Official application deadline: November 2, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) 2026 California Agriculture License Plate Grant Program RFP funds legitimate applicant-facing grants for agricultural education, K–12 and postsecondary agricultural career awareness, agricultural training and leadership development. Released October 5, 2026, the 2026 competition has a stated overall program pool of up to $230,000, which is not an individual applicant award.
Tier 2 individual applicant awards: $2,500–$10,000 per project. Up to 15%, or approximately $34,500 of the entire $230,000 statewide program pool, is reserved for Tier 2 collectively, not for any single applicant. The CDFA may award a different amount than requested.
Eligible direct applicants: California nonprofit organizations, California state and local governmental agencies, and Indian tribal government agencies that promote and administer agricultural education or leadership for K–12, college or adult learners. Individual schools and school districts are encouraged to partner with an eligible nonprofit rather than apply directly. Universities cannot ordinarily be the direct applicant, but may partner with an eligible organization; university-administered nonprofit programs such as 4-H Youth Development are expressly exempt from that direct-applicant limitation.
Eligible work: Agricultural curricula and educational demonstrations; school/community garden enrichment; agricultural career exploration, workshops and mentorships; practical training linking students with agricultural industries; and youth/adult leadership development involving agriculture policy, business and relevant environmental science. Projects must deliver measurable California public educational benefits, not only internal benefits to one organization.
Allowable expenses and exclusions: Reasonable directly attributable personnel, fringe, necessary travel, project supplies, qualified contractor services, eligible special-purpose equipment and program activity expenses are potentially fundable. The maximum allowable indirect cost amount is 5% of combined Labor plus Fringe costs, not 5% of the total award. Disallowed expenses include administrative costs presented as direct costs, general-purpose equipment and capital improvements, fundraising, hospitality/entertainment, gifts and public giveaway items, and scholarships. The RFP does not prescribe a universal cash matching percentage and specifically instructs applicants not to complete the Match-In Kind budget category.
Payments and timeframe: Grant activities may occur January 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028, for no longer than 18 months. Awards are ordinarily reimbursement-based: supporting invoices are required no less frequently than quarterly and no more frequently than monthly. Eligible section 501(c)(3) nonprofit recipients may request an advance of up to 25% of the award, subject to CDFA approval. The agency withholds 10% of award funding until it receives and approves the Final Performance Report.
Apply through GOATS only: Create a registration in the CDFA Grant Opportunity and Administration and Tracking System (GOATS), select the appropriate CalAgPlate tier, prepare complete organizational/contact details, a grant project narrative with measurable outcomes, planned activity schedule, line-item budget, budget justification and other required answers. Only one application per organization will be considered; late, non-GOATS, ineligible and incomplete submissions are disqualified. The official 2026 FAQ confirms the mandatory electronic deadline. Grant-related questions: grants@cdfa.ca.gov, (916) 657-3231.