arb.ca.gov 1001 I Street • P.O. Box 2815 • Sacramento, California 95812 [email protected]
May 4, 2026
Scott McBride
City Manager
City of Merced
678 W. 18
th Street
Merced, CA 95340
Dear Scott McBride,
Thank you for submitting City of Merced’s application for the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Community Planning and Capacity Building: 2025 Request for Applications (RFA). CARB is pleased to inform you that your application, Connect South Merced:
Equitable Safety and Mobility Planning, has been preliminarily selected for funding.
CARB is pleased to offer a Planning Grant award of up to $499,725.60 to support City of Merced’s implementation of the proposed project.
Your project was selected through a competitive evaluation process based on the criteria outlined in the RFA, including alignment with program objectives, demonstrated community need, strength of partnerships, and readiness to carry out planning and capacity-building activities.
Program Administration
Planning Grants are administered by CARB’s Statewide Planning and Capacity Building Administrator (PCB Administrator): Data for Social Good, in partnership with Momentum and the Institute for Sustainable Communities. The PCB Administrator is responsible for executing the grant agreements, reviewing and approving disbursements requests, disbursing funds in accordance with the RFA, and providing implementation support and technical assistance.
Grantees will work primarily with the PCB Administrator throughout the grant term, with CARB providing program oversight.
Next Steps
This award is conditional upon successful of post-award requirements and execution of a Grant Agreement.
CARB requests an official response to this preliminary award offer. Please submit a response letter on City of Merced letterhead using the attached template and email it to Violet Martin, [email protected], by May 15, 2026.
Scott McBride
May 4, 2026
If accepting, please indicate whether governing board or council approval is required prior to executing the Grant Agreement with the PCB Administrator.
As part of your acceptance, please also include documentation confirming organizational eligibility, as applicable to your organization type. This may include:
• For Community-Based Organizations (CBOs): proof of current nonprofit status (e.g., IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter or equivalent)
• For Tribal Governments: documentation confirming Tribal government status (e.g., federally or state-recognized Tribe)
CARB will confirm receipt of your acceptance materials. Following acceptance, the PCB Administrator will provide onboarding materials, host an introductory meeting, and work with you to complete all remaining requirements to execute the Grant Agreement.
Post-Award Requirements
The following documentation and onboarding materials will be coordinated by the PCB Administrator after acceptance (templates will be provided):
• Completed Payee Data Record (form to be provided by CARB) • Documentation of alignment with relevant planning priorities:
o For local governments and CBOs: A letter from the regional planning agency identifying which strategies in the most recently adopted Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) the project will help implement o For Tribal Governments: No additional documentation is required. At the Tribe’s discretion, applicants may provide documentation (e.g., letter or other confirmation) reflecting Tribal authorization or alignment with Tribal priorities • Governing Board Resolution or equivalent formal authorization, authorizing the organization to:
o Accept the grant funds
o Comply with the terms of the Grant Agreement
o Commit any required resource contributions
o Allow for future grant amendments without additional board approval Important Reminders
This award supports planning and capacity-building activities only; implementation activities are not eligible.
Scott McBride
May 4, 2026
No agreement is in effect until the Grant Agreement is signed by both your authorizing signatory and the PCB Administrator. Therefore, any work completed prior to this time will not be compensated or reimbursed. Administrative efforts that occur after the issuance of this preliminary award letter and before the execution of the Grant Agreement can be counted toward the project’s resource contributions.
Please do not publicly announce this preliminary award without coordination and advanced approval from CARB.
Congratulations on your selection. We look forward to working with your team to advance Connect South Merced: Equitable Safety and Mobility Planning and support community-led transportation efforts benefiting South Merced.
If you have any questions or need further clarification, please reach out to Violet at (279) 842-9962 or by email at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Nicholas Nairn-Birch
Clean Transportation Outreach Section Manager
Mobile Source Control Division
[email protected]
cc: Lisa Macumber, Branch Chief, Equity Mobility Incentives Branch Violet Martin, Air Pollution Specialist, Mobile Source Control Division Jennifer Flachman, City of Merced
Attachment
• Acceptance letter template