The California Department of Food and Ag (CDFA) Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS) is now accepting Concept Proposal applications from eligible organizations to serve as State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) Block Grant Recipients.
OARS invited public comments on the draft application guidelines and supporting documents in early 2026. The application guidelines have since been updated based on that feedback. The remaining supporting documents will be revised this spring to reflect additional public input in preparation for the full proposal period. In the meantime, you can find the public comments and OARS’s responses to the public comments here.
Who Should Apply?
At this time, CDFA is only accepting Concept Proposals from eligible organizations to become Block Grant Recipients.
Eligible organizations must submit a Concept Proposal in order to be considered for invitation to submit a Full Proposal.
This is not a funding opportunity for individual farmers or ranchers. Producer funding opportunities will be made available at a later date through awarded Block Grant Recipients.
How to Apply
Eligible organizations may review the Application Guidelines and submit a Concept Proposal here.
- Application Deadline: May 15th 2026 at 5pm Pacific Time
- Questions: cdfa.sweeptech@cdfa.ca.gov
Visit the SWEEP Block Grant Webpage.
Webinar
HSP and SWEEP will offer joint informational webinars to guide prospective Block Grant Recipients through the Concept Proposal application process and address applicant questions. Registration is required.
Register for Webinar No. 1 on April 13 at 1 to 2:30 p.m. HERE.
Register for Webinar No.2 on April 20 at 10-11:30 a.m. HERE.
In addition to informational webinars, OARS will offer a question-and-answer process. General questions may be submitted through April 27, 2026 to cdfa.sweeptech@cdfa.ca.gov, and responses will be standardized and posted to the website according to the timeline below:
- April 17, 2026
- May 1, 2026
Technical Assistance for Block Grant Applicants
We are working with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources to support Block Grant applicants through technical assistance. Community Education Specialists (CESs) across California can help develop projects that benefit disadvantaged communities (DACs) and vulnerable populations.
Need help? Reach out to the CES team at climatesmartag@ucdavis.edu.
Tribal Set-Aside Opportunity
SWEEP is committed to expanding access and participation for California Native American Tribes and Tribal-serving organizations.
For this funding cycle, SWEEP will offer a tribal set-aside of up to $4M for qualified Tribals governments and nonprofit organizations affiliated with a Tribal government. Tribal applicants will apply through the same process and manage the same format of block grant project as all other applicants. This effort aligns with the priorities of Proposition 4 and acknowledges that Tribes have been historically underserved by SWEEP. Through this work, CDFA aims to support water efficiency and energy-saving projects on Tribal agricultural lands and strengthen long-term engagement with Tribal partners.
Note for Producers
Producers will not be able to apply for the Block Grant funding until OARS selects Block Grant Recipients for awards and executes agreements. At this time, OARS expects execution of Block Grant Recipient agreements in January 2027. — By the California Department of Food and Ag
Leave a Reply