Several programs were amended to include the ability to provide advance funds to public and nonprofit grantees under certain circumstances and in accordance with State law.
Grants and Loans
DWR offers numerous grant and loan programs that support integrated water management activities addressing watershed climate resiliency, environmental stewardship, water supply reliability, flood risk, groundwater sustainability, water conservation, drought, and more.
Learn more about these grant and loan opportunities and how the funding can help your organization reach its water sustainability and environmental goals. Local public agencies, Tribes, and nonprofit organizations are typically eligible for DWR grants.
For general information about DWR’s grant and loan programs and for resources to help you better succeed in the application process, visit the Grants Best Practices and Tips for Success page.
Open Solicitations
To apply for a DWR open solicitation, visit each program’s webpage for specific eligibility requirements, application instructions, and contact information.
There are currently no open DWR grant and loan solicitations. Check back for future solicitations.
Grant and Loan Programs
DWR grant and loan programs fund a variety of projects that support integrated water management activities. Below is a list of the grant and loan programs by category.
Programs listed below may not be accepting applications; if you are seeking funding, please see the list of Open Solicitations at the top of this page.
Agricultural Water Use Efficiency
No current open solicitations. This program helps urban and agricultural communities cope with water shortages and drought conditions through the implementation of water use efficiency projects.
Agricultural Water Use Efficiency's DWR/California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Joint Pilot Project
No current open solicitations. This joint program highlights the benefits of efficiency and conservation, awarding $3 million from Proposition 1, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, to projects that address water use efficiency and reduction, greenhouse gas emission reductions, groundwater protection, and sustainability of agricultural operations and food production.
Flood Corridor Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides grant funding for nonstructural flood management projects that support wildlife habitat enhancement and/or agricultural land preservation.
Instream Flow Water Purchase Program
No current open solicitations. The Instream Flow Water Purchase Program provides funding for the acquisition of instream flows in the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed. The program prioritizes flows provided in dry and critically dry water year types to measurably enhance streamflow at a time and location necessary to provide fisheries or ecosystem benefits and improve upon existing flow conditions.
LandFlex Program
No current open solicitations. LandFlex is a voluntary program that provides immediate drought relief to domestic drinking water wells in vulnerable communities by incentivizing growers to temporarily fallow land and reduce groundwater pumping. A core component of the program is that it permanently reduces a grower’s ability to overdraft groundwater on enrolled lands, bringing those lands into immediate compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
San Joaquin River Water Quality Grant Program - Proposition 84
No current open solicitations. This program provides funding for projects that result in direct, measurable water quality improvements to the San Joaquin River by reducing or eliminating discharges of subsurface agricultural drainage.
Watershed Resilience Program
No current open solicitations. The Watershed Resilience Program provides financial and technical support to improve regional resilience at the watershed scale, a vision and framework described in the California Water Plan 2023.
Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program
No current open solicitations. The Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program's purpose is to provide State funding for repairs, rehabilitation, enhancements, and other dam safety projects. Projects must take place at existing State jurisdictional dams and associated facilities that were in service prior to January 1, 2023.
2021 Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Grant Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides over $250 million in grant funding for urban communities and multibenefit projects. These grants support projects and programs that provide water to communities facing the loss or contamination of their water supplies, address immediate impacts on human health and safety, and protect fish and wildlife resources.
2022 Urban Community Drought Relief Grant Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides over $280 million in grant funding for urban communities to implement drought response projects.
LandFlex Program
No current open solicitations. LandFlex is a voluntary program that provides immediate drought relief to domestic drinking water wells in vulnerable communities by incentivizing growers to temporarily fallow land and reduce groundwater pumping. A core component of the program is that it permanently reduces a grower’s ability to overdraft groundwater on enrolled lands, bringing those lands into immediate compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
Small Community Drought Relief Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides $300 million to implement needed resiliency measures and infrastructure improvements for small water suppliers and rural communities. The program supports projects and programs that provide immediate and near-term water supply reliability benefits. These measures improve drought and water shortage resiliency and preparedness for small communities.
Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects
No current open solicitations. This program works directly with local agencies to provide critical financial assistance for flood protection in the Delta. The program provides funding to safeguard public benefits from flood hazards, including roads, utilities, urbanized areas, water quality, recreation, navigation, and fish and wildlife.
