Funder: California Natural Resources Agency
Due Dates (Anticipated): March 2027 (Full Proposal) | November 2027 (Concept Proposal)
Funding Amounts: $30,000–$300,000 per award; approximately $15 million available in Round 4; completion by March 1, 2030
Summary: Supports California youth from low-income and disadvantaged communities through direct access to natural and cultural resources, education, and workforce training.
Key Information: Projects must include transportation; educational and workforce programs must include a field component.
Description
The California Natural Resources Agency’s Youth Community Access (YCA) Grant Program funds immersive experiences with natural and cultural resources that California youth otherwise would not have. Supported by Proposition 64’s Youth, Education, Prevention, Early Intervention and Treatment Account, it addresses barriers such as transportation costs, entrance fees, language barriers, disability access, discrimination, and historic disinvestment.
Eligible work includes park and cultural-site field trips, educational programming combining classroom and field experiences, and hands-on workforce or career pathway training. New programs and expansions of existing programs can qualify. The program advances California’s Outdoors for All initiative by connecting underserved communities with outdoor spaces and fostering belonging. Funding priorities include serving underserved youth, incorporating substance use prevention and early intervention, and providing sustained youth leadership opportunities.
