Last updated July 25, 2023
This page lists frequently asked questions related to Round 2 of the Regional Climate Collaboratives (RCC) Program. SGC staff update the FAQ on a regular basis. If your question is not answered in this FAQ, please feel free to contact RCC program staff at CACE@sgc.ca.gov
General
Q: What does SGC mean by capacity building?
A: For the purposes of this program, capacity building refers to the process of strengthening local coordination, leadership, knowledge, skills, expertise, and access to resources in under-resourced communities with the goal of helping to develop or increase the ability of that community to independently compete for grants and implement projects in the future. Capacity building activities include identifying and planning for needed climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in a given region and identifying the tools and resources needed to successfully access, apply for, and receive grant funding.
Q: Are there specific implementation grants that SGC would like RCC grantees to apply for?
A: No, SGC does not expect that RCC grantees will apply for any specific funding sources and will aim to share a broad range of funding opportunities with future grantees. Grantees will be encouraged to apply for implementation grants across funding sources, including state programs or other programs from federal or foundation source.
Q: How many grants will be awarded?
SGC has a total of $8.5 million to award in Round 2 of the program. RCC funding is divided into two funding tracks: small grants and large grants. Small grants will range from $500,000 to $999,999 and large grants will range from $1,000,000 to $1,750,000. SGC is committed to funding at least two Collaboratives from each funding track.
Q: When will you make awards?
A: Award recommendations will be adopted by SGC’s Council in February of 2024.
Q: How does the RCC program address equity?
A: The RCC program addresses equity in many ways. The program was established from SB 1072 to assist under-resourced communities secure funding for climate resiliency projects. The required activities of the program are meant to build community capacity. The program also distributes advance payment, up to 25% of the total grant funds. Developing equity-centered processes is one of the RCC program's core objectives. The program was developed in large part from engaging with stakeholders around the state – our team engaged with over 400 stakeholders and were as responsive and inclusive as possible.
Q: Will Round 1 awardees be eligible to apply for Round 2 funds, or will Round 2 funding be reserved for new Applicants (or those who were not awarded in Round 1)?
A: It is not likely that SGC will award R1 grantees another award in R2 because SGC currently only has funding for two rounds of the program and aims to support multiple Collaboratives across the state. Round 1 unsuccessful applicants are encouraged to apply to Round 2. If you would like a consultation call to discuss your Round 1 application with TA providers, please email cace@sgc.ca.gov
Application
Q: Does the project need to be part of an existing climate action plan?
A: The proposed project does not need to be a part of an established climate action plan. However, if the project is included in an existing climate action plan, applicants are encouraged to indicate that in their application.
Q: Can the type of organization that serves as the Managing Partner change between the Pre-Proposal and the Full Application?
A: SGC recommends that applicants select their Managing Partner by the time of Pre-Proposal. However, if the applicant chooses to change the Managing Partner between the Pre-Proposal and Full Application, this is allowable and will not impact scoring.
Q: Do you have any guidance on how narrow/focused we need to be to strengthen our application?
A: Applicants are free to decide how broad or narrow they would like their tasks to be if they address required activities, and the proposal reflects program objectives. However, regardless of how broad or narrow each task is, applicants are encouraged to include as much detail and specificity as possible to help reviewers understand what each task will entail.
Q: Can two complementary and collaborative proposals from the same region each be eligible for receiving an RCC award?
A: The Round 2 Guidelines do not restrict SGC from awarding two proposals in the same region. While complementary activities between collaboratives are welcomed, SGC will evaluate each proposal independently which may impact the competitiveness of each, regardless of how integrated they are with one another. In order to facilitate geographic diversity of funding as directed by Senate Bill 1072 (Statutes of 2018, ch. 377 § 711731 (b)(1)), the remaining available funds will be awarded to the next highest scoring applications located in counties that have not yet received an RCC award (in either Round 1 or Round 2), regardless of award size.
Q: What is the SGC looking for in the Partner Commitment letters that isn’t already in the template for the Draft Partnership Agreement?
A: The Letters of Commitment are a signed acknowledgement that each partner organization has read the Round 2 Guidelines and understands their obligations under the Partnership Agreement and the RCC Grant Program. The Partnership Agreement may be unsigned. There are templates for the commitment letter and the partnership agreement on SGC's website. There is also information on page 19 of the Round 2 program guidelines about all the required elements of the partnership agreement.
Q: How many hours should applicants anticipate for the mandatory Administrative, Project Evaluation and Tracking, and SGC-facilitated peer-to-peer learning activities?
