Funding Guidelines Resources
The Funding Guidelines apply across all California Climate Investments programs and provide guidance to administering agencies on developing their own guidelines and solicitations, estimating greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other project benefits, and tracking and reporting benefits, including benefits to priority populations.
This page provides the full collection of resources featured in the 2024 Funding Guidelines for Agencies Administering California Climate Investments. The resources on this page may also be found on other pages of the Resource Portal, sorted by topic.
What are the Funding Guidelines?
Agencies that administer California Climate Investments are responsible for incorporating the provisions of the Funding Guidelines into their programs. Administering agencies may use any approach suited to their individual program needs and is responsible for implementing its own programs and selecting projects for funding in line with the Funding Guidelines.
CARB released the 2024 Funding Guidelines on December 2, 2024. The 2024 Funding Guidelines includes strengthened recommendations related to direct and meaningful community engagement, updates to reporting timing and frequency and an increased focus on tribal engagement and workforce development.
Explore Other Pages in the Resource Portal
This page provides ideas and resources to consider when planning and conducting public outreach and community engagement.
Learn about program and project evaluations and view examples of completed evaluations.
Topics covered on this page include supporting workforce development and employment opportunities, California Climate Investments jobs reporting, and programs and projects funding workforce development.
Learn how to identify priority populations and access resources to help deliver benefits and advance equity and environmental justice.
Explore resources that can be used to provide technical assistance in a way that advances equity and builds community capacity to secure funding and implement projects that can help reverse past disinvestment.
Programs and Resources by Applicant Types
Programs by Category
General Information
California Air Resources Board
Learn how California Climate Investments puts billions of dollars of Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, improving public health and the environment, and providing meaningful benefits to priority populations.
California Air Resources Board
The Cap-and-Trade Program is a key element of California’s strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It complements other measures to ensure that California cost-effectively meets its goals for greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
California Air Resources Board
Learn about priority populations and how California Climate Investments programs are providing benefits.
California Air Resources Board
California Climate Investments are driven by a suite of legislation that establishes the statutory requirements for administering appropriations from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Explore bill summaries by year the legislation was enacted.
California Air Resources Board
The Legislature and Governor appropriate money from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) to State agencies through the Budget process. View dollars made available to State agencies for California Climate Investments programs.
California Air Resources Board
Definitions and more information about commonly used terms in the California Climate Investments Funding Guidelines and other materials.
California Air Resources Board
Guidance for grantees and contractors implementing California Climate Investments projects and programs around the state to ensure brand and messaging consistency.
Learn how to identify priority populations and access resources to help deliver benefits and advance equity and environmental justice.
California Air Resources Board
This map shows disadvantaged communities and low-income communities as defined for California Climate Investments. To see if a particular location is within a disadvantaged community or low-income community, either navigate to the desired location on the map, search for the location by address, or enter a 10 digit census tract number in the search bar. Layers can be adjusted using the layer tool. Census tracts that are both disadvantaged and low-income blend to a color not represented in the legend if overlapping.
California Air Resources Board
Definitions and more information about commonly used terms in the California Climate Investments Funding Guidelines and other materials.
California Air Resources Board
Guidance for grantees and contractors implementing California Climate Investments projects and programs around the state to ensure brand and messaging consistency.
Tools for Estimating Benefits
Administering agencies must use the following CARB-developed quantification methodologies and calculator tools for estimating greenhouse gas emissions reductions and co-benefits; benefit criteria tables for determining benefits to priority populations; and reporting templates for reporting outcomes.
These tools were developed by to support programs and projects in complying with reporting requirements as outlined in the Funding Guidelines.
California Air Resources Board
Benefit Criteria Tables are used by administering agencies and applicants to identify the priority populations that will benefit from the project, and determine how the project will meaningfully address an important community or household need and provide a benefit.
California Air Resources Board
Administering agencies must use CARB tools to develop effective programs and demonstrate compliance with program requirements. Resources on this page include quantification methodologies and calculator tools for estimating GHG emissions reductions and co-benefits; benefit criteria tables for determining benefits to priority populations; and reporting templates for reporting outcomes.
California Air Resources Board
Methods for evaluating project co-benefits for projects, including jobs, air pollutant emissions, travel cost savings, vehicle miles traveled, energy and fuel cost savings, water savings, soil health and conservation, and heart and lung health.
California Air Resources Board
Guidance for estimating the job co-benefits of projects.
California Air Resources Board
Provides uniform methods that can be applied statewide and are accessible by all applicants and funding recipients, uses existing and proven tools or methods, where available, and identifies the appropriate data needed to calculate co-benefits.
California Air Resources Board
This document reviews available empirical literature on the Jobs Co-benefit and identifies the direction and magnitude of the co-benefit indicators, the limitations of existing empirical literature, the existing assessment methods and tools, knowledge gaps and other issues to consider in developing co-benefit assessment methods, a proposed assessment method for further development, and an estimation of the level of effort and delivery schedule for a fully developed method.
California Air Resources Board
If direct community engagement is not possible, administering agencies, applicants, and/or funding recipient can refer to the list of common needs and select a need that has documented broad support from local community-based organizations and/or residents. While this list includes some common needs of priority populations, as identified by community advocates, it is not intended to reflect a definitive list of all potential needs of disadvantaged and low-income communities and low-income households, and items included in the list may not be applicable for a specific community.
Reporting Resources for Administering Agencies
California Air Resources Board
Administering agencies are required to prepare an expenditure record documenting how their investments will further the purposes of Assembly Bill 32, contribute to achieving greenhouse gas emissions reductions and other health and environmental co-benefits, and meet other statutory requirements. View sample templates and submitted documents.
