New Funding Round for Restoration on California’s Working Lands
June 26, 2024
Point Blue is excited to share new project updates and announce a new funding round for our Roots Program.
The Roots Program delivers wildlife-friendly community-based and community-centered restoration projects on farms, ranches, and other working landscapes across California. Supported through a $26 million block grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the Roots Program leverages the experience of our STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring A Watershed) and Working Lands Partner Biologists to support applicants to develop restoration projects that support wildlife and climate resilience. Over the grant period, the Roots Program will prioritize outreach and support for projects that are otherwise hard to reach through existing conservation funding streams, with a focus on supporting underserved applicants, beginning farmers and ranchers, and tribal partners.
Although we are just over one year into this new program, several of our Round 1 projects are well underway. Please check out some highlights below! You can also explore our StoryMap for a full recap of all projects we are putting into the ground with partners across the state.
New Funding Available!
We are thrilled about the continued interest in the Roots Program and are excited to announce a new funding round! Along with actively reaching out to project partners to collaborate on new Roots Program projects, our team is now accepting additional project proposals in target geographies. This focused approach will ensure equitable distribution of funding across the state and will help us reach our goal of funding projects in 35 counties across California.
If you are in the following counties and meet requirements in our Request for Proposals (RFP), you are eligible to apply: Siskiyou, Modoc, Plumas, Mendocino, Lake, Napa, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Orange and San Diego.
See our limited RFP here in English and the Spanish version is here. The deadline to submit an application for consideration is July 15, 2024.
Our limited RFP is limited to projects in the counties listed above. However, if you are interested in applying for Roots funding for a project in a county not included here, please complete the Roots Program Project Request Form (NOTE: this Project Request Form is different than the application listed in the RFP; please complete the project request form only if your project falls outside of the eligible project geographies). Please also note, we are unable to respond to all project request forms submitted and will contact applicants as resources allow.
A Few Roots Program Project Updates
What do Roots Program restoration projects look like? Here are a few examples from the first round of funded projects.
Roots 15 – Butte County
Native plant hedgerow and bird nest boxes around farm perimeter to provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
Roots 37 – Sonoma County
Riparian restoration along a stream implemented by the STRAW program to provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
Roots 51 – Monterey County
Native plant hedgerows along a farm edge to provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
