California Wildlands and Smart Growth Rapid Response Fund

• Organizations with 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) status from the Internal Revenue Service, or who are fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization.

The Project must impact the state of California.

• Near-term initiatives with a limited window of opportunity that are:
  • Securing stronger protections and building new constituencies for public lands with wildland values
  • Protecting landscapes of concern, including wildlands and open spaces with significant biodiversity attributes, from sprawling development
  • Facilitating policies that promote denser patterns of development to protect open space with biodiversity attributes
  • Safeguarding existing conservation protections on public lands
  • Defending against projects significantly impacting National Forest, National Park, National Wildlife Refuge, and Bureau of Land Management lands
  • Advocating for strong agency rulemaking standards

• Activities such as:
  • Public outreach or organizing including phone banks, digital media strategies, or special events
  • Advocacy, research, or other activities conducted by experts or consultants including media, communications, economics, outreach, or legal work
  • Travel funds to allow staff, experts or members of the public to attend key administrative or legislative hearings or reach key decision-makers

• Short-term projects, generally 6 – 8 months maximum, that represent extra costs to the organization beyond the regular annual budget.
• Projects involving time-sensitive opportunities to protect at-risk wildlands.
• Projects involving precedential and time-sensitive opportunities to advance smart growth outcomes through effective land use, transit or active transportation, and/or groundwater management policies.
• Projects engaging community stakeholders, especially projects which build new constituencies for conservation and land stewardship, and engage non-traditional stakeholders, including communities of color.
• Projects in regions of California where local political power has been less than supportive of sound land use, transportation, groundwater management, and conservation policy.
• Projects with easily identifiable goals, clear targets, effective strategies, and a means for measuring success.
• Projects leveraging partnerships with other organizations and tie-ins with coordinated campaigns and initiatives.

• Maximum grant award is $35,000
• In general, grants are for a 6 - 8 month period

• Capital expenses, including equipment purchase.
• General organizational expenses. This fund supports discrete projects and urgent campaigns that are a response to immediate opportunities and threats outside the expected organizational workplan.
• Long-range programs. While your project may be part of a longer-range strategy, it must center around responding to an immediate threat or opportunity.
• Most core or permanent staff salaries. Funding of staff salaries for project-related activities is only eligible if the applicant clearly demonstrates why the project work is not part of their regular duties.
• Lobbying activities as defined by IRS 501(c)(3). Educational activities targeting legislators are allowable, but grant dollars may not be used for lobbying.
• Projects focused on individual development proposals which do not have significant state or regional policy implications.