FY 2027-28 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant
🏛 Department of Transportation (California)
✓ Free, no account · Source: California Grants Portal · Last verified Sep 12, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for California-based organizations working on landscape resilience and wildfire prevention projects. Eligible applicants include nonprofits, government agencies, tribal nations, and partnerships with demonstrated capacity to manage large regional projects. Projects must align with specified activities like fuels reduction, prescribed fire, reforestation, or workforce training.
Funding priorities emphasize multi-benefit projects identified through transparent regional processes. Applicants should show administrative and technical capacity for complex, multi-partner work. Projects leveraging multiple funding sources and benefiting disadvantaged communities score higher.
Geographic scope is limited to California. Organizations must demonstrate sufficient operational capacity and strong regional stakeholder engagement, including tribal participation.
⚖️ Cost sharing / matching required — applicants must contribute their own funds.
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Program description
The Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program was created to support the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) Mission: Improving lives and communities through transportation. The California Legislature passed, and Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed into law, Senate Bill 1 (SB 1, Beall, Chapter 5, Statutes of 2017) – The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, a transportation funding bill that provides a reliable fund source to maintain and integrate the State’s multimodal transportation system. In addition to the $10 million in traditional State and federal grants, approximately $25 million in SB 1 funds for Sustainable Communities Grants is available for each grant cycle. The State-funded Sustainable Communities grants ($30 million) are intended to support and implement Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Sustainable Communities Strategies/Alternative Planning Strategies (SCS/APS) (where applicable) and to ultimately achieve the State’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of 40 and 85 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 2045, respectively. Eligible planning projects must have a transportation nexus per Article XIX Sections 2 and 3 of the California Constitution. Therefore, successful planning projects are expected to directly benefit the multimodal transportation system. These grants will also improve public health, social equity, environmental justice, the environment, and provide other important community benefits. Additional details are provided in the STPG Application Guide available on the STPG website using the URL below. https://dot.ca.gov/programs/transportation-planning/division-of-transportation-planning/regional-and-community-planning/sustainable-transportation-planning-grants
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- Concept proposal (Phase 1)
- Regional prioritization documentation
- Stakeholder engagement plan
- Budget and cost-share information
- Organizational capacity/qualifications narrative
- Environmental compliance status documentation
Program contact
- 📧 kevin.mariant@dot.ca.gov
- 📞 1-916-698-4612
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
California-based nonprofits, government agencies, tribes, and public entities with capacity to manage large regional projects. Private organizations and community corps may be eligible partners.
What is the deadline and application process?
Concept proposals are due June 30, 2026 at 3 p.m. PDT. This is a two-phase process; finalists advance to full applications.
What activities does this grant fund?
Fuels reduction, prescribed fire, reforestation, pest management, workforce training, planning, and maintenance of previous resilience projects.
What makes an application competitive?
Multi-benefit projects identified through regional prioritization, demonstrated management capacity, leveraged funding, and benefits to disadvantaged communities.
What is the funding range?
Individual awards range from $5 million to $20 million. Total program pool is $30 million.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Start early on stakeholder engagement and regional coordination. Multi-partner projects and tribal involvement are strong priorities.
- Document your organization's capacity for managing large, complex projects with multiple partners and funding sources.
- Align your project with transparent regional prioritization processes already underway in your area.
- Show how your project leverages CAL FIRE funding with other state, federal, local, and private investments.
- Emphasize benefits to disadvantaged and severely disadvantaged communities in your project design.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applications underestimate the capacity requirements for $5-20M regional projects and lack clear multi-partner governance structures. Weak regional stakeholder engagement or missing tribal involvement reduces competitiveness. Failing to demonstrate leveraged funding from other sources is a significant weakness.
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