The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is accepting applications for the Community Planning and Capacity Building Grants: 2025 Request for Applications (RFA).
CARB will award up to $7.3 million in grants, with individual awards of up to $500,000, to support transportation-focused planning and capacity-building projects. These grants are intended to help communities lay the groundwork for future clean transportation investments that reflect local priorities and advance long-term mobility, health, equity, and sustainability goals. Eligible applicants include community-based organizations, local governments, public schools, and Tribal governments.
Applications must be received by CARB no later than February 10, 2026.
Application Support
CARB will host two Question & Answer (Q&A) sessions to support applicants and provide guidance on the RFA process. Written questions submitted in advance will be prioritized during each session. Please contact cleanmobility@arb.ca.gov with any questions no later than 12:00 pm (PT), three business days before each session.
Q&A Session #1
Date: January 8, 2026
Tribal Applicants: 10:00 am – 11:00 am
All Applicants: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Register
Q&A Session #2
Date: January 27, 2026
Tribal Applicants: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
All Applicants: 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Register
Free technical assistance is available to eligible applicants through the Planning and Capacity Building Administrator team. To be guaranteed technical assistance, applicants must complete the Technical Assistance Survey by January 23, 2026.
Access Application Materials
All application materials, including the full RFA, required forms, templates, and resources for applicants, are available below.
Background
CARB is releasing the Community Planning and Capacity Building (Planning) Grants: 2025 Request for Applications (RFA), a competitive funding opportunity under CARB’s Sustainable Community-Based Transportation Equity suite of projects. Alongside Clean Mobility Options (CMO), Clean Mobility in Schools (CMIS), and the Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP), the Planning supports community-led strategies that advance clean, shared, and active transportation solutions—particularly in low-income, disadvantaged, and Tribal communities.
Based on the Fiscal Year 2023–24 Funding Plan for Clean Transportation Incentives, CARB has $7.3 million available for this RFA. Multiple awards of up to $500,000 are available to help communities:
To make the process more accessible, CARB has simplified the application into a single-step process and expanded eligibility and advance payment options. In response to Tribal feedback, CARB has also removed the Limited Waiver of Sovereign Immunity requirement, reducing barriers for Tribal applicants.
CARB’s Statewide Planning and Capacity Building Project Administrator (PCB Administrator)—led by Data for Social Good, in partnership with Momentum and the Institute for Sustainable Communities—is providing technical assistance and implementation support to applicants and grantees. This structure ensures that under-resourced communities can access the tools, guidance, and administrative support needed to succeed.
The 2025 Planning RFA builds on extensive community input from previous funding cycles, workshops, and consultations. This round prioritizes projects led by Tribal governments, rural communities, community-based organizations, and public schools serving under-resourced students.
Planning is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Invest, formerly known as Cap-and-Trade, dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Contact
For questions, comments, or if you need this document in an alternate format (i.e., Braille, large print) or another language, contact cleanmobility@arb.ca.gov, as soon as possible. TTY/TDD/Speech to Speech users may dial 711 for the California Relay Service.
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