Title
[Grant Applications] Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program Round 2
End
FileID
File ID: 2026-01579
End
Location
Location: Citywide
End
Recommendation
Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution authorizing the City Manager or designee to: 1) apply to the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program from the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation for up to $1,200,000 as a lead applicant for the Calming Heat and Traffic in Sacramento Project, up to $400,000 as a co-applicant on the County of Sacramento’s application, and as an unfunded partner on the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s application; 2) submit any related documents necessary to support the grant applications; and 3) if awarded, execute any agreements and related documents to accept the grant funds.
End
Contact
Contact: Sarah Kolarik, Sustainability Specialist, (916) 808-1421, skolarik@cityofsacramento.org; Rachel Patten, Sustainability Program Manager, (916) 808-5016, rpatten@cityofsacramento.org; Jennifer Donlon Wyant, Mobility and Sustainability Division Manager, (916)-808-5913, jdonlonwyant@cityofsacramento.org; Department of Public Works
End
Presenter
Presenter: None
End
Attachments
Attachments:
1-Description/Analysis
2-Resolution
End
Description/Analysis
IssueDetail
Issue Detail: In June 2026, the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) issued a notification of funding availability for Round 2 of the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program (EHCRP), with an anticipated $27.5 million available for competitive awards. The EHCRP grant program funds infrastructure projects to protect Californians most vulnerable to the impacts of extreme heat, reduce impacts, and build community-level resilience. The EHCRP grant program will award projects under two categories: Early Infrastructure (infrastructure planning and a demonstration project) and Advanced Infrastructure (infrastructure implementation). Early Infrastructure projects have a maximum request of $1,200,000. Advanced Infrastructure projects have a maximum request of $4,500,000. Grant applications are due October 13, 2026.
Staff evaluated projects for consistency with the goals and purpose of the grant program, alignment with City priorities and planned work efforts, and availability of required funding to support grant ineligible expenses. Staff recommend submittal of the following projects as competitive candidates for funding:
1. “Calming Heat and Traffic in Sacramento” Early Infrastructure project. The City is the lead applicant with a funding request up to $1.2 million to develop a cool landscape standards guidebook to provide technical guidance to City Staff to support installation of tree wells and other cooling features in the public right-of-way (e.g., chicanes, curb extensions, and/or other traffic calming features) as well as a pilot demonstration of at least one of these features.
2. “Sacramento Northern Bike Trail Greening” Advanced Infrastructure project. Sacramento County is the lead applicant. The City would serve as a co-applicant with a total funding request up to $400,000 to support tree planting and irrigation improvement efforts along an existing stretch of the Sacramento Northern Bikeway within the City.
3. Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s (SMUD) Advanced Infrastructure project. SMUD is the lead applicant. The City is an unfunded partner and would provide in-kind staff time to support SMUD’s tree-planting efforts and advance workforce development efforts to build a pipeline of eligible candidates for City tree maintenance positions, as aligned with City priorities and planned work efforts.
Staff are seeking City Council authorization to apply to EHCRP and to authorize the City Manager to execute any agreements or documents required to support the applications and potential funding awards.
End
PolicyConsiderations
Policy Considerations: The recommended project applications are consistent with the 2040 General Plan (Resolution No. 2024-0066) policies to enhance safety and livability (M-3 and M-4) and improve the City’s resilience to the effects of heat (ERC-8).
Additionally, the projects are consistent with the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP, Resolution No. 2024-0067) policies for adaptation and climate resilience to extreme weather and the tree canopy expansion and workforce development strategies in the Urban Forest Plan (Resolution No. 2025-0194).
End
EconomicImpacts
Economic Impacts: None.
End
EnvironmentalConsiderations
Environmental Considerations: The Community Development Department, Environmental Planning Services Division has determined, pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Sections 15060(c)(3) and 15378(b)(5), that the submittal of a grant application is not defined as a project requiring environmental review. The grant application submittal is an organizational or administrative activity of the City that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes to the environment. Individual projects that are awarded grant funding will undergo necessary environmental review consistent with CEQA Guidelines.
End
Sustainability
Sustainability: Extreme heat is one of the most pressing climate challenges facing our community. If awarded, the recommended project applications will fund resource development and project activities, like tree planting, that advance extreme heat mitigation efforts.
End
Commission/Committee Action
Commission/Committee Action: Not applicable.
End
RationaleforRecommendation
Rationale for Recommendation: The recommended projects meet all grant and readiness criteria and maximize competitiveness based on the grant criteria. Funding the Calming Heat and Traffic in Sacramento Project, the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail Greening Project, and SMUD’s Project advances the adopted adaptation and community resilience strategies in the City’s CAAP and Urban Forest Plan.
