In November 2018, Los Angeles County voters approved the Measure W parcel tax to fund projects and programs to increase stormwater capture and reduce stormwater pollution through the SCWP. This ordinance also requires that a portion of funds be set aside for Public Education and Community Engagement Programs, enabling residents to develop an increased awareness of the SCWP and participate in achieving its goals. To fulfill that directive, LA County Flood Control District is partnering with the Water Foundation to develop and administer the Grants Program.

Applications must be led by an organization that is tax-exempt under the Internal Revenue Code in one of the following categories:

• • Nonprofits, including community-based organizations (CBOs), Tribal organizations, and fiscal sponsors with 501(c)3, 4, 5, or 6 status;
  • Federally-recognized Tribes with Section 7871 status; or
  • Municipal agencies and school districts with Section 170(c)1 status.

• All grant-funded activities must serve populations within the Safe, Clean Water Program Watershed Areas of the LA County Flood Control District.
• A 501(c)(4) entity awarded funding may only use grant funds for their 501(c)(3) activities.

Eligible grant activities include:

• SCWP project-specific community outreach, including Technical Resource Program (TRP) project outreach 
• Site visits, field trips, and tours
• Tribal engagement
• Support for collaboratives, trainings, convenings, water academies, and water leadership training
• Community-led project concept development
• Community meetings
• Community needs assessments
• Community science initiatives
• Developing or updating curriculum and educational materials in diverse media formats, including videos, social media posts, fact sheets, visual art, and podcasts
• Other similar public education and community engagement activities that advance the objectives of the Grants Program and overall SCWP goals

The Water Foundation does not grant to private individuals or for-profit entities. However, a for-profit entity may enter into a subcontract with an eligible entity, who will lead the application and be responsible for reporting.

Additionally, the following activities are ineligible for grant funding:

• Lobbying or electioneering at the state, federal, or local level (includes lobbying to LA County)
• Any activity that falls under the scope or budget of a Watershed Coordinator contract (organizations with a Watershed Coordinator contract are still eligible to apply; see the FAQ further down this list for more information)
• Any activity that does not qualify for one or more of the specific exemptions under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) described in Part “C” of this official checklist, or that is excluded by one or more of the exceptions described in State CEQA Guidelines Section 15300.2, also described in the checklist to determine whether your proposed activities are exempt from CEQA review.

$8.5 million will be available over the course of this funding cycle.

Applicants may submit proposals anytime between the September 24, 2024 and May 31, 2025 application period. Water Foundation will evaluate proposals and award grants in periodic batches. To be evaluated in a specific round, proposals must be submitted by the deadline for that round. Proposals submitted after each deadline will be evaluated during the following round. Applications submitted after April 5, 2025 will be evaluated on a first-come-first-serve basis as funds are still available.

The deadlines for the program are:

• September 24, 2024 – Rolling application period opens
• November 8, 2024 – Deadline for Round 1 of proposal evaluation
• January 31, 2025 – Deadline for Round 2 of proposal evaluation
• April 4, 2025 – Deadline for Round 3 of proposal evaluation
• April 5, 2025 – Start of first-come-first-serve evaluation period
• May 31, 2025 – Rolling application period closes

The timeline for spending the funds will depend on the length of the proposal activities, but all funds must be expended no later than July 31, 2026, and final reports submitted no later than September 30, 2026.

Any entity associated with a non-federally recognized Tribe is eligible and encouraged to apply, provided that they have 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) status, or have a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor.

Yes, we support coordination between entities who would like to apply together for the same proposal, either under one lead applicant or as separate applicants. Please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity posted on this webpage for additional guidance. 

Yes, these organizations are eligible to apply, as long as they are able to meet the responsibilities of both obligations capacity-wise. When performing activities funded through the Grants Program, Watershed Coordinators and WASC/ROC members should not identify themselves as such, but rather identify themselves as a grantee and/or the entity applying for the grant. Additionally, Grants Program funds should not be used for any activity that falls under the budget and scope of the Watershed Coordinator contract.

Yes, multiple applications per organization are allowed, without additional funding caps beyond the general funding parameters of the Grants Program. However, in the interest of disbursing funds to a wide breadth of grantees, we cannot guarantee that all proposals from the same organization will be funded.

No, your proposal is not required to serve a Disadvantaged Community (DAC). However, proposals that do serve DACs will be weighted more favorably in the evaluation process.

Yes, an applicant based outside of LA County can apply for funding, provided that the grant-funded activities take place in and serve populations within the Safe Clean Water Program Watershed Areas of the LA County Flood Control District.