A: The hours will vary depending on each Collaborative's distinct workplans. Each Collaborative will be responsible for identifying which of their members will participate in SGC's statewide peer learning and can expect to participate in virtual quarterly sessions. These sessions will range between 1-2 hours. Applicants can put an estimate of their peer learning in their workplans and adjust during the Grant Agreement process and/or when creating the RCC Action Plan. Collaboratives should select between 2-6 members across their partner organizations to attend peer learning sessions. If Applicants plan to facilitate local and regional peer learning outside of the SGC-facilitated quarterly sessions, they will need to describe the plan for this additional peer learning in their work plan and budget accordingly.
Q: Do grantees need to solicit additional funding to implement the plans/projects developed through the RCC grant?
A: Yes, the RCC program funds the technical assistance and capacity building activities needed to plan for and implement projects and plans, but does not fund any infrastructure. Some of the mandatory activities for the problem that relate to soliciting grant funding include: conducting outreach and building awareness of competitive grant programs; providing policy, program, and technical assistance expertise to develop and align multi-benefit projects with potential funding supports; offering assistance and training for grant application development, project management, implementation, and monitoring; and serving as an intermediary between stakeholders and technical experts from State agencies and other organizations. Applicants must specify how they plan to address these and all other mandatory activities in their work plan. The mandatory activities for the RCC program can be found on page 9 of the Round 2 Guidelines.
Q: What is the breadth of environmental and climate related topics that should be covered in a Collaborative? Is there a target number of sectors that each should propose to address (greening, transportation, water, air quality, etc.)?
A: There is no target number of sectors that a collaborative should propose to address. Applicants should avoid focusing all the RCC activities narrowly on one climate-related issue, but are free to determine which climate-related issues to focus on and how many of them to address. It may be helpful to look at the scoring criteria on page 20 XI of the Round 2 Guidelines. It may also be helpful to look at the Collaborative Partnership Structure on page 7 and the Eligible Project Area on page 15 of the Round 2 Guidelines. It is important for the applicant to ensure that the proposed project addresses priority climate issues experienced by communities within the region and that the organizations within the Collaborative Stakeholder Structure have the subject matter expertise to carry out the work plan.
Q: Can you specify what you mean by "lobbying" as an ineligible cost? Would a regional campaign on local development standards be eligible? What about a "commissioners training" program?
A: RCC cannot fund any direct lobbying efforts related to any proposed legislation at the federal, state, regional, or local levels. However, RCC could potentially fund a training program for local commissioners focused on climate resiliency/adaption efforts. The applicant team must demonstrate how this program would align with the overall vision of the collaborative and RCC Program Objectives.
Q: Does it make more sense for the tasks to be broader categories (policy change) or more specific to particular campaigns/action issues?
A: RCCs may support a broad array of strategies as long as they address all of the RCC required activities and align with RCC Program Objectives. SGC aims to avoid being overly prescriptive on what strategies a collaborative should employ and will defer to grantees on how broad or focused they want strategies to be. Please refer to the Example Activity Guide for guidance with building out their strategies and work plans.
Q: Can you elaborate on anti-displacement policy/program development?
A: This is part of the required activities in the Guidelines (page 9) and applicants should assist in the development of local job training and anti-displacement policies and programs Applicants should develop these policies and programs based on local and regional context and community engagement.
Q: What does it mean for a Collaborative to act as a local TA provider?
This role will be responsible for many coordinating activities and connecting community members to other TA programs and grants. Examples of activities required of this role include conducting outreach and building awareness of grant programs. As well as providing policy, program, and technical assistance expertise, offering assistance and training for grant application development, and project management.
Eligibility
Q: Are fiscally sponsored nonprofits eligible to apply?
A: Yes, non-profits with fiscal sponsors are eligible to apply as project Partners, but SGC recommends that they not apply as Managing Partners if they do not have the financial and administrative capacity to fulfill that role. In some cases, the fiscal sponsor could apply as a Managing Partner for the Collaborative, particularly if the fiscal sponsor plays a trusted role in the communities the proposed Collaborative will serve. See SGC's recommendations for more information on the Managing Partners on page 7 of the Round 2 Guidelines.
Q: How do you define academic institutions? Would public school districts qualify?
A: Yes. It will be important to demonstrate how the school district plays a key community-based outreach and/or technical assistance role within the region. If the school district plans to be a Managing Partner, it will need to demonstrate the management and financial capacity to be accountable for the grant.
Q: Would a Collaborative composed entirely of Tribal Governments be eligible for the program or would a local agency have to be included in the Collaborative Stakeholder Structure?
