To: Board of Supervisors
Department or Agency Name(s): County Administrator’s Office
Staff Name and Phone Number: Kay Lowtrip - 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 second quarterly report (April to June 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 last fall 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 that were approved for the Board’s 2023 Significant Items Calendar. This is the second quarterly status report, covering the period from April to June 2023.
Discussion:
Department Updates and Key Accomplishments
Each department 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 included as attachments. See summary below for ease of reference.
Public Infrastructure applied for three grants in the quarter totaling nearly $2 million in grant applications:
• $1,108,250 grant application from the Department of Transportation for charging and fueling to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure and other alternative fueling infrastructure.
• $668,800 application for the Building Forward grant from the California State Library which supports capital projects for public library buildings that address critical maintenance needs, improve energy efficiency and sustainability, and expand access physically and digitally. This funding supports the County Legislative Platform item to support funding for Comprehensive Service Delivery to Address Energy, Poverty and Jobs.
Regional Parks was awarded a grant for $905,792 from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for watershed restoration, as well as $75,000 from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the Stockoff Creek and Doran Dune Restoration. They also applied for 3 grants totaling over $2 million for the Mark West Creek Restoration Planning, the Shiloh North Loop Trail, and the McCormick Ranch Acquisition.
Permit Sonoma was awarded a $3 million grant from the California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) for a Proposition 64 Public Health Grant related to the impacts of cannabis legalization. Grant activities will address environmental impacts from cannabis cultivation. Enforcement activities will be enhanced by the hiring of one full-time time-limited Code Enforcement Inspector and one full-time time-limited Code Enforcement Senior Office Assistant; the purchase of two-way radios to maintain communications between field staff and other agencies, and a 4-wheel drive truck; and a contract with a non-governmental agency to produce high-resolution aerial imagery.
Information Services was awarded a $35,000 grant through the Department of Emergency Management for a cybersecurity assessment for Registrar of Voters. They also applied for
Human Services applied for a $420,000 Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant which originated from the Department of Labor through the California Employment Development Department. In addition, they were awarded a grant from the California Department of Aging for Local Aging & Disability Action Planning in the amount of $198,000. Another grant for the Equitable Energy Resilience and EV Infrastructure Project of $64,000 is pending.
Economic Development applied for a grant of $75,000 from the California Arts Council for the State-Local Partners program, to support local art agencies. They also applied for a $50,000 General Operating grant from the Manitou Fund. They are also researching further Broadband grants opportunities, including the Community Connect Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, and a grant for the Broadband Technical Assistance Program from the United States Department of Agriculture
Health Services was awarded over $36 million from 11 separate grants to support an array of Public Health (PH) programs, including, $18,000,000 for the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Round 5: Crisis and Behavioral Health Continuum, and $11,000,000 for the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) RFA 1, both were granted by the Department of Health Care Services. Other grants included the Immunization program, the Department of Justice Tobacco Grant Program, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention and Community Health Workers for Covid Response and Resilience.
The department also applied for a Medi-Cal Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention grant from California Department of Public Health for $679,536.00, and $25,559.00 grant for the Local Enforcement Agency from CalRecycle.
Emergency Management submitted a pre-application for a State Homeland Security Grant for $535,157. They have also filed two notices of intent totaling $645,052, one for a Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan Update grant, and one for Auxiliary Communication System Upgrade and Expansion Project. They are also in the process of applying for a Small Community Drought Relief grant for $125,000.
County Administrator’s Office The Climate Action and Resiliency Division submitted a pre-application for the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program for $233,790. They are also in final negotiations for a $10M USDA/NRCS that will expand climate-smart practices across agricultural communities. The Division is also still awaiting final decisions on a $1.4 million federal appropriation request that was submitted by Senator Alex Padilla to complete energy conservation upgrades at low-income, multi-family housing locations; and a $250,000 State Water Board grant to evaluate pathogen sources in the Russian River and develop pathogen reduction strategies. The Division is also recruiting for a Climate Grants Analyst (Department Analyst), who will increase the County’s capacity to monitor and apply for climate-related grant opportunities.
Ag + Open Space was awarded a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant of $353,174 to support Technical Assistance for Forest Resilience & Watershed Health in the Russian River. They also filed pre-applications for two California Department of Conservation grants totaling $6 million for Sustainable Ag Lands Conservation Program (SALC) Ag Conservation Grant - South Sonoma Mtn - Skyline and South Sonoma Mtn - Rodgers Creek.
Next Steps
Grant Program efforts continue in order to bolster program effectiveness, however the departure of the lead CAO staff person working on the program has slowed progress, though recruitment is in process. Next steps include:
1. Continuing to solidify departmental 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. 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.
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.
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 Report Table Summary
2. Quarterly Grant Department Reports
Related Items “On File” with the Clerk of the Board:
None