California Air Resources Board
Benefit Criteria Tables are used by administering agencies and applicants to identify the priority populations that will benefit from the project, and determine how the project will meaningfully address an important community or household need and provide a benefit.
California Air Resources Board
Administering agencies must use CARB tools to develop effective programs and demonstrate compliance with program requirements. Resources on this page include quantification methodologies and calculator tools for estimating GHG emissions reductions and co-benefits; benefit criteria tables for determining benefits to priority populations; and reporting templates for reporting outcomes.
California Air Resources Board
Agencies must submit project and program information through the California Climate Investments Reporting and Tracking System (CCIRTS), an online tracking tool.
California Air Resources Board
This user guide provides administering agencies with step-by-step guidance on how to report in CCIRTS.
Resources to Support Program Design and Implementation
Public Participation
Explore additional public participation resources beyond those referenced in the Funding Guidelines.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This document illustrates EPA’s spectrum of public involvement, which is characterized by five different “outcomes” that result from public involvement in agency decisions. It parallels the IAP2 Spectrum, but is tailored to the specific needs of a regulatory agency.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
This guide provides tools for public participation and public outreach in environmental decision-making. It will help you identify some of the best practices for planning, skills and behaviors that government agencies can use to design and implement a meaningful public participation program.
California Air Resources Board
Recommendations and lesson learned for incorporating community leadership into many different stages of a program or project.
International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)
IAP2's Spectrum of Public Participation was designed to assist with the selection of the level of participation that defines the public's role in any public participation process.
Tribal Engagement
California Air Resources Board
An interactive resource that guides Tribes through narrowing down which California Climate Investments funding opportunities might be a good fit based on your Tribe’s needs and priorities.
Technical Assistance
Explore additional technical assistance resources beyond those referenced in the Funding Guidelines.
California Strategic Growth Council
This toolkit is designed to support California state agencies and other public and private funders in developing technical assistance programs that make a meaningful difference in under-resourced communities. Due to historic and continued under-investment, under-resourced communities often lack the staff capacity, partnerships, or resources to secure competitive funding and implement projects and policies. Technical assistance and capacity building support can be pivotal in leveling the playing field and ensuring that State resources go to the communities that need them the most.
California Strategic Growth Council
If your organization isn’t ready yet to apply for a planning or implementation grant, find resources here to help you prepare for success. Through the Community Assistance for Climate Equity (CACE) suite of programs, SGC provides technical assistance and capacity building to help under-resourced communities access critical funding resources, implement high-impact projects, and enact community-led initiatives.
Governor’s Office of Planning and Research
This checklist is intended to assist State agencies to ensure that plans and investments identify and protect the State’s most vulnerable populations. This checklist can be used alongside any decision-making process to improve equitable outcomes.
California Strategic Growth Council
Lessons learned and recommendations from SGC and technical assistance providers to support capacity building efforts.
California Strategic Growth Council
The evaluation report uplifts the strengths of the California Climate Investments Technical Assistance Program to continue and replicate while also providing actionable recommendations to improve TA provision. Topics covered include equitable TA provision requires adaptability and cultural competency; capacity building is a core driver of community change; community engagement sustains TA impacts beyond the application cycle.
Workforce Development
Explore additional workforce development resources beyond those referenced in the Funding Guidelines.
Department of Civil Rights
The California Department of Civil Rights investigates claims related to harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. Read about how to file a complaint, responding to a complaint, possible outcomes, and more.
United States Department of Labor
The federal Department of Labor champions job quality through this list of good job principles. These eight principles create a framework for workers, businesses, labor unions, advocates, researchers, state and local governments, and federal agencies for a shared vision of job quality.
United States Department of Labor
Labor agreements can be used to uplift underserved workers. Explore example project labor agreements across the US.
United States Department of Labor
Labor agreements build job quality into a project before starting work. Learn about project labor, community workforce, and community benefits agreements and how and if they are enforced.
Department of Industrial Relations
Pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships are overseen by DIR’s Division of Apprenticeship Standards. Learn how to become an apprentice or start an apprenticeship program.
Department of Industrial Relations
DIR oversees compliance with labor laws. Workers may report a violation to DIR. View laws, regulations, and policies and other resources for workers and employers.
Department of Industrial Relations
California employers have many different responsibilities under the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 and Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations. Learn about these employer responsibilities related to health and safety.
Department of Industrial Relations
CalOSHA oversees workplace safety. Learn about CalOSHA, access safety and health guidance and resources, and find information for workers and employers.
Department of Industrial Relations
DIR maintains authority over labor requirements related to public works. Learn more about public works and prevailing wage.
Department of Industrial Relations
The Public Works manual outlines requirements relating to public works and prevailing wage.
Department of Industrial Relations
The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) posts prevailing wage determinations twice a year that regulate covered workers. View determinations and find answers to frequently asked questions.
California Workforce Development Board
Learn about the elements of a high-quality job and how high road training partnerships approach is creating a workforce development system that ensures job quality and an ecosystem of economic prosperity.
California Workforce Development Board
The California Workforce Development Board (CWDB) includes job quality as one of the three elements of its High Road vision. Ranging from transportation to healthcare, hospitality to construction, the High Road approach embodies the sector strategy championed by the Board: industry partnerships that deliver equity, climate resilience, and job quality. Along with these program investments, CWDB is producing a body of policies and principles to guide alignment across the workforce and education system.
Program and Project Evaluation
Learn about program and project evaluations and view examples of completed evaluations.