State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP)

Solicitation status: Currently closed

Next Solicitation Period: TBD

The State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) is a California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) grant program that helps farmers and ranchers improve irrigation efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

CDFA supports farmers through a reimbursement-based grant that can cover up to 100% of eligible project costs, not to exceed $200,000 per project.

Award amounts vary by project and funding round, and many projects receive partial funding, so growers should be prepared to contribute matching funds if total costs exceed the award.

SWEEP supports on-farm projects that save water, reduce energy use, and improve long-term farm resilience.

In November 2024, California voters approved Proposition 4, a $10 billion Climate Bond designed to safeguard communities and natural resources from climate change.

The Bond allocated CDFA:

$40 million for State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP)
$65 million for practices that improve soil health or accelerate carbon removal or sequestration (HSP)
$15 million for a new equipment sharing program.

What SWEEP Can Fund (Eligible Practices)

SWEEP funds on-farm irrigation improvements that reduce water use and GHG emissions. Eligible practices include:

Irrigation water management, including soil moisture monitoring, flow metering and in field Evapotranspiration (ET) station
Efficient irrigation systems up grades, such as drip irrigation.
Retrofitting existing systems to support lower pressure components
Pump repair or replacement
Fuel efficiency changes to the pumping system, including renewable energy installation

Funding Details

Maximum award: up to $200,000 per project
Reimbursement-based: project costs are reimbursed after completion/verification
Flow measurement is required: projects must include flow meters or show that water use is already measured at the site (existing meter or water supplier).
Restrictions : projects may not involve drilling, expanding groundwater wells, repairing wells, expanding irrigated acreage

How SWEEP Funding Works

SWEEP is a reimbursement program.

That means:

Growers can submit quarterly invoices for reimbursements throughout the life cycle of the grant.

SWEEP Block Grants (Block Grant Recipients – BGRs)

CDFA is fully adopting the Block Grant Recipient (BGR) model for future SWEEP funding rounds.

Under the SWEEP Block Grant approach, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) awards funding to trusted regional partners—known as Block Grant Recipients (BGRs)—who work directly with farmers and ranchers at the local level.

What Block Grant Recipients Do

Provide local technical assistance to farmers and ranchers
Run regional SWEEP application solicitations
Review and recommend projects for funding
Set up grant agreements with on-farm beneficiaries
Provide implementation support and reporting back to CDFA
These partners serve as a bridge between CDFA and growers, helping ensure projects are technically sound, realistic, and supported from application through completion.

Why CDFA Is Using the Block Grant Model

The Block Grant approach is intended to:

Bring resources closer to the farming community
Reduce administrative burden for growers
Provide hands-on, locally relevant support
Tailor SWEEP implementation to regional crops and irrigation systems

Block Grant Recipients serving Fresno County and surrounding areas will be listed here once announced by CDFA.

Growers will be encouraged to apply through their local BGR when available.

Successful SWEEP Projects:

Fong Tchieng

State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) provides financial assistance in the form of grants to implement irrigation systems that reduce greenhouse gases and save water on California agriculture. SWEEP has had a positive effect on Fong Tchieng’s family owned farm, Tchieng Family Farm, and Kong Thao’s family owned farm, Thao Family Farms, both of which are located in Fresno County.

Check out his YouTube video!

Balvinder Purewal

With a CDFA SWEEP grant, Balvinder Purewal enhanced his farm’s irrigation system to save water and energy. Balvinder grows cherries, apricots, plums and other fruit crops on his 37-acre PureFresh Ranch in Fresno County.

Check out his YouTube video!

Yee Vue

With a CDFA Statewide Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) grant, Yee Vue, a Hmong farmer in Fresno, is transitioning his 10-acre diverse farm from flood to drip irrigation. He is also adding soil moisture sensors, a flow meter and variable frequency drive. His efforts will save water, energy and time. SWEEP projects are reducing greenhouse gases equal to removing over 16,000 cars from the road each year.

Check out his YouTube video!

How to Apply

SWEEP is typically a web-based application process (save and return before submitting).

Solicitation is currently closed

Get vendor quotes (equipment + installation)
A pump efficiency test is REQUIRED AND MUST BE DATED WITHIN 2 years of application
Gather 12 consecutive months of energy use records (electricity and/or diesel records)
Farmers are encouraged to experiment with SWEEP Project Assessment Tool

Timing / Next Round Updates

CDFA OARS also indicates it plans to release a solicitation in 2026 for HSP and SWEEP Block Grants as part of climate bond implementation planning.

Stay Updated

Visit CDFA SWEEP page- Check this page frequently

Need Help?

Please contact your Fresno County UC Cooperative Extension Climate Smart Agriculture Program specialist Juan Gonzales for questions or help with the application: