Update:
In our last blog post, we gave a high-level overview for two of the 2026 CDFA Block Grant (BG) opportunities, the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) and Healthy Soils Program (HSP) Block Grants. The California Climate Bond (Proposition 4) allocated $40 million to SWEEP and $65 million to HSP, to provide financial support to implement on-farm projects that conserve natural resources and reduce atmospheric greenhouse gases. This two-phase application process is an opportunity for eligible partner organizations to apply for $2-4 million in funding to facilitate a local SWEEP or HSP grant for their local farmers and ranchers. These Block Grant Recipients (BGRs) will be responsible for accepting local SWEEP/HSP applications from their identified service areas and will provide no-cost technical assistance to awarded producers.
CDFA OARS received 58 applications for the SWEEP BG and 47 applications for the HSP BG during the Concept Proposal (Phase 1) of the application process. Of the concept proposals received, 22 SWEEP and 28 HSP BGRs were selected to submit a Full Proposal. CDFA OARS has released a comprehensive list of Concept Proposals for both programs which can be accessed below:
Block Grant Timeline:
For BGRs:
- Concept Proposal: Closed in April 2026
- Full Proposal: Closes August 18th, 2026 (By invitation)
- BGR Award Notification: September 2026*
- BGR Projects Begin: January 2027*
For Producers:
- BGRs anticipated to open regional SWEEP and HSP on-farm solicitations: Mid 2027 - 2028
- BRGs anticipated to award SWEEP and HSP on-farm projects: 2028 onward
- Producers anticipated to begin implementation of HSP/SWEEP on-farm projects: 2028 onward
*Subject to change
Resources and Next Steps:
Eligible farmers and ranchers will not be able to apply for SWEEP or HSP funds until 2027. To prepare for when the local solicitation periods open, interested producers can review the following “How to Participate in…” documents. The documents below contain background information about each program, funding available, the types of projects that can be implemented, other program requirements and restrictions, and what to gather and prepare for when the applications open.
CDFA will announce awarded Block Grants on their SWEEP and HSP websites which can be accessed below:
To contact the Climate Smart Agriculture Team via email, please send inquiries to the following email address: climatesmartag@ucdavis.edu.