Website: https://www.conservation.ca.gov/dlrp/grant-programs/watershed
Funding: Total funding: $1,500,000. Maximum award: $300K.
Dates: Application Submission Deadline: September 15, 2020. Awards Announced: November 15, 2020
Summary:
California’s watershed systems play a critical role in delivering vital water supplies throughout the state. Because watersheds vary greatly across different geographies of the state, regionally tailored watershed management efforts are necessary for success. Watershed coordinators play an important role increasing watershed health.
The California Department of Conservation’s 2020 Sustainable Groundwater Management Watershed Coordinator Grant Program (Program) funds watershed coordinator positions to develop, update, and implement watershed improvement plans consistent with the CALFED Programmatic Record of Decision and Groundwater Sustainability Plans developed by local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies pursuant to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The Program has $1.5 million available for watershed coordinator positions to facilitate watershed-scale collaborations, promote integrated water management efforts, and support local implementation activities focused on areas in the state significantly impacted by SGMA implementation.
Project Topic Areas:
The program aims to improve watersheds and related groundwater sustainability by supporting local improvement efforts by increasing collaboration and partnerships between diverse entities at the regional scale. Example projects listed in the grant solicitation include the following:
- Supporting local watershed activities. Monitoring and measuring watershed functions. Implementing watershed restoration, maintenance, and conservation activities that support the goals and objectives of the program, including improved river functions and groundwater recruitment.
- Equity, environmental justice, and disadvantaged community benefits: Improvements to watershed areas and groundwater basins that benefit environmental justice and disadvantaged communities. Increased participation of and collaboration with disadvantaged communities.
- Facilitation, coordination and assistance. Facilitating and improving coordination and assistance between government agencies, other organizations, and local watershed groups.
- Developing watershed monitoring and assessment protocols. Facilitating monitoring efforts that are consistent with program protocols and support watershed activities that ensure that adaptive management processes can be applied.
- Supporting education and outreach. Supporting resource conservation education at the local watershed level and providing organizational and administrative support to watershed programs.
Funding:
The maximum limit on the amount of each grant proposal is $300,000. Proposals may request less than this maximum amount.
Only eligible costs incurred during the grant agreement term that are related to the project will be reimbursed. All eligible costs must also be reasonable and supported by appropriate documentation to be reimbursed. All eligible costs must, to the satisfaction of the Department, support the work plan and be directly related to, and in support of, the watershed coordinator positions.
Administrative costs are limited to the applicant’s federally negotiated indirect cost rate. If no federally negotiated indirect cost rate is available, administrative costs may account for no more than 25% of the total grant award and may include only those costs incurred by an organization to administer the grant
Topic Area Requirements:
Eligible proposals are those that address a watershed area as defined by the applicant and comprised of one or more SGMA high- or medium-priority sub-basins. Each proposal may include activities on lands that are hydrologically connected to the groundwater basin(s) of the proposed watershed area.
Eligible Applicants:
Eligible applicants include Groundwater Sustainability Agencies, special districts, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, local governments, and California Native American Tribes.
Eligible applicants must be either:
- locally-based, which are defined as those that maintain a local office and focus on issues within or proximal to the watershed area or community that is the focus of the application; or
- non-local, where there are strong local partnerships between the applicant, the local GSA(s), and other important stakeholders.
Eligible applicants must have watershed-related goals as part of their current long-range or strategic plans.