A: Tribes are eligible to be either a Managing Partner or project Partner and there is no requirement for a local agency to be included in a Collaborative. However, the enabling legislation for the program (SB 1072) does emphasize diverse partnerships and the scoring criteria for RCC includes a consideration of the diversity of organizations within a Collaborative. If all of the project Partners are the same type of organization, applicants may consider reaching out to other types of organizations that could contribute meaningfully to the activities of their proposed Collaborative.
Q: Can we work with communities that are not under-resourced?
A: Applicants can work with communities that are not under-resourced and still meet the program requirements as long as they meet the eligibility criteria on page 16 of the Round 2 Guidelines.
Project Area
Q: Should the RCC activities happening in the Communities of Focus tie into county level regional planning and or development/climate activities?
A: Collaboratives should consider strategies that build capacity at various levels and with various beneficiaries within a region. For example, not all capacity building strategies should focus on increasing resident knowledge of climate change just as they should not all focus on addressing capacity gaps at the local or regional government level. Effective collaboratives will work to build capacity among residents and community organizations at the network scale, at the local government level, and within regional government efforts.
Q: Can we choose communities within a single, large census tract to be our Communities of Focus? More broadly, does there need to be parity among Communities of Focus receiving benefits from the program? Could a particular community of focus will receive more support from the RCC?
A: It is possible to focus on specific communities within a census tract. In your application, you may include additional details on your Project Area Map and narrative responses about the communities you are focusing on. Applicants are free to determine how support will be allocated among census tracts. If there are significant discrepancies between the budget for each Community of Focus, it will be beneficial to offer a justification explaining why the budget has been allocated in that way.
Collaborative Partnership Structure
Q: Is there a limit to how many Partners can team in one submission?
A: No, there is only a required minimum of 4 partners (1 Managing Partner and 3 project Partners). Applicants can also include Supporters in the Collaborative. Supporters are not funded by the RCC grant but may be entities that offer in-kind time and resources to help the advance the work of the Collaborative. However, it is important to keep in mind that all project Partners should have a funded and distinct role in the RCC work plan and budget.
Q: Will grantees be able to add Partners after they have been awarded (for example, to fill a gap or need identified after executing the Grant Agreement)?
A: Yes, new Partners can be added to the Collaborative after the final application has been submitted. Up to 15% of the grant award can be reserved for new Partners who are added during the grant term.
Q: What is the role of county governments and regional planning bodies in a collaborative? Can they participate as a partner without being an official co-applicant?
A: County governments are eligible applicants for an RCC Collaborative. County governments can be Managing Partners, Partners or a Supporter on the grant application.
Q: Can my organization be a Managing Partner and/or Partner on more than one RCC application?
A: Organizations may participate in multiple applications as either the Managing Partner, a Partner, or a Supporter, provided the projects are separate and distinct from one another, and that the organization in question can provide a justification that they have accounted for adequate staff time to engage in all grants they have applied to if awarded.
Q: Can a Managing Partner invoice for Partners' overhead costs?
A: The overall overhead amount can be up to 30% of the overall budget. When the grantee invoices SGC, they will add a line item for overhead, which can include overhead for the Managing Partner or any project Partners. The Managing Partner would oversee the invoicing process with Partners and will be responsible for distributing overhead payment among project partners.
Q: Is the Managing Partner the only one in a Collaborative that needs the resolution from the governing board?
A: Yes, the Managing Partner is the only member that needs the resolution from the governing board. If the Managing Partner is a public agency, they must provide evidence of an adopted formal resolution in the application that includes an authorization to apply for and accept an RCC Grant, and authority to execute all related documents if awarded. If the Managing Partner is a tribe or an eligible applicant that is not a public agency, they must include either an authorization in the form of a formal letter or a resolution passed by the organization’s governing body that includes authorization to apply for and accept an RCC Grant, and authority to execute all related documents if awarded.
Q: Is there any concern over having an indemnification/insurance clause within the Partnership Agreement? Is there any sample language of what that may look like?
A: The Partnership Agreement template is meant to be a starting point for Applicants to use to develop a partnership among themselves and can be adapted as needed. SGC does not have any concerns with Applicants adding an indemnification clause to their agreements.
Q: Can Collaboratives hire a grant writer to draft applications for partners during the grant period?
A: Yes, the salary for a grant writer would be an eligible cost under the staff salary eligible cost category.
Q: Can an RCC create a seed fund to provide to local communities?
A: Activities related to creating a seed fund could be an eligible cost for RCC as long as it is clearly tied to program objectives, but RCC funds themselves cannot be invested into a seed fund .
Q: How can this grant help fund staff that augment capacity building?
