Two upcoming funding opportunities through the Cannabis Restoration Grant Program (CRGP) were recently announced. Each solicitation will offer up to $10 million for qualified projects.

The first opportunity is the draft Public Lands Cleanup and Remediation Solicitation for the cleanup and remediation of illicit cannabis cultivation impacts on qualified public land. The second opportunity is the draft Watershed Enhancement Solicitation for enhancing watershed and communities through road improvements, cleanup and remediation on private lands, wildlife and habitat enhancements, and/or water conservation projects.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife will host an online workshop on Friday, April 22, 2022, at 10 a.m. to provide an overview of the two draft solicitations, application requirements and to answer questions about these two different funding opportunities. Visit CDFW’s CRGP page for additional details about the workshop.

“We are excited to continue to engage with organizations of all sizes to learn about projects that benefit the environment,” said Jeremy Valverde, CDFW’s Cannabis Program Director. “Working together with entities that may apply for these funds, we can make huge strides in protecting our native plants, fish and wildlife, which is a benefit to all in our great state.”

In 2021, through this grant program, CDFW paid out nearly one million in funds and expects to do even more this year.

Grants through the CRGP are funded through California’s Environmental Restoration and Protection Account pursuant to Revenue and Taxation Code section 34019(f)(2), and may be used to fund the cleanup, remediation, and restoration of environmental damage in watersheds affected by cannabis cultivation and related activities, and to support local partnerships for this purpose.

For questions on CDFW’s CRGP, email canngrantprogram@wildlife.ca.gov.