End
FinancialConsiderations
Financial Considerations: A total of $27.5 million in grant funding for the Round 2 Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program is available statewide with a maximum of $1.2 million per Early Infrastructure project and $4.5 million per Advanced Infrastructure project.
The grant program does not require matching funds within the eligibility requirements. Local sustainability funding has been identified to cover ineligible overhead and staff costs for the Calming Heat and Traffic in Sacramento project and local parks funding has been identified to cover ineligible overhead and staff costs for the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail Greening Project.
The proposed Advanced Infrastructure project application, led by SMUD, would not provide grant funding to the City. If awarded, staff from the Public Works Department will provide a limited amount of staff time from ongoing, planned work efforts in support of the proposed tree planting and workforce development efforts.
If grant funding is awarded, staff will return to the City Council to make necessary budgetary adjustments.
End
LocalBusinessEnterprise
Local Business Enterprise (LBE): Not applicable.
End
Background
Background: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) administers the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program (EHCRP), which funds and supports local, regional, and tribal efforts to reduce the impacts of extreme heat.
In June 2026, LCI issued a notification of funding availability for Round 2 of EHCRP, with an anticipated $27.5 million available for competitive awards.
Two grant types are available:
• Early Infrastructure Projects: require applicants to develop a heat-related infrastructure planning document that identifies where proposed infrastructure will be deployed and how it will protect vulnerable populations within a defined geographic area. Each award ranges from $750,000 to $1.2 million. A total of $7.5 million will be available.
• Advanced Infrastructure Projects: require applicants to implement infrastructure that protects vulnerable populations from extreme heat, and proposed projects must be supported by prior planning efforts that demonstrate a feasible solution and a defined project location. Each award ranges from $3 to $4.5 million. A total of $20 million will be available.
Round 2 of EHCRP is funded by the Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 (commonly known as the Climate Bond) and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The EHCRP application evaluation prioritizes projects that strengthen community resilience and provide economic, environmental, and health benefits through:
§ Harm reduction: reflects a commitment to reducing immediate heat-related illness and death, particularly in communities that face disproportionate exposure due to historic and ongoing inequities in infrastructure investment;
§ Safe partnership: recognizes that effective solutions require both community knowledge and implementation capacity;
§ Belonging: ensures that infrastructure is designed with and for the people who use it; and
§ Lasting community benefits: recognizes that addressing extreme heat requires investments that extend beyond individual projects, contributing to the long-term resilience and wellbeing of communities vulnerable to extreme heat.
Additionally, the EHCRP will direct at least 40% of its funding to projects that provide meaningful and direct benefits to disadvantaged communities and severely disadvantaged communities as well as climate vulnerable communities identified through the Vulnerable Communities Platform.
Staff recommend the City of Sacramento apply to the EHCRP as a lead applicant on an Early Infrastructure application, as a co-applicant on an Advanced Infrastructure application led by Sacramento County, and support SMUD’s Advanced Infrastructure application as an unfunded partner.
Calming Heat and Traffic in Sacramento
The City will apply as the lead applicant for the Early Infrastructure application for up to $1.2 million. The Public Works Department will develop a cool landscape standards guidebook to provide technical guidance to City Staff to support installation of tree wells and other cooling features in the public right-of-way (e.g., chicanes, curb extensions, and/or other traffic calming features). The Project will include a pilot demonstration of at least one of these features. Staff will identify the proposed pilot location through alignment with the grant requirements, alignment with the Urban Forest Plan and Transportation Priorities Plan, and a tree feasibility analysis.
The Project will include a funded partnership with local community-based organizations to support engagement on the pilot design, implementation, and belonging elements.
Sacramento Northern Bike Trail Greening Project
Sacramento County will apply as the lead applicant for the Advanced Infrastructure application. The City will be a Co-Applicant, with a requested funding amount not to exceed $400,000. Sacramento County is proposing multiple trail upgrades along the Sacramento Northern Bike Trail including new tree plantings and cool pavement upgrades.
The City’s portion would fund tree planting and irrigation improvement efforts along an existing stretch of the Sacramento Northern Bikeway within the City. These efforts would be led by the Department of Youth, Parks & Community Enrichment (YPCE).
SMUD’s Project
SMUD will apply as the lead applicant for the Advanced Infrastructure application for up to $4.5 million. SMUD is proposing to submit a grant application to fund tree planting on private properties, enhanced shading at Sacramento Regional Transit District transit stations, extreme heat monitoring by the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, and expansion of the Folsom Lake College vegetation management training program to help grow a qualified tree-trimming workforce.
Staff recommend supporting the application as an unfunded partner, with staff time provided as in-kind support to promote tree-planting efforts in alignment with the City’s Urban Forest Plan and advance workforce development efforts to build a pipeline of eligible candidates for City tree maintenance positions.
End