A: The RCC grant can be used to fund staff salaries for full time or part time staff focused on capacity building activities. Grant funds may also be used to fund new positions, such as an intern or fellow, or a contracted technical assistant consultant. In the case there is a consultant as a formal partner, they may have budgets that exceed the 10% cap. Please review the Eligible Costs section in the Round 2 Guidelines on page 13 for additional information.
Q: How much support can we expect from the TA providers to develop the RCC action plan and Community Solutions Inventory? How much effort should we expect to contribute?
A: Collaboratives will take the lead on developing RCC Program deliverables and can expect support from the Implementation TA Providers. At the start of the grant term, each Grantee will have an intake call with the TA Providers to develop a tailored technical assistance plan and identify areas where specific help is needed, including general support on grant deliverables.
Q: What is considered overhead versus direct expense?
A: Per the RCC Guidelines, the definition of direct costs are costs directly tied to the implementation of the RCC grant, including, but not limited to: personnel costs, subcontracts, equipment costs, travel expenses, etc. Overhead would be any administrative costs that are not directly tied to implementation of the RCC grant.
Deliverables
Q: What are the program's expectations beyond the 3-year grant period?
A: SGC does not have specific expectations for grantees after the grant term has closed. However, long-term capacity building is a central goal of the program, so SGC aims for the RCC activities to set the groundwork for ongoing climate action to continue after the grant term ends. As part of our grant requirements, we ask that the collaboratives assemble a capacity building toolbox for their region to use as a helpful resource after the end of the grant term. We also require that collaboratives create an inventory of the projects they developed or updated during the grant term and intend to seek funding to implement. Applicants can think of this as a compilation of projects that are funding ready at the end of the grant term.
Q: What are the expectations surrounding the climate solutions inventory?
A: Collaboratives must work with SGC to develop an inventory of the priority plans and projects that the Collaboratives developed or updated during the grant term and intend to seek funding to implement. SGC hopes that this will help ensure that the work of the Collaborative will continue after the grant term is completed. SGC will be able to provide additional guidance to grantees about what this will look like during the grant term.
Q: Could the whole grant award be received through advanced payment or would this need to be in combination with a reimbursement method?
A: Advance payments can be up to 25 percent of the total grant award, which can be provided in one payment or spread across a series of smaller installments and is to be determined in the Grant Agreement. SGC may exceed the 25% limit if SGC determines that the project requires a larger advance, and the recipient entity provides sufficient justification and documentation. All Collaboratives will be required to prioritize Partners that experience low cash flow to receive advances.
Q: How will SGC reimburse the Managing Partner and project Partners?
A: The Managing Partner will be the entity that executes the grant agreement with SGC and is the primary point of contact between the Collaborative and SGC. RCC grantees are eligible for advance payment of up to 25% of the total grant amount and the invoicing process between the Managing Partner and SGC will be defined by the Grant Agreement once grantees have been selected. SGC may exceed the 25% limit if SGC determines that the project requires a larger advance, and the recipient entity provides sufficient justification and documentation. Per the Prompt Payment Act, SGC is required to pay properly submitted, undisputed invoices within 45 calendar days of the initial receipt.
Q: Can fiscal sponsorship fees be covered by an RCC grant?
A: Yes, this can count as an indirect cost for the grant. The program caps the indirect cost rate at 30% of the grant amount.
Q: What happens if grantees do not end up spending the (optional) 15% set-aside in their budget for additional partners?
A: In this case, the grantee would be able to amend their budget to reallocate those funds to other activities in consultation with SGC.
Q: If there are community organizations, residents, and other stakeholders that will be compensated for their active participation in the RCC activities but are not Co-Applicants, will they also need to sign the Partnership Agreement by the time of the grant deadline?
A: The Partnership Agreement is reserved for signature by the Managing Partner and the Co-Applicants (Partners) who will be funded through the grant. Any organizations or individuals who are not a part of the Collaborative Partnership Structure are not required to sign the Partnership Agreement, even if they may receive community compensation as a part of a specific project. Further information can be found in the Community Compensation Guide.
Q: Can Collaboratives add partners during the three year grant term?
A: Yes, public agencies can be added to the collaborative later. This could be done through the 15% set-aside for additional partners, or public agencies could join as Supporters, or entities that the Collaborative will work with to leverage community engagement, policy making, and technical assistance opportunities. Supporters are not funded by the RCC grant and instead plan to offer in-kind time and resources to help advance the work of the Collaborative.
Q: How do social, environmental and economic impacts (like wildfires) factor into selection criteria?
A: While mega-disasters such as wildfires are not considered in the "under-resourced communities" definition, which can be found on page 16 of the Round 2 Guidelines, applicants can speak to needs related to such disasters in their application and will be scored based on project need. The scoring table for the RCC program is on page 20 of the Round 2 Guidelines.