Are private projects eligible for this program?
How does this program define “underserved,” “vulnerable,” and “low-income” communities?
The CRP Project Preparation Program is leveraging definitions from the following resources. Project leaders may use definitions other than those provided below; if so, please provide relevant documentation in the “Additional documents” section of the form.
- “Disadvantaged communities” as defined by CalEnviroScreen 4.0 (Health and Safety Code Section 39711);
- “Low-income communities”, as defined under the AB 1550 ‘Identification of Low-Income Communities’;
- “Disadvantaged communities”, as defined by SB 535 and as per the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment;
- Frontline communities and underrepresented communities, which are those that experience continuing injustice—including people of color, immigrants, people with lower incomes, those in rural areas, and indigenous people; and
- “Climate vulnerable communities,” as defined in the Governor’s OPR resource, Defining Vulnerable Communities in the Context of Climate Adaptation.
Are there existing tools that can be leveraged to identify vulnerable populations in my community?
Yes. Project leads may use any of the following tools to identify Vulnerable Communities. This is a non-exhaustive list, showing some of the most common vulnerability assessment tools in California.
- CalEnviroScreen 4.0 by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA)
- CalEnviroScreen 4.0, Healthy Places Index (HPI)
- Regional Opportunity Index (ROI)
- Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (J40)
- CalADAPT, and/or Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Indicators (CCHVI)
Is it mandatory for projects to prioritize serving vulnerable populations?
How does the program define resilience?
What are ‘Shocks’ and ‘Stresses’?
A shock is a rapid-onset crisis or a severe climate event that has the potential to severely harm communities, systems, and natural ecosystems. Shocks are usually sudden and of a limited duration.
Examples include:
- Wildfire
- Earthquake
- Landslide
- Pandemic or public health emergency
- Extreme heat
- Tsunami
- Flooding
- Infrastructure failure
A stress is a chronic (ongoing or cyclical) natural or human-driven challenge that causes underlying or slow-burning harm to communities, systems, and natural ecosystems.
Examples include:
- Lack of affordable housing
- Poverty
- Systemic racism
- Aging or inadequate infrastructure
- Unemployment
- Homelessness
- Lack of social cohesion
- Economic inequality
- Sea level rise
- Grid vulnerabilities
- Invasive species
- Poor air quality
- Shifting macroeconomic trends
- Drought and water shortage
- Food insecurity
- Disparities in access to high-quality healthcare
- Disparities in access to high-quality education
- Environmental degradation
What are project ‘Co-benefits’?
Co-benefitsare defined as the capacity of projects and communities to leverage new and innovative socio-economic opportunities to reap multiple positive outcomes for the investment made beyond addressing the relevant shocks and stresses.