About the Tribal Housing and Capacity Building Initiative
The California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) has approximately $25 million to fund two grant programs that are exclusively available to California Native American Tribes and Tribal entities: the Tribal Capacity Building Program and the Tribal Housing Pre-Development Fund. The goal of these two programs is to fund a wide range of activities related to housing development and climate resiliency.
Application Period Open
The California Strategic Growth Council (SGC) has released the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for two grant programs under SGC’s Tribal Housing and Capacity Building Initiative. The Application Period for both programs is now open from May 11, 2026 – Aug. 11, 2026. The programs are exclusively available to California Native American Tribes and Tribal entities; both federally recognized and non-federally recognized Tribes are encouraged to apply.
Applicants can apply to one or both programs through the online application portal, Submittable. You can now access the Notice of Funding Availability, Round 2 Grant Guidelines, Applications, and Application materials and sign up for application assistance for each program below.
Tribal Capacity Building Program
The Tribal Capacity Building Program provides funding and technical assistance to California Native American Tribes, enhancing staff capacity to advance Tribes’ climate- and housing-related work. The program funds staff salaries and activities such as planning, securing funding for, and implementing housing projects and related efforts to advance climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. The individual award amount is between $350,000 and $420,000, distributed over a three-year grant term. The total program award amount is $5 million.
Tribal Housing Pre-Development Fund
The Tribal Housing Pre-Development Fund is a grant opportunity that funds activities related to affordable housing development, including planning, infrastructure, construction, site preparation, and other pre-development activities. The goal of the fund is to increase preparedness to build housing and access other state-funded, affordable housing programs. The program currently has $20 million in total funding with awards up to $3 million. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis; if funds are not expended, SGC will announce a second application deadline.
Application Support
If you have a question about our Tribal grant programs, you can submit your question below or email tribalinfo@sgc.ca.gov by August 6, 2026 at 5 p.m. PT.
The Strategic Growth Council will also host biweekly Office Hours every other Thursday from 1 – 2 p.m. PT from June 4, 2026 – Aug. 6, 2026 to provide direct application assistance. This is a space for prospective applicants to ask questions about program requirements and workshop application concepts.
The Strategic Growth Council held a virtual Application Workshop on May 28, 2026, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. PT. Staff guided prospective applicants through the application process and answered questions. You can find resources from the workshop below.
Stay Connected
You can sign up for our Tribal Newsletter to stay informed about Tribal programs and opportunities and access resources about our programs below. If you have questions, please contact tribalinfo@sgc.ca.gov.
Draft Guidelines Workshop Series
From January 2026 to March 2026, the Strategic Growth Council held a 90-day public comment and Tribal consultation period on Draft Guidelines for both programs, which resulted in 9 in-person and virtual workshops in partnership with various Tribes and Tribal-serving organizations across the state of California to discuss Draft Grant Guidelines for both Tribal grant programs and get feedback from Tribes. The Strategic Growth Council also held 9 Tribal Consultations by request.
Past Workshops
- Jan. 27, 2026, from 10 – 11 a.m. in partnership with the Tribal Energy & Climate Collaborative eXchange (TECC-X).
- Feb. 12, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in partnership with the Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority and the Department of Housing and Community Development at the Consolidated Tribal Health Project, 6991 North State St., Redwood Valley.
- Feb. 17, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Workshop hosted by Sierra Nevada Conservancy.
- Feb. 23. 2026 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in partnership the Pala Band of Mission Indians and the Department of Housing and Community Development at Pala Casino Spa Resort, 11154 CA-76, Pala
- March 4, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in partnership with the Nevada/California Indian Housing Association in and the Department of Housing and Community Development at Hard Rock Casino, Wheatland.
- March 12, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in partnership with the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians in partnership with HCD at Black Oak Casino Resort, Tuolumne.
- March 17, 2026 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in partnership with the SGC’s Catalyst Convening in Salinas, CA.
- March 25, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Workshop and Office Hours hosted by SGC.