Improving and enhancing local agencies’ capabilities through grant funding is one of the most important missions of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).
Cal OES is investing in homeland security, emergency preparedness and community resilience. In the last fiscal year (2023/24) Cal OES’s Grants Management Division distributed $550,582,815 to 1,631 subrecipients. The funding is provided through two program categories below:
Homeland Security & Emergency Management Programs and Community Resiliency – $322,690,618 – 594 subrecipients
The money goes to support services such as:
- Homeland security and cybersecurity
- Emergency operations center (county), emergency management performance
- Nonprofit and faith-based organization security
- Listos California grant programs
- California Earthquake Early Warning and tsunami hazard mitigation
- Winter storms flood relief
Victim Services – $227,892,197 – 1037 subrecipients
The money goes to support services such as:
- Human trafficking advocacy
- Domestic violence and intimate partner violence prevention, Native American Domestic violence and sexual assault, farmworkers women’s sexual assault and domestic violence
- Rape crisis, crisis response, victims legal resources
- Homeless youth and exploitation, emergency services and housing, youth emergency telephone referral network
- Child sexual abuse treatment, training and technical assistance, bullying and violence in-school advocacy, Native American child abuse
- Elder abuse
- Legal training, restorative justice training, law enforcement training, court education and training, Native American Tribal Court Advocate, school resource officer training
Grants administered by Cal OES represent a wide array of topics but all with the overarching goal to keep California communities safe before, during, and after an emergency. These crucial investments proactively support emergency preparedness efforts across local, state and tribal governments.
Also in 2024, Cal OES launched the Grants Central System, an automated system that provides a streamlined and efficient way to apply for and manage grant funding.
Cal OES’s Grants Management is responsible for the administration of funds for homeland security, emergency management, victim services, and criminal justice programs, a majority of which are distributed to local and regional entities to enable the most effective prevention, detection, response, and recovery efforts.
GRANT FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS
As we leap into the new year, let’s take a closer look at a few programs that this critical funding supports. Grant funding listed is for fiscal year 2023/24.
Nonprofit and faith-based security (state and federal) $61,988,522
The Nonprofit Security Grant Program and CA state programs provides nonprofit organizations with funding for security enhancements including reinforced doors, gates, high-intensity lighting, access control systems, and Inspection and screening systems.
Domestic Violence Assistance (state and federal) $31,075,823
The program provides local assistance for comprehensive support services to existing domestic violence providers throughout California, including emergency shelter to victims/survivors of domestic violence and their children.
Human Trafficking Victim Assistance (state and VOCA) $27,882,000
The purpose of the program is to help human trafficking victims/survivors (sex trafficking and labor trafficking) recover from the trauma they experienced and assist them with reintegrating into society through comprehensive safety and supportive services using a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, victim/survivor-centered approach.
Listos California $25,000,000
The Listos California Grant Program supports community-based organizations and federally recognized tribes throughout California to ensure every Californian, regardless of age, ability, income, or language has access to culturally competent outreach to prepare for earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and other hazards.
Some programs under the Listos California include funding for local Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT). The Youth Development Grant (LY) Program that has a primary goal to develop emergency preparedness skills for youth and support for tribal communities that are in areas that are in moderate to high risk from natural disasters.
Earthquake Early Warning $2,138,000
The Earthquake Early warning program is intended to give Californians lifesaving seconds of notifications to drop, cover and hold on, in an earthquake event. Grant funding for Earthquake Early Warning programs supports communications infrastructure and outreach campaigns.
Some Earthquake Early Warning programs include Earthquake Early Warning Datacasting Program provides funding to emergency operations centers (EOCs) including but not limited to state, county, cities and tribal EOCs, with datacasting receivers to receive secure alerts from the US Geological Survey and Cal OES.