Campaign allocates $25 million to help build community resiliency
SACRAMENTO – The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) today announced a new funding opportunity for local partners to build disaster resilience in vulnerable communities. Under California’s first-in-the-nation Listos California campaign, the state is investing $25 million in ongoing funding to support peer-to-peer education and outreach activities designed to build readiness and protect lives in communities too often overlooked by traditional emergency management programs.
Listos California local volunteers during a 2020 community outreach event.
“California continues to use a people-centered approach to build disaster resilience,” said Mark Ghilarducci, Director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. “This first-of-its-kind effort is designed to bring greater equity to emergency preparedness, response and recovery.”
The funding opportunities released as part of Listos California today, prioritize grants to communities that are both socially vulnerable and at high risk of being impacted by a fire, flood, earthquake, drought or heatwave. Specifically, the state sought to identify communities by prioritizing California census tracts according to their estimated hazard exposures and social vulnerability.
There are four grant types available:
- Targeted grants: Will be awarded to CBOs serving the most socially vulnerable Californians at risk for adverse impacts from natural disasters. These service areas were determined using key social vulnerability factors and data that identify areas at risk of natural hazards. See FAQ’s here.
- Statewide grants: Will be available to CBOs working with socially vulnerable populations outside the target areas. See FAQ’s here.
- Tribal Government grants: Will be available to any of the state’s federally recognized Tribal Governments. See FAQ’s here.
- Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) is available to enhance existing or establish new California CERT Programs to provide CERT training to vulnerable and underserved populations, and to purchase personal protection equipment, background checks, and liability coverage for CERT volunteers. See FAQ’s here.
Under the program, targeted groups that are eligible for funding also include:
- People with Disabilities;
- Seniors/Older Adults;
- Individuals and Families Experiencing Homelessness;
- Areas with Geographically Isolated Individuals or Families/Low Broadband Subscription;
- Immigrants and Refugees;
- Farmworkers; and
- Households with Limited English Proficiency.
Organizations interested in applying can visit the Cal OES website and the California Grants Portal for additional details, background and application instructions.
Thanks to the continuous investment of public funds by Governor Newsom and state lawmakers, Listos California has worked with communities across the state to boost resiliency, provide new accessible in-language information and advance a new culture of disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
Listos California’s mission is to ensure every Californian, regardless of age, ability, income or language, deserves culturally competent education to prepare for earthquakes, floods, and the immediate threat of wildfires. Listos California has reached millions of Californians with low incomes, disabilities and language barriers, older adults, and other highly vulnerable Californians since its inception in 2019.
Cal OES will be hosting a Request for Proposal and Grant Subaward Application Training during the week of February 7. The training will provide a general overview of the Listos Grants Program and instruction on how to complete application forms. Anyone interested in attending the training should contact ListosGrants@caloes.ca.gov.
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ABOUT CAL OES
Cal OES serves as the state’s leadership hub during all major emergencies and disasters. This includes responding, directing, and coordinating state and federal resources and mutual aid assets across all regions to support the diverse communities across the state.
Cal OES also supports local jurisdictions and communities through planning and preparedness activities, training, and facilitating the immediate response to an emergency through the longer-term recovery phase.