Healthy Soils Program (HSP) and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) Block Grants
Climate Bond Funding for Prop 4:
Proposition 4 which was passed by California voters in November of 2024. CDFA's Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS) will utilize funding authorized under Proposition 4 to administer HSP and SWEEP block grants:
- Healthy Soils Program (HSP): $50 million for grants that promote practices on farms and ranches that improve soil health and sequester carbon.
- State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP): $34 million for grants that promote on-farm water use efficiency and improve resilience to climate change.
Two-Phase Application Period: CDFA Block Grants
- Concept Proposal – 1st phase (Application must pass eligibility to move to the 2nd phase)
- Full Proposal – 2nd phase (Passing this phase an organization would then be awarded the status of a Block Grant Recipient)
Do you have questions about the CDFA Block Grants? Well, let us talk about it.
Right now, what is open is the Concept Proposal application. This is for organizations across California to apply to host a HSP or SWEEP Block Grant. That means that they are applying to host the On-Farm Block Grant program. The On-Farm block grant is the one that the farmers and ranchers apply to, but that application will not open until 2027. Here are a few more terms to help make sense of the process and how it all works.
Important Terminology:
- Block Grant Recipient (BGR): An awarded organization that receives funding from CDFA to administer a HSP or SWEEP block grant and support producers within their service area.
- On-Farm Grant Beneficiary: Farmers and ranchers who receive funding through their regional Block Grant Recipient to implement approved HSP or SWEEP practices on their operations.
The BGR has several steps it needs to go through before it is ready to open applications for farmers and ranchers applying to the HSP and SWEEP Block Grants. Please see the timeline below to get a better sense of the process:
Block Grant Timeline
For BGRs:
❖ Concept Proposal: Open April 6-May 15, 2026
❖ Full Proposal: Opens June 2026*
❖ BGR Awards Announced: September 2026*
❖ BGR Projects Begin: January 2027 onward*
For Producers:
❖ BGRs Open Regional HSP & SWEEP On-Farm Solicitations: 2027-2028
❖ BGRs Award HSP & SWEEP On-Farm Projects: 2027 onward
❖ Producers Implement HSP & SWEEP On-Farm projects: 2027 onward
*Subject to change
Farmers and ranchers will not be able to apply until 2027. So, if you are looking to apply as a farmer or rancher for HSP or SWEEP now is a suitable time to get all your paperwork together to be ready for when applications open in 2027.
Once the BGR’s are awarded then CDFA will produce a list of awarded organizations then producers can see which organizations they will be able to apply with. Keep in mind that some of the BGR’s may only apply for HSP or SWEEP and then others will apply to host both HSP and SWEEP solicitations. Each one of these BGR’s will be awarded $ 2-4M for each solicitation.
How can the UC ANR Climate Smart Agriculture Team assist your organization?
OARS has partnered with UC ANR to provide technical assistance to block grant applicants and recipients through the CDFA–UC ANR Climate Smart Agriculture Program. Community Education Specialists (CESs), distributed around California, will support projects that provide direct and meaningful benefits to disadvantaged communities (DACs) and vulnerable populations. CESs will be available for consultation and project development support to block grant applicants.
The UC ANR Climate Smart Agriculture Team is glad to assist block grant applicants with questions and can be reached at climatesmartag@ucdavis.edu.
The team will also host weekly office hours during the Concept Proposal and Full Proposal application periods.
Weekly Office Hours with the UC ANR Climate Smart Agriculture Team
When: Thursdays, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM PST
Dates: April 9, 2026 – May 14, 2026
Format: Zoom
Purpose: Provide BGR applicants with an opportunity to ask clarifying questions about the block grant process. Members of the UC ANR Climate Smart Ag Team will be available to answer questions.
Registration: No need to register in advance
Join Instructions: https://ucanr.zoom.us/meetings/93977454957/invitations?signature=J9897aGfal770H97b0v2OcYjEz_atzBRIYh9lzDWEBs
If you would like to find a Climate Smart Agriculture Technical Assistants Provider (TAP) in your area to work with or ask questions check out the Team’s website.
To contact the Climate Smart Agriculture Team please email us at climatesmartag@ucdavis.edu.