Flood Corridor Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides grant funding for nonstructural flood management projects that support wildlife habitat enhancement and/or agricultural land preservation.
Riverine Stewardship Program
This program is accepting full applications from candidates that received formal invitations only. This program provides technical and financial assistance to support the planning and implementation of watershed-based riverine and riparian improvements that help reduce flood-risk, restore and enhance fish populations and their habitat, and enhance water quality, among other environmental benefits.
Urban Streams Restoration Program
No current open solicitations. This program funds projects where the applicant works in partnership with the local community to reduce flood and erosion risks, protect property, restore and enhance the stream ecosystems, and advance community education and stream stewardship.
Central Valley Tributaries Program
No current open solicitations. This program funds multibenefit flood risk reduction projects that (1) address flood risk for urban communities, small communities, and/or rural areas, and (2) enhance ecosystems by improving fish and wildlife habitat and water quality downstream.
Coastal Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Program
No current open solicitations. The Coastal Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Program funds projects in coastal areas that focus on multibenefit flood risk reduction.
Delta Levees Maintenance Subventions
This program is accepting applications from qualified levee maintaining agencies, reclamation districts, and other government agencies. This program provides funding on a cost share basis to local levee maintaining agencies for rehabilitation and maintenance of levees in the Delta.
Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects
No current open solicitations. This program works directly with local agencies to provide critical financial assistance for flood protection in the Delta. The program provides funding to safeguard public benefits from flood hazards, including roads, utilities, urbanized areas, water quality, recreation, navigation, and fish and wildlife.
Flood Control Subventions Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides financial assistance to local agencies cooperating in the construction of federally authorized flood control projects.
Flood Corridor Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides grant funding for nonstructural flood management projects that support wildlife habitat enhancement and/or agricultural land preservation.
Flood Emergency Response Grant Program
No current open solicitations. Since 2012, this program provides $20 million through three different types of Flood Emergency Response grants to improve local flood emergency response and contribute to increased public safety.
Floodplain Management, Protection, and Risk Awareness Grant Program
No current open solicitations. The Floodplain Management, Protection and Risk Awareness Grant Program supports local agency efforts to prepare for flooding by providing financial assistance for flood risk reduction activities related to stormwater flooding, mudslides, and flash floods.
Local Levee Assistance Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides financial assistance to local public agencies responsible for flood management outside the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This assistance helps local agencies obtain the geotechnical information needed to repair damaged levees and to restore or maintain levee accreditation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Small Communities Flood Risk Reduction Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides assistance to small communities protected by State Plan of Flood Control facilities to reduce flood risk.
Systemwide Flood Risk Reduction Program
No current open solicitations. The Systemwide Flood Risk Reduction Program oversees the work necessary to develop and implement Delta and Central Valley multibenefit flood risk reduction and habitat restoration projects. These projects further the goals and objectives of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan and other systemwide priorities identified by Governor Gavin Newsom or the Legislature.
Urban Flood Risk Reduction
No current open solicitations. This program works to improve flood protection for urban areas associated with State Plan of Flood Control. Specifically, the program provides funding to local flood control agencies in urban communities to increase flood protection, provide ecosystem restoration and improvement, protect farmland, and improve operation and maintenance of State Plan of Flood Control facilities.
Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides funds to Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and other responsible entities under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act for projects that develop and implement sustainable groundwater planning.
Integrated Regional Water Management Grant Programs
No current open solicitations. Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) is a collaborative effort to manage all aspects of water resources in a region. IRWM grant programs, via Proposition 84 and Proposition 1, fund regional water management projects (both planning and implementation) and provided support for disadvantaged communities and Tribal involvement.
Drainage Reuse Grant Program - Proposition 204
No current open solicitations. This program encourages development of methods of using subsurface drainage, reducing its toxic elements, and concentrating, separating, and utilizing its salts.
Proposition 50 Delta Water Quality Grants Program
No current open solicitations. This program supports projects that improve water quality or ecological conditions within the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
San Joaquin River Water Quality Grant Program - Proposition 84
No current open solicitations. This program provides funding for projects that result in direct, measurable water quality improvements to the San Joaquin River by reducing or eliminating discharges of subsurface agricultural drainage.
Water Desalination Grant Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides project grants for the treatment of naturally occurring saline water, including brackish water and seawater. Funded projects support the planning and development of potable water for municipal uses to meet local water resource needs statewide.
Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects
No current open solicitations. This program works directly with local agencies to provide critical financial assistance for flood protection in the Delta. The program provides funding to safeguard public benefits from flood hazards, including roads, utilities, urbanized areas, water quality, recreation, navigation, and fish and wildlife.
Instream Flow Water Purchase Program
No current open solicitations. The Instream Flow Water Purchase Program provides funding for the acquisition of instream flows in the Sacramento-San Joaquin watershed. The program prioritizes flows provided in dry and critically dry water year types to measurably enhance streamflow at a time and location necessary to provide fisheries or ecosystem benefits and improve upon existing flow conditions.
LandFlex Program
No current open solicitations. LandFlex is a voluntary program that provides immediate drought relief to domestic drinking water wells in vulnerable communities by incentivizing growers to temporarily fallow land and reduce groundwater pumping. A core component of the program is that it permanently reduces a grower’s ability to overdraft groundwater on enrolled lands, bringing those lands into immediate compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.
Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides funds to Groundwater Sustainability Agencies and other responsible entities under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act for projects that develop and implement sustainable groundwater planning.
Water Desalination Grant Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides project grants for the treatment of naturally occurring saline water, including brackish water and seawater. Funded projects support the planning and development of potable water for municipal uses to meet local water resource needs statewide.
Agricultural Water Use Efficiency
No current open solicitations. This program helps urban and agricultural communities cope with water shortages and drought conditions through the implementation of water use efficiency projects.
Agricultural Water Use Efficiency's DWR/CDFA Joint Pilot Project
No current open solicitations. This joint program highlights the benefits of efficiency and conservation, awarding $3 million from Proposition 1, the Water Quality, Supply, and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, to projects that address water use efficiency and reduction, greenhouse gas emission reductions, groundwater protection, and sustainability of agricultural operations and food production.
CalConserve Water Use Efficiency Loan Program
No current open solicitations. This program awarded a $3 million loan for specific types of water conservation and water use efficiency projects and programs that seek to achieve urban water use targets.
Water Desalination Grant Program
No current open solicitations. This program provides project grants for the treatment of naturally occurring saline water, including brackish water and seawater. Funded projects support the planning and development of potable water for municipal uses to meet local water resource needs statewide.
Alphabetical List of All Grant and Loan Programs
Below is an alphabetized list of all DWR grant and loan programs, including closed programs that have finished funding their agreements. Programs listed below may not be accepting applications; if you are seeking funding, please see the list of Open Solicitations at the top of this page.
2021 Urban and Multibenefit Drought Relief Grant Program
2022 Urban Community Drought Relief Grant Program
Agricultural Water Use Efficiency
Agricultural Water Use Efficiency's DWR/CDFA Joint Pilot Project
CalConserve Water Use Efficiency Loan Program
Central Valley Tributaries Program
Coastal Watershed Flood Risk Reduction Program
Dam Safety and Climate Resilience Local Assistance Program
Delta Levees Maintenance Subventions
Delta Levees Special Flood Control Projects
Drainage Reuse Grant Program - Proposition 204
Flood Control Subventions Program
Flood Emergency Response Grant Program
Floodplain Management, Protection, and Risk Awareness Grant Program
Instream Flow Water Purchase Program
Integrated Regional Water Management Grant Programs
Local Levee Assistance Program
Proposition 50 Delta Water Quality Grants Program
Proposition 84 Delta Water Quality Program
San Joaquin River Water Quality Grant Program - Proposition 84
Small Communities Flood Risk Reduction
Small Community Drought Relief Program
Sustainable Groundwater Management Grant Program
Systemwide Flood Risk Reduction Program
Urban Streams Restoration Program
Resources
The California Grants Portal is your one-stop destination to find all State grant and loan opportunities provided on a first-come or competitive basis. Visit grants.ca.gov to find funding opportunities for you and your community.
Grants and Loans Related DWR News
Following several years of planning and investment, the City of Antioch has reached a climate-resilient milestone: a new brackish water desalination facility near its existing water treatment plant.
Published:
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) will soon have new grant funding available to help advance California’s climate resilience goals, made possible by Proposition 4 - the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024.
Published:
Drought Information
Current and Upcoming Events
Contact Information
For general inquiries about DWR grant and loan programs, please send an email to Funding@water.ca.gov.