Community Assistance for Climate Equity Program

Community Assistance for Climate Equity Program is sponsored by California Climate Investments (California Air Resources Board). This program provides grant application assistance and implementation support for Tribal, disadvantaged, and low-income communities applying for or carrying out climate mitigation, adaptation, or resilience projects.

All Resources — California Climate Investments Jobs and Workforce Development Program and Project Evaluation To view the full collection of resources featured in the Funding Guidelines for Agencies Administering California Climate Investments, visit Funding Guidelines . Table containing current and cumulative funds appropriated to California Climate Investments programs.

Administering agency documentation that outlines how their program will meet statutory requirements, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support public health and environmental community needs. Planning document developed every three years by the Department of Finance, in consultation with the California Air Resources Board and other State agencies, to advise the Legislature on climate investment priorities.

California Air Resources Board Overview of the California Climate Investments program. 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. Priority Populations Benefits Learn how to identify priority populations and access resources to help deliver benefits and advance equity and environmental justice.

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.

Appropriations: Funds Available by Program 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 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.

Funding Workbook for all California Tribes California Air Resources Board Priority Populations Benefit Assessment Tools California Air Resources Board Guides that walk administering agencies, applicants, and funding recipients through calculating project benefits to priority populations.

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.

Priority Populations Benefit Criteria Tables California Air Resources Board Benefit Criteria Tables are used by administering agencies and applicants to determine if a project selected through a solicitation released on or before February 28, 2025 will meaningfully address an important community or household need and provide a benefit.

Quantification, Benefits, and Reporting Materials California Air Resources Board Administering agencies must use CARB tools to develop effective programs and demonstrate compliance with program requirements. View tools for estimating GHG emissions reductions and co-benefits, determining benefits to priority populations, and reporting outcomes.

Co-benefit Assessment Methodologies 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 Definitions and more information about commonly used terms in the California Climate Investments Funding Guidelines and other materials. California Climate Investments Reporting and Tracking System (CCIRTS) 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.

Job Co-benefit Modeling Tool California Air Resources Board Guidance for estimating the job co-benefits of projects. Job Co-benefit Assessment Methodology 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 Guidance for grantees and contractors implementing California Climate Investments projects and programs around the state to ensure brand and messaging consistency.

Jobs Co-Benefit Literature Review 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 This user guide provides administering agencies with step-by-step guidance on how to report in CCIRTS.

Examples of Common Needs of Priority Populations 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.

California Air Resources Board Explore the impact of California Climate Investments, including estimates of greenhouse gas emissions reductions, benefits from project investments, data on the benefits to priority populations, and program achievements.

Jobs and Workforce Development Supplemental Guidance: 2025 Regional Median Wage Table California Air Resources Board Table that provides the 2025 regional median wage by county using the regional median wage methodology. Supplemental Guidance: 2024 Regional Median Wage Table California Air Resources Board Table that provides the 2025 regional median wage by county using the regional median wage methodology.

Supplemental Guidance: Regional Median Wage California Air Resources Board This supplemental guidance provides a standard methodology for administering agencies to determine regional median wage.

Zero-Emission Vehicle Sustainable Equitable Employment Destination Project California Energy Commission Report that highlights the efficacy of targeted training programs that seek to meet the surging demand for electrification and clean energy skills.

Standards for Mental Health in the Workplace Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission Overview of standards organizations can implement to support employee mental health and create a positive workplace culture. California Department of Civil Rights Complaint Process Department of Civil Rights Process to file a complaint related to workplace harassment, discrimination, or retaliation.

Technical Assistance Toolkit 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.

DIR, Division of Apprenticeship Standards 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. DIR, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement 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. Employer Responsibilities Under CalOSHA 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.

General Prevailing Wage Determinations 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.

The California High Road: A Roadmap to Job Quality 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. Quantification, Benefits, and Reporting Materials California Air Resources Board Administering agencies must use CARB tools to develop effective programs and demonstrate compliance with program requirements.

View tools for estimating GHG emissions reductions and co-benefits, determining benefits to priority populations, and reporting outcomes. Job Co-benefit Modeling Tool California Air Resources Board Guidance for estimating the job co-benefits of projects.

Job Co-benefit Assessment Methodology 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.

Jobs Co-Benefit Literature Review 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 Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment A screening tool used to help identify communities disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution and with population characteristics that make them more sensitive to pollution. Transportation Equity Index California Department of Transportation Spatial screening tool designed to identify transportation-based priority populations at the census block level.

The EQI integrates transportation and socioeconomic indicators into three screens: communities that are most burdened by the transportation system and receive the fewest benefits, communities that are the most burdened through high exposure to traffic and crashes, and communities that have the greatest gaps in multimodal access to destinations.

