Environmental Justice for California’s Environment and Communities Fund

• Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, fiscally-sponsored by a 501(c)(3), a local governmental entity, or tribal entity.
• The applicant must demonstrate the capacity to complete the proposed project, including experience in successfully conducting similar or related work in the past, or otherwise relevant skills and experience.
• Organizations with an active grant from this fund are not eligible to reapply.
• However, if your organization has an active grant from a different Rose fund, you may be eligible.

The location for funding is subject to change each cycle as funding is wholly dependent on the location of DTSC enforcement actions. Regardless of specific location, projects should benefit underserved, Environmental Justice communities or Disadvantaged Communities (DACs) as designated by a CalEnviroScreen 4.0 score of 75 and above and should demonstrate a high degree of community support and community involvement. While the applicant’s offices may be located outside of the DAC, they must explain how the proposed work will benefit particular DACs.  

For 2026, there will be three locations available for grant projects:

• Sacramento County
• Eastern Counties of the SF Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, or San Joaquin Counties)
• Orange and Los Angeles Counties

Projects must be designed to prevent or mitigate hazardous waste contamination or provide education about the proper disposal of hazardous wastes and include and further DTSC’s purpose of cleaning up the environment benefitting communities with a Cal EnviroScreen 4.0 score of 75 or higher in the vicinity of the facility. You can find more information about the scope of allowable projects and activities here.

Projects will be considered that have significant contributions at the intersection of hazardous waste and one or more of the following:

Public Health

• Epidemiological data collection and analysis, medical examinations of potentially affected persons
• Rehabilitation therapy, and improvements to the physical and mental health of impacted communities related to hazardous waste, materials, or substances
• Health fairs
• All of the above will be considered insofar as they primarily benefit the population harmed or put at risk by known violations

Pollution Prevention and/or Reduction

• Working with communities and the public to inform them about non-hazardous substitutes and proper disposal of waste.
• Public education that leads to changing practices or behaviors that result in pollution prevention. 
• Working with industry to change practices or behaviors that result in pollution prevention such as modification to equipment, technology, processes, or procedures; reformulation or redesign of products; substitution of raw materials; and improvements in housekeeping, maintenance, training, inventory control, or other operation and maintenance procedures.

Environmental Restoration & Protection

• Improves the overall condition of the ecosystem
• Protects endangered species
• Remediates facilities and buildings by removing or mitigating contaminated materials

Environmental Compliance Promotion

• Providing training and technical assistance to workers within a regulated industry so that they maintain compliance with existing environmental law. This may include producing a seminar, or online training, directly related to correcting widespread or prevalent violations pertaining to hazardous materials. 
• Supporting community-based environmental compliance projects, which may include support of community-based violation reporting networks (e.g., Identifying Violations Affecting Neighborhoods or IVAN), community task forces, fence-line monitoring projects, trainings, forums, or projects that promote community-based monitoring and reduction of adverse environmental impacts. 

Education, Emergency Planning & Preparedness

• Supporting community-based emergency preparedness and response in communities that may be impacted by hazardous wastes, materials, or substances during emergencies such as earthquake, fire, flood, or any incident that results in a hazardous substance release.
• Projects that inform and educate communities how to stay safe in emergency situations involving hazardous wastes, materials, or substances releases, how to receive emergency alerts, how to shelter in place, or how to prepare their homes and neighborhoods for emergency situations.
• Collecting and publicizing information about chemicals and hazardous wastes, materials, or substances that can impact or harm the community or environment from neighboring facilities. 
• Supporting local schools, businesses, and communities through purchasing and storing emergency supplies and shelter in place materials, making and practicing a plan for emergencies, and identifying the safest location for sheltering during an emergency involving hazardous wastes, materials, or substances.

The following activities or types of projects will not be funded:

• Grants to support litigation or lobbying.
• Grants to individuals or for-profit businesses.
• Advocacy-based projects that contradict an established agency or position of the State of California are not acceptable.

• Most grants are for a one-year period; however, you may request a shorter or longer grant period if that is what you need.
• Established non-profit organizations are encouraged to seek grants in the $20,000 to $50,000 range. The Rose Foundation also welcomes proposals from small grassroots conservation and environmental justice groups, but the requested amount should be in the $5,000 to $10,000 range.