CalOSBA Opens Round 1 of California Small Agricultural Business Drought and Flood Relief Grant Program

State funding supports small agricultural business impacted by severe drought and flood conditions

Sacramento, CA (August 31, 2023) – The first round of applications for the California Small Agricultural Business Drought and Flood Relief Grant Program opens today, and will ultimately award up to $95 million in drought and flood relief grants to eligible small agricultural businesses to cover part of costs incurred from California’s extreme drought from 2019 to 2022 and 2023 storm flooding conditions.

“This single program represents the climate whiplash – from extreme drought to extreme flooding – that California has experienced over the past two years. The Newsom administration is investing not only in water resiliency and infrastructure improvements but in protecting the small businesses that power our agricultural supply chain,” said Tara Lynn Gray, Director of the California Office of the Small Business Advocate.

Designed for small agriculture businesses most impacted by the recent drought and flood conditions, the program will provide the opportunity for direct grants of $20,000 – $100,000.

Round 1 for drought relief is open to two eligible groups that have been affected by severe drought according to the United States Department of Agriculture drought monitor: small agricultural businesses and small, socially disadvantaged farmers. Round 1 for flood relief is open to any small agricultural business within or serving a county that has a state or federal disaster declaration for flooding.

Any subsequent rounds will all be for qualified, small agricultural businesses.

The program is administered by the California Office of Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA), an arm of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), through its intermediary, Lendistry, and a network of outreach partners who have all been meeting regularly since late July. Lendistry and key partner organizations will be available to provide program-related technical assistance to small agriculture businesses throughout the application period.

For more information on the application dates, grant requirements, eligibility, FAQs, and technical assistance, visit cadroughtfloodrelief.com.

About GO-Biz
The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development(GO-Biz) serves as the State of California’s leader for job growth and economic development efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of services to business owners including: attraction, retention and expansion services, site selection, permit streamlining, clearing of regulatory hurdles, small business assistance, international trade development, assistance with state government, and much more. For more information visit the GO-Biz website.

About CalOSBA
The Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) helps support economic growth and innovation by working to ensure that California’s small businesses and entrepreneurs have the information, tools and resources they need to plan, launch, manage and grow their businesses successfully and be resilient. The CalOSBA serves to elevate their voices in state government and to advocate on their behalf to help ensure all aspiring and current small business owners and entrepreneurs are provided with the opportunity to access capital, access markets, and connect to the networks and resources they need to succeed. For more information visit the website.

Sara Curtis
Chief of Staff
Email Sara, HERE