Public Health Alliance of Southern California Data and policy platform created to advance health equity through open and accessible data. Users can evaluate project areas for vulnerabilities or ways projects can benefit priority populations.

CARB's Community Engagement Model California Air Resources Board Guidance to support a consistent approach to community engagement to build trust and strong relationships with communities and ensure equitable outcomes for all California Spectrum of Public Involvement 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. Public Participation Guide: Selecting the Right Level of Public Participation 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.

Transformative Climate Communities Program Criteria for Determining Community Engagement California Climate Investments Excerpts from the Transformative Climate Communities Program Guidelines that establish minimum requirements for a Community Engagement Plan to ensure applicants involve residents from the project area and key stakeholders in all phases of TCC proposal development and implementation.

Best Practices for Community Engagement and Building Successful Projects California Air Resources Board Recommendations and lesson learned for incorporating community leadership into many different stages of a program or project.

IAP2 Spectrum of Public Participation 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.

Engaging Communities for Health Equity and Environmental Justice: Guide for Public Agencies and Toolkit California Department of Public Health Designed to support effectively implementing the strategies in the Engaging Communities for Health Equity and Environmental Justice: A Guide for Public Agencies.

Funding and Public Participation Calendar California Air Resources Board Calendar containing upcoming California Climate Investments funding timelines, public participation opportunities such as workshops, public comment periods, listening sessions, and more.

Public Participation Opportunities California Air Resources Board Current opportunities to participate in identifying areas for improvement of existing materials and ideas for tools and resources to help achieve the objectives and principles of California Climate Investments.

California Climate Investments Newsletter California Air Resources Board Children's Materials - Earth Day Bingo California Air Resources Board Bingo game to help children learn about California Climate Investments and how California is combating climate change.

Children's Materials - Fortune Teller California Air Resources Board A fortune teller game to help children learn about California Climate Investments and how California is combating climate change.

Catalyst Model Hub: Exportable Policy Models for Equitable Transformation California Strategic Growth Council Case studies, lessons, and scalable templates to support program administrators and funders in designing programs to serve under-resourced communities.

Capacity Building and Technical Assistance Programs 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. This page provides ideas and resources to consider when planning and conducting public outreach and community engagement.

Resiliency Guidebook Equity Checklist 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 Air Resources Board Learn about priority populations and how California Climate Investments programs are providing benefits. Priority Populations Benefits Learn how to identify priority populations and access resources to help deliver benefits and advance equity and environmental justice.

Technical Assistance and Capacity Building 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. California Air Resources Board Community Connections is a tool to help organizations and agencies find partners interested in California Climate Investments.

Partnerships ensure that project proposals reflect the perspectives needed to build resilient communities and implement meaningful investment. California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment A screening tool used to help identify communities disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution and with population characteristics that make them more sensitive to pollution.

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. Transportation Equity Index California Department of Transportation Spatial screening tool designed to identify transportation-based priority populations at the census block level.

The EQI integrates transportation and socioeconomic indicators into three screens: communities that are most burdened by the transportation system and receive the fewest benefits, communities that are the most burdened through high exposure to traffic and crashes, and communities that have the greatest gaps in multimodal access to destinations.

Priority Populations Benefit Criteria Tables California Air Resources Board Benefit Criteria Tables are used by administering agencies and applicants to determine if a project selected through a solicitation released on or before February 28, 2025 will meaningfully address an important community or household need and provide a benefit.

Public Health Alliance of Southern California Data and policy platform created to advance health equity through open and accessible data. Users can evaluate project areas for vulnerabilities or ways projects can benefit priority populations.

Co-benefit Assessment Methodologies 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.

List of Priority Populations California Air Resources Board This spreadsheet can be used to identify if a census tract is as a Disadvantaged Community or Low-Income Community, if Tribal lands are present within the census tract, and buffer community claims may be available. Low-Income Household Tool California Air Resources Board Use this lookup tool to identify the median income threshold by county and county average household size.

Examples of Common Needs of Priority Populations 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.

Racial Equity Resource Hub California Strategic Growth Council The Hub is designed to enable practitioners, policymakers, and communities at any point in their racial equity journey to increase access and understanding to relevant resources and best practices.

Community Inclusion Guidance California Air Resources Board Example guidance from the Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP), where applicants must directly engage community residents, in all phases of the STEP proposal’s development and implementation to ensure projects provide direct, meaningful, and assured benefits to STEP Community residents.

While quantity of outreach and engagement is important, STEP Applicants should also prioritize the quality of their outreach and engagement, including targeted outreach and engagement to hard-to-reach residents.

Displacement and Housing Guidance California Air Resources Board Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Guidance California Air Resources Board Example guidance from the Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP) where applicants are encouraged to consider how projects can increase adaptability and build resilience to the specific impacts of climate change on the STEP Community over each project’s lifetime.

