Program Overview
The San Diego Community Power (“SDCP”) Member Agency Grant Program (“Program”) will be administered by the University of San Diego, through the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative (“Program Administrator”). The Program aims to be responsive to critical climate action capacity needs in our region and serve as a catalyst to support SDCP’s seven member agencies in reaching their climate action goals. Program funds can be used to support initiatives, projects, or programs that advance or promote one or more of the following focus areas: clean energy adoption, carbon emissions reduction, climate equity, local economic development, and energy resilience.
Grants through this Program will be awarded through a non-competitive process and will be dependent on the proposed projects’ alignment with the overall Program goals. Grant funding will be administered directly from the Program Administrator to member agencies or their designee. Member agencies participating in this Program will have access to support services as outlined in the Technical Assistance section below.
Program Timeline
Grant Opening: The grant application will open Monday, February 5th, 2024.
Grant Deadline: All applications must be received by 5:00pm PST on Friday, April 12th, 2024. Member agency submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received during the Program window but all applications must be received by the grant deadline.
Once reviewed and approved, the Program Administrator anticipates working with member agencies to execute grant agreements and awards by June 2024.
Eligibility, Funding Amount, and Funding Requirements
Eligibility: Applicants must be a current SDCP member agency (County of San Diego, City of San Diego, City of Chula Vista, City of La Mesa, City of Encinitas, City of Imperial Beach, City of National City).
Funding Amount: Each member agency is eligible to receive a single grant award for up to $50,000. Grant funds must be expended by grantees within 12 months from the award start date. Unused funds at the close of the project timeline must be returned to the Program Administrator.
Funding Requirements: Funds may be used to cover direct and indirect costs incurred by the project. Grantees will be required to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations, which may include provisions of the California Labor Code relating to the payment of prevailing wages and the performance of other requirements on certain public works and maintenance projects. Grants will be awarded on a non-competitive basis; however, projects will be evaluated for the alignment with the overall Program focus areas, and reasonable expectations of project completion. The Program Administrator will connect with applicants directly during the review period if any edits or clarification are required.
Funding Focus Areas
Proposed projects or programs must be directly related to clean energy and advance one or more of the following focus areas:
Promote Clean Energy Adoption, 1.
Reduce Carbon Emissions, 2.
Support Climate Equity, 3.
Advance Local Economic Development, 4.
Improve Energy Resilience.5.
SDCP Member Agency Grant Program
Application Requirements
Applicants will be required to submit an application package that includes a project narrative and budget spreadsheet and narrative using the template provided by the Program Administrator.
The project narratives must utilize the provided application template document and should be no more than three pages, utilize 11-point font size, and include an explanation and response to the following general areas:
Organization Information
Project Overview and Summary of Activities
Description of Grant Program Focus Area Being Addressed Project Budget
Explanation of how the funding will support the Member Agency’s Climate Action Goals General Project Timeline
List of Project Partners (If applicable)
Applications must be submitted via email as a PDF to [email protected].
Reporting Requirements & Expectations
The goal of the Program is to provide critical capacity and catalytic investment to SDCP’s member agencies to support them in reaching their climate action goals as outlined in their Climate Action Plans and other supporting documents or plans. Grantees are expected to participate in quarterly project update calls with the Program Administrator throughout their project duration. These calls will be utilized in lieu of traditional reporting processes. Upon project completion, the grantee will support the Program Administrator to develop a completion report which should be completed within three months of the project completion that will overview project outcomes. These completion reports will be provided to SDCP.
Technical Assistance
The Program Administrator will provide front-end project development, technical assistance, and project development support. Member agencies can receive direct technical assistance for the following activities during the application window for this Program: grant writing support, project development and enhancement, supporting partner relationships with consultants/organizations, and providing review and narrative feedback. The Program Administrator will also be available to support member agencies in hiring consultants or other project partners that may be needed to implement the grant award. Applicants are encouraged to set up an introductory call with the Program Administrator early on in the grant application window to discuss technical assistance needs and support. The Program Administrator will be available to provide grantees with direct support throughout the grant period and track individual projects and support reporting requirements. Technical assistance questions can be directed via email to [email protected] throughout the duration of the grant application window.
Contact Information
Program Administrator: The San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative Lead Contact: Darbi Berry
Email: [email protected]
SDCP Member Agency Grant Program