Kelly from the Governor's Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation described the Extreme Heat Community Resilience program, which launched two years ago after statewide listening sessions. Round 1 awarded $32 million across 45 grants in 23 counties; Round 2 has at least $22.5 million allocated pending Proposition 4 rulemaking.

The program supports two project tracks: early transformative infrastructure (planning plus a demonstration component; grants in the $600,000
$1,000,000 range with at least 25% to demonstration and 15% to partners) and advanced transformative infrastructure (implementation-ready projects, $2.5 million
$4 million typical, with a suggested 70
85% infrastructure allocation and a minimum 10% to partners). Partnership requirements apply generally but are waived for tribes. The presenter emphasized harm reduction, community partnerships and transformative outcomes as program values.

Why this matters: The program funds heat-mitigation infrastructure and associated programming in vulnerable communities and is one of the states targeted climate-resilience grant tracks. Potential applicants should sign up for the program newsletter and prepare partnership plans that allocate funds for community partners if they are not tribal applicants.

Practical details: Round 2 timeline is contingent on Proposition 4 rulemaking; staff said they expect to open the application period in 2026 and announce awards by fall 2026. Staff encouraged signing up for the newsletter for timely updates and offered breakout-room follow-up.