Revised State Income Limits for 2021 California Department of Housing and Community Development Identify income limits for low-income communities and households. Low-income communities and households are defined as the census tracts and households, respectively, that are either at or below 80 percent of the statewide median income, or at or below the threshold designated as low-income by HCD.

Planning and Investing for a Resilient California: A Guidebook for State Agencies Governor's Office of Planning and Research This document provides this guidance in a step-by-step process with specific guidance on prioritizing actions that promote equity and foster community resilience. While this guidance is aimed at state agencies in particular, it can be applied to the local and regional scales.

Program and Project Evaluation Advancing Equitable Community-Based Transportation Planning University of California Othering and Belonging Institute Report that evaluates grantee experiences with program selection, project implementation, and technical assistance under CARB’s Sustainable Transportation Equity Project.

Evaluating Place-Based Transportation Plans University of California Institute of Transportation Studies Research report that examines how some California Climate Investments programs approach evaluation for place-based investments.

Insights on CA Light-Duty ZEV Incentive Programs Dashboard California Air Resources Board Interactive dashboard that allows use to create visualizations of Clean Vehicle Rebate Project and other CARB other light-duty incentive program data.

Clean Vehicle Rebate Project Dashboard: Statistics Center for Sustainable Energy Dashboard containing geographic, vehicle type, community, and electric utility data on rebates provided by the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project.

Assessing Progress and Equity in the Distribution of Electric Vehicle Rebates Using Appropriate Comparisons Center for Sustainable Energy Report examining characteristics of consumers that have received rebates from Clean Vehicle Research Project.

Clean Vehicle Assistance Program Learnings & Data Transparency Clean Vehicle Assistance Program | Beneficial State Foundation This dashboard reflects data from Clean Vehicle Assistance Program participants who purchased or leased a used or new clean vehicle and received a grant. View information on grants, loans, and participant demographics.

Project Evaluations: Advanced Technology Demonstration and Pilot Projects California Climate Investments | CARB The Advanced Technology Demonstration and Pilot Projects program helps accelerate the next generation of advanced technology vehicles, equipment, or emission controls which are not yet commercialized. Final project reports serve as examples of project evaluations.

Technical Assistance Toolkit: Evaluation California Strategic Growth Council Explore key considerations for evaluating technical assistance (TA) programs, including guidance to determine evaluation goals and processes as well as budgeting and contracting considerations for hiring an outside evaluator.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Investments: Project Outcome Reporting Data Collection and Assessment University of California, Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment, and the Economy CARB developed a Project Outcome Reporting (POR) phase for California Climate Investments which is intended to collect primary data from grantees and program administering agencies during the period following project implementation to gain insights into project results.

The University of California, Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment, and the Economy was tasked with reviewing the current set of POR requirements and recommending additional or alternative metrics and methods based on best practices in data collection and analysis.

The primary objective of these efforts was to develop findings and recommendations to support improved data collection, analysis, transparency, and evaluation for individual programs and the California Climate Investments portfolio. Evaluation of Climate Investments UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation Explore multiple evaluations of California Climate Investments programs conducted by LCI.

These evaluations are designed to help California meet its goal to maximize benefits to priority populations and to take the lessons, both the strengths and the shortcomings, from California’s experience and use it to inform more transformative, community-driven investments across the nation.

Evaluation of five Transformative Climate Communities Program Investments UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation The Luskin Center for Innovation is conducting an ongoing evaluation of process, progress, and results of the Transformative Climate Communities Program, which is supporting innovative, comprehensive, and equitable action in five cities: Fresno, Ontario, Stockton, and the Watts and Northeast San Fernando Valley neighborhoods of Los Angeles.

Ecosystem Service Benefits of Projects Funded by California Climate Investments Industrial Economics, Inc. An analysis and evaluation of ecosystem service benefits California Climate Investments projects provide by funding nature-based climate solutions.

The resulting report explores how carbon mitigation projects can generate ecological and environmental improvements that enhance the health, wealth, and well-being of California residents.

Catalyst Model Hub: Exportable Policy Models for Equitable Transformation California Strategic Growth Council Case studies, lessons, and scalable templates to support program administrators and funders in designing programs to serve under-resourced communities.

Technical Assistance Toolkit 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.

Capacity Building and Technical Assistance Programs 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.

Technical Assistance Toolkit: Evaluation California Strategic Growth Council Explore key considerations for evaluating technical assistance (TA) programs, including guidance to determine evaluation goals and processes as well as budgeting and contracting considerations for hiring an outside evaluator.

BOOST TA Pilot Program: Best Practices & Lessons Learned California Strategic Growth Council Lessons learned and recommendations from SGC and technical assistance providers to support capacity building efforts. California Climate Investments | Cap-and-Invest Dollars at Work