To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Lois Hopkins - 565-2431
Vote Requirement: Informational Only
Supervisorial District(s): Countywide
Title:
Title
Quarterly County Grant Program Update
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Recommended Action:
Recommended action
Receive the third quarterly report (July to September 2023) on the County Grant Program, which represents departmental efforts to seek grant funding and position for external funding opportunities.
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Executive Summary:
The Board of Supervisors has requested that County departments make a concerted effort to proactively pursue external funding to support County priorities. In response, the County Administrator’s Office (CAO) developed the County Grant Program in Fall 2022 to coordinate activities with an initial cohort of departments. The CAO regularly reports to the Board of Supervisors on efforts to pursue external funding, including via quarterly updates. Activities identified below, and in Attachment A, represent actions which occurred during the third quarter of 2023, from July to September.
Discussion:
Department Updates and Key Accomplishments
Each department with a grant coordinating function has prepared a report on the objectives of its Grant Program, which includes grant-seeking priorities, grant activity, major funding sources being monitored, and activities being performed to enhance grant-seeking capabilities. These reports have been compiled and attached. Below is a brief summary of departmental activities.
Ag + Open Space applied for and was awarded a $100,000 grant From American Farmland Trust under the Transfer Navigator Program. In addition, the department is researching three grants from the CA State Coastal Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Board and the USDA Forest Services. Two NOAA grants were researched but were not applied for, and one grant with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service AFA was deferred until the subject parcel’s lot line adjustment requirements are completed.
County Administrator’s Office, through the Climate Action and Resiliency Division, was awarded a Technical Assistance voucher award for $233,790 from the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. They are also in final negotiations for a $10 million USDA/NRCS grant that will expand climate-smart practices across agricultural communities.
Economic Development was awarded a grant for $70,800 from the California Arts Council under the State-Local Partners program. It is researching two grants from the Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development for the Local Immigrant Integration & Inclusion Grant Program and California Economic Resilience Fund/Jobs First Initiative. Other grants being researched include the Broadband Equity Access & Deployment Program through the National Telecommunications & Information Administration and California Advanced Services Fund Adoption Account through the Public Utilities Commission.
Emergency Management submitted a pre-application for a State Homeland Security Grant for $535,157. They have also filed FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant application for the Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update. They are also in the process of applying for a Small Community Drought Relief grant for $125,000 and a Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant for $500,000.
Health Services was awarded five grants in the quarter: (1) Tuberculosis Local Assistance Funds ($53,359); (2) Local Government Waste Tire Enforcement ($124,196); (3) two Encampment Resolution Funding ($4,567,130 and $2,763,142); and (4)Collaborative Community Stakeholder ($500,000). In addition, Health Services applied for four grants: (1) Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention ($1,189,560); (2) Project Homekey Round 3 (Redwood Inn transition-aged youth housing) ($16,118,958; (3) Emergency Solutions Grant Program ($322,434); and (4) CalRecycle Illegal Disposal Grant ($235,720). The department is also researching CYBHI Early Childhood Wraparound Services ($500,000).
Human Services received one grant from CA Dept. of Labor/CA Employment Development Dept. for Hospitality Industry Training for Dislocated Workers ($420,000). Two grants were applied for: (1) for Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities through CalTrans/Federal Transit Administration (amount TBD); and (2) from the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration ($64,000). Human Services is also researching a Student Training and Employment Program (STEP) grant with the CA Dept. of Rehabilitation in coordination with the Foundation for CA Community Colleges Foundation ($605,544).
Information Services grant activity for this quarter was focused on grant research.
Permit Sonoma currently administers FEMA awarded grants totaling nearly $12 million, and CA Board of State and Community Corrections Prop 64 grants totaling $3.9 million. No new grants were applied for, nor awarded, during the third quarter.
Public Infrastructure applied for five grants in the quarter totaling nearly $20 million in grant applications: (1) three grants from the Department of Transportation ($17.3 million) for Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (Donald Gap), Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program (Asti Bridge), and Promoting Resilience Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation Program (Lakeville Rd.); and (2) two grants ($2.1 million) from FEMA/CalOES Hazard Mitigation Grants for Villa Grande and Airport eucalyptus removal.
Regional Parks has applied for a $600,000 grant from State Coastal Conservancy for Bay Area Program and a $13.35 million grant from NOAA in the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge. The department was awarded six grants in this quarter:
• $250,000 grant from CalFire for wildfire prevention;
• $42,421 grant from CA Dept. of Food & Agriculture for Integrated Pest Management;
• $50,000 grant from Metropolitan Transportation Commission for bikeway development;
• $905,791 from CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife for watershed restoration;
• $1million from Ag & Open Space through the matching grant program; and
• $1,063,000 from Wildlife Conservation Board for streamflow enhancement.
Next Steps
Grant Program efforts continue in order to bolster program effectiveness. Next steps include:
1. Departments are continuing to address grant-seeking priorities and establishing clear criteria for identifying potential grants. The participating departments have shown progress in seeking grant opportunities in the areas of the most pressing needs.
2. Departments are continuing to identify and address internal impediments to grant coordination and fostering a broader understanding of grants across the organization.
Strategic Plan:
This item directly supports the County’s Five-year Strategic Plan and is aligned with the following pillar, goal, and objective.
Pillar: Organizational Excellence
Goal: Goal 4: Seek out grant funding to enhance programs and improve infrastructure
Objective: Objective 1: Secure a total of $60 million in grant funding by 2026 for strategic priorities, including technology tools, climate resiliency, and other capital projects.
Racial Equity:
Was this item identified as an opportunity to apply the Racial Equity Toolkit?
No
Prior Board Actions:
On March 2, 2021, the Board of Supervisors adopted the Sonoma County Strategic Plan, which established the priority of securing $60 million in grant funding by 2026.
April 18, 2023, The Board of Supervisors received the first quarterly status report, covering the period from January to March 2023.
On August 15, 2023, the Board of Supervisors received the second quarterly status report, covering the period from April to June 2023.
Fiscal Summary
Narrative Explanation of Fiscal Impacts:
There are no fiscal impacts associated with this quarterly report. However, grant activity efforts described in the report increase revenue capacity to meet County priorities.
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impacts (If Required):
There are no staffing impacts associated with this quarterly report.
Attachments:
1. Quarterly Grant Department Reports
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None