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2024 Dairy Digester Research and Development Program

Grantor:
CA Department of Food and Agriculture
Departmental Grant ID:
9566
Portal ID:
78174
Status:
Closed
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
 | 
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

The California Department of Food and Agriculture's (CDFA) Dairy Digester Research and Development Program (DDRDP), awards competitive grants to California dairy operations and digester developers for the implementation of dairy digesters that result in long-term methane emission reductions on California dairies and minimize or mitigate adverse environmental impacts.

Description:

The Budget Act of 2022 (Senate Bill 154, Chapter 43) appropriated $48 million from the California State Budget to CDFA for methane emissions reductions from dairy and livestock operations, which was distributed through the DDRDP and the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP). CDFA awarded half of these appropriations for the 2023 grant solicitation; the expected remaining funds from the appropriations to be made available through DDRDP and AMMP in 2024. However, the Budget Act of 2024 (Assembly Bill 107, Chapter 22) transferred the remaining half of funds for livestock methane reduction ($24 million) to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), to be allocated as $17 million in FY 2425, with an expected $7 million in FY 25-26. Given the current budget circumstances, please be aware awards and final grant agreements for 2024 DDRDP applicants are contingent upon the funding being available. If the expected $7 million is appropriated in FY 25-26, it will be applied to the 2024 AMMP and DDRDP grant rounds as originally intended.

Approximately $8 million is expected to be available for the 2024 DDRDP. The AMMP will make available approximately $17.4 million, which includes additional Greenhouse Gas Reduction funds from the Budget as amended by Assembly Bill 179 to support non-digester practices that reduce methane from dairy and livestock operations.

• CDFA will fund a maximum grant award of $1.6 million per project for DDRDP projects situated in dairy operations that have not received an AMMP award in the past.

• Applicants who have previously accepted and successfully implemented an AMMP project are eligible for up to $1.0 million per project through 2024 DDRDP.

• A minimum of 50% matching funds is required, with a limit of 25% for in-kind contributions. Please refer to the Cost Share section for more details.

• The maximum project term is thirty (30) months.

• The grant agreement term for awarded projects is anticipated to begin June 1, 2025, and end November 30, 2027. Grant funds cannot be expended before the start of the grant agreement or after the completion of the grant term.

• CDFA may offer an award different than the amount requested.

• Applicants may also be eligible for an additional funding opportunity through the Dairy Plus Program.

The project site must be located on a commercial California dairy operation. Individuals and/or entities receiving grant award funds must be located in California with a physical California business address. A dairy operation is defined as an entity that operates a dairy herd, which produces milk or cream commercially, and whose bulk milk or bulk cream is received or handled by any distributor, manufacturer, or any nonprofit cooperative association of dairy producers. Existing milk producers, including California Native American Tribes, and dairy digester developers are eligible for this program.

For more information please refer to the 2024 Dairy Digester Research and Development Program Request for Grant Applications.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Business
  • Individual
  • Nonprofit
  • Tribal Government

The project site must be located on a commercial California dairy operation. Individuals and/or entities receiving grant funds must be located in California with a physical business address. A dairy operation is defined as an entity that operates a dairy herd, produces milk or cream, and whose bulk milk or bulk cream is received or handled by any distributor, manufacturer, or any nonprofit cooperative association of dairy producers. 

Eligible Geographies:

The project site must be located on a commercial California dairy operation. Individuals and/or entities receiving grant award funds must be located in California with a physical California business address.

Matching Funding Requirement:

CDFA will fund up to 50% of the total project cost with a maximum grant award of $1.6 million per project. Therefore, a minimum of 50% matching funds is required (no more than 25% in-kind contributions).

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
March 2025
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
30 months

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$8,000,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
50%
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • State

Funding Source Notes:

Approximately $8 million is expected to be available for the 2024 DDRDP. The AMMP will make available approximately $17.4 million, which includes additional Greenhouse Gas Reduction funds from the Budget as amended by Assembly Bill 179 to support non-digester practices that reduce methane from dairy and livestock operations. If the expected $7 million is appropriated in FY 25-26, it will be applied to the 2024 AMMP and DDRDP grant rounds.

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

All project expenses billed to the DDRDP grant must be paid by the recipient prior to reimbursement and must be supported with proper documentation. Grant recipients will be required to expend matching funds committed to the project throughout the project term. If matching funds are not expended at a rate consistent with grant funds, CDFA will withhold grant funds until matching funds are expended at a consistent rate.

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
DDRDP Team, 1-916-654-0466, cdfa.oefi_ddrdp_tech@cdfa.ca.gov

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