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About This Site

Who developed the California Grants Portal and why?

Grants.ca.gov is managed and hosted by the California State Library. The Grant Information Act of 2018 (Stats. 2018, Ch. 318) required the State Library to build one website by July 1, 2020, “that provides a centralized location … to find state grant opportunities.” AB132 (section 8334.1) expanded the Grants Portal mission, requiring state grantmakers to submit post award data for all grants closing on or after July 1, 2022.

Where does the grant opportunity information on grants.ca.gov come from?

State grantmaking agencies input and update their information into prescribed data fields to make all state grant opportunities searchable on grants.ca.gov. The Grant Information Act requires state agencies to provide summaries of each of their grant or loan opportunities, including, among other items, information about how to apply and links that grantseekers can follow for more details. Starting July 2022, grantmaking agencies must also submit data on each awardee.

How did the State Library determine which features to prioritize and build?

Our team first surveyed and met with grantseekers and state grantmakers to gather ideas and understand challenges. The information gathered through these conversations helped inform initial website design and functionality.

Later, we published draft wireframes, holding webinars and creating an online survey to collect additional feedback. In June 2020, the beta version of the site went live and our team gathered additional stakeholder feedback that informed the current design, which was launched in July 2020. Contact us to give feedback or suggestions for improvement.

Group of happy people with hands in the air from the Urban Greening program in Richmond, California
Residents from Richmond, California, used a state grant in 2009 to create a walking and biking route lined by urban gardens that connected schools, churches, parks and other community assets
Photo courtesy of the California Air Resources Board
  • JUNE 2022
    • Launched AB 132 (section 8334.1)
    • Expansion to Grants Portal mission, requiring state grantmakers to submit post award data for each awardee for grants closing on and after July 1, 2022)
  • JULY 2021
    • AB 132 (section 8334.1) became a law
  • JULY 2020
    • Launched California Grants Portal
    • Collecting feedback from users to identify and prioritize changes and new features
  • JUNE 2020
    • Released beta version of the Portal in order to collect feedback from grantmakers and grantseekers to make improvements before the July 1 launch.
  • FEBRUARY- APRIL 2020
    • Based on the feedback from grantseekers and grantmakers over the past few months, we have developed a data dictionary and a guide to the California Grants Portal for grantmaking agencies
    • Data Dictionary (added: 4/13/2020)
    • Guide to the California Grants Portal for grantmaking agencies (added: 4/13/2020)
  • JANUARY 2020
    • Published draft material explaining the organization of the website and its proposed search functionality (e.g. sample wireframes and draft taxonomy)
    • Published survey to request stakeholder feedback on drafts
    • Held two webinars, one for grantseekers and one for grantmakers to share drafts and gather feedback
  • NOVEMBER 2019
    • Held two cross-departmental meetings with 100+ state grantmaking staff
  • OCTOBER 2019
    • Selected vendor, 10up, to build California Grants Portal
    • Held two virtual co-design sessions with 119 grant seekers
  • SEPTEMBER 2019
    • Conducted a grantseeker survey and received over 900 response
  • JULY 2019
    • Held 32 one-on-one stakeholder meetings with state agencies
    • Received approval from the California Department of Technology for the grants.ca.gov URL
    • Received funding for the project through the State of California’s annual budget process
    • Hired project manager to lead the project
  • JUNE 2019
    • Conducted a survey of state agencies and departments to assess how many agencies and departments award grants and identify key stakeholders
  • APRIL 2019
    • Received approval of project delegation to the State Library from the California Department of Technology
  • MARCH 2019
    • Held initial grant seeker stakeholder session with nonprofit organizations through CalNonprofits
  • FEBRUARY 2019
  • JANUARY 2019
    • The Grants Information Act of 2019 became law