climate service events throughout the state. Those climate service events must include a defined volunteer role in a service project with a measurable climate outcome in one of the 10 priority actions for Climate Action Counts, our statewide effort to unite Californians in taking everyday actions at home and in their neighborhoods. Priority will be given to applications for events planned for April 2026 (Earth Month) or September 2026 (Climate Action Counts Month), so apply today! 

CAL FIRE’s Wildfire Prevention Grants Program provides funding for fire prevention projects and activities in and near fire threatened communities. Funded activities include hazardous fuels reduction, wildfire prevention planning, and wildfire prevention education with an emphasis on improving public health and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Deadline: July 8, 2026. Click here to learn more. 

The California Fertilizer Foundation’s (CFF) Garden Grant Program strives to increase the understanding and awareness of agriculture and plant nutrition in California’s youth through school gardens. In doing so, classroom curriculum can be enhanced with first-hand experiences. Applications will be accepted at any time, and reviewed twice a year.  January 15, 2026 and June 15, 2026. Learn more here. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is now accepting applications for the 2026–2027 Ocean Guardian School program. Designed for PreK–12 schools, the program supports watershed and ocean stewardship through school- or community-based conservation projects that protect local watersheds, oceans, and special marine areas. Schools across the United States may apply to participate, and eligible schools in select regions—including many California counties, parts of Oregon and Washington, and Hawaiʻi—may apply for grants ranging from $1,000 to $4,000. Applications are open through July 1, 2026. Learn more and apply on the NOAA Ocean Guardian School website.

The Bay Area Youth Access to Nature (YAN) Fund from Justice Outside aims to fund work that is at the intersection of racial justice, youth under 25, and the environment. This could include a variety of activities, such as recreation and experiential education programs, environmental justice, conservation, climate justice, environmental advocacy work, cultural and ancestral practices, education, and much more. Your work is eligible for funding if your projects and programming engage young people of the nine counties of the greater San Francisco Bay Area of California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties. Deadline to apply: July 31. Learn more and apply here. 

2027 Route to Parks Grants: California community and tribal organizations can now apply for grant funding to improve transportation and access to California’s state parks for people in underserved communities. Route to Parks supports programs that reduce transportation and access barriers, connect underserved communities to nature, and create meaningful outdoor experiences at California's state parks. Applications for the next grant cycle are being accepted through July 31. Learn more here. 

Other grants to track that are available statewide:

• Adventure Pass Grant, Parks California and California State Parks
• Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) Grant, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• California Grant Portal - subscribe to receive notifications
• California Marine Protected Areas Outreach and Education Small Grants Program, Coastal Quest/Ocean Protection Council
• CAL FIRE IRA Grants, CAL FIRE's Urban and Community Forestry (UCF) Program
• Career Pathways, Parks California
• Environmental Education Grant, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Environmental Justice Small Grant, California Environmental Protection Agency
• Explore the Coast Grant, State Coastal Conservancy
• Liberated Paths, Justice Outside
• Outdoor Equity Grant, California State Parks
• Route to Parks, Parks California
• Youth Access to Nature Fund, Justice Outside
• Youth Community Access Grant, California Natural Resources Agency
• Whale Tail Grant, California Coastal Commission

Please contact info@aeoe.org if you are aware of additional funding opportunities to share with our community.