PCA Grants Will Provide Up to $8.5 Million for Bay Area Conservation Projects

MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), in partnership with the State Coastal Conservancy (SCC), are offering up to $8.5 million in grants ranging from $200,000 to $1 million in the latest cycle of Priority Conservation Area (PCA) grants.

Organizations interested in applying for the grant program can attend the Pre-Application Webinar on March 15, 2024 at 11 a.m. Applications are due by Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 11:59 p.m.

The PCA program aims to preserve and enhance the natural, economic and social value of rural lands as the region’s population continues to grow. The grants are an outgrowth of Plan Bay Area 2050 – the region’s long-range transportation and land-use/housing plan.

As outlined in the grant guidelines, proposed projects must be within or connected to an existing PCA, and should protect or enhance resource areas or habitats, provide or enhance bicycle and pedestrian access to open space and parkland resources, support the Bay Area’s agricultural economy, or provide urban greening.

Eligible applicants include local governments, county congestion management agencies, Native American tribes, water/utility districts, resource conservation districts, park and/or open space districts, land trusts and other land/resource protection or community-based nonprofit organizations.