Governor Newsom Doubles Down on Clean California Projects With $100 Million in New Grants

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SACRAMENTO – With more than 1.3 million cubic yards of trash cleaned from California highways since 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom is doubling down on his Clean California Initiative by launching a new funding round for $100 million in grants for local projects.

Why it’s important: Clean California funding is part of a sweeping, $1.2 billion, multiyear, clean-up effort led by Caltrans that is removing trash, transforming public spaces and creating thousands of jobs. This new round of funding is open to cities, counties and other governmental entities that submit applications before 5 p.m. on April 28. More information and application here.

What Governor Newsom said: “We’re cleaning up the streets of California like never before in the history of our state. Already, we’ve removed enough trash to fill more than 400 Olympic-size swimming pools – and in the spaces we’ve cleaned, communities are seeing new parklets, neighborhood gateways and public art that adds to California’s beauty. We’re not stopping until our streets are cleaner and safer because it’s what all Californians deserve.”

How it works: 

  • Apply for the Clean California grants here by 5 p.m. on April 28. Caltrans will announce the winning grant recipients by September.
  • What potential projects look like: Removing litter on city streets, creating a gateway at the entrance to a town or neighborhood, beautifying an area through greening or landscaping, or using public art to reinforce community cultural connections.
  • Caltrans developed the grant guidelines with input from two stakeholder workshops in 2022 and two tribal listening sessions.

More on Clean California:

In March 2022, Governor Newsom announced nearly $300 million in Clean California local grants for 105 projects throughout the state. Following the positive community response to this first round of grants, for which Caltrans received 330 funding applications totaling about $750 million, Governor Newsom and the state legislature approved $100 million for a second round of local grant projects.

Since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans has removed more than 1.3 million cubic yards of litter from state highways – enough trash to fill more than 400 Olympic-size swimming pools – and hired more than 830 new team members as part of Clean California. For more information, and to apply for the Clean California grants, visit CleanCA.com.