2026 Earth Day Climate Action grant applications will be accepted by invitation only. Grants of up to $5,400 will be awarded to projects that help parks and surrounding communities stay healthy and resilient to impacts of climate change. ​Parks must co-host a volunteer workday to complete their project. ​

In this time of rising temperatures, historic drought, and ever-increasing wildfire risk, it is important to engage Californians in thinking about the ways they can protect and preserve the parks they love, their communities, and their homes. Project examples include: creating fire buffer zones by removing debris from around buildings, habitat restoration to increase biodiversity that will mitigate impacts from sea level rise, and trail work to reduce erosion impacts that can occur during winter storms​. Together we can work to help parks, and their surrounding communities stay healthy and resilient for years to come! 

California State Parks Foundation's Earth Day Climate Action volunteer workdays will take place throughout April 2026. Events will be on Saturday April 4, 11, 18 & Sunday April 19 from 9:00AM - 1:00PM. We will confirm the date of your workday once the application has been approved. Applications are due by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, November 11, 2025. A detailed Earth Day Climate Action report will be due by May 8, 2026. 

Please note lunch must be provided for all Earth Day workdays. ​The grant award amount is inclusive of all program and lunch costs. If your park is unable to manage lunch logistics, we may be able to cover costs from a central contingency fund and the amount will be applied toward your total award.

For any questions regarding the grant application, please contact Mika Perron at mika@calparks.org. If you encounter technical problems completing the form or have questions about your account, please contact Submittable directly at support@submittable.com. Thank you!

Climate Crisis Relief Fund
Fund Code: 4650.02
Amount Raised: Salesforce report **Minus 10% to cover program staff salaries

Background
When Big Basin Redwoods State Park burned in 2020, we played a critical role in providing wildfire relief. After learning about Big Basin’s extensive fire damage, California State Parks Foundation quickly reached out to the Santa Cruz District of California State Parks and provided $10,000 to replace equipment lost in the fire. This allowed the park’s interpretive staff to purchase new distance learning equipment and additional equipment to document the recovery of the park’s landscapes and structures.
 
We also found that there were many challenges facing Big Basin staff and volunteers. Many of the staff lived in employee housing within the park or in nearby neighborhoods and lost their homes or other personal property when the fire struck. California State Parks Foundation provided $26,000 that allowed grants of up to $1,000 to be distributed to any park staff or volunteers who were impacted by the wildfire.

In fiscal year 2024-2025, we are seeking key support to establish a Climate Crisis Relief Fund. This Fund will be specifically earmarked for parks that have recently experienced climate impacts from wildfires, winter storms, and other weather-related events. Our goal is to establish a Fund of $100,000 this year to provide a safety net for our beloved parks. This way, we can quickly activate the Climate Crisis Relief Fund in the aftermath of a catastrophic climate event at a state park – helping park staff to immediately replace lost work equipment, personal belongings, and more. We are currently seeking donations to create the fund and 90% of each gift will be placed directly into the Climate Crisis Relief Fund and held until the time comes in which we need to mobilize and activate it toward an emerging crisis. The other 10% of each donation will be used toward staff time in the current 2024-2025 fiscal year to monitor threats to parks and manage the Fund.

Establishing the fund

1. Programs and development identify a need for fundraising 
2. Finance sets up the fund in Intacct 
3. Salesforce Database Manager sets up the fund and campaign(s) in Salesforce 
4. Creative request to create donation form 

Fundraising
Proposal Template: Climate Crisis Relief Fund.docx
Initial Donation Form: https://act.calparks.org/a/climatecrisisrelief  

Membership donation form during January SoCal fires: https://act.calparks.org/a/climatecrisisrelief2025
Development donation form during January SoCal fires:
https://act.calparks.org/a/climatecrisisrelief_2025  

Process for activation 

1. Event occurs – wildfire, storm, etc. 
2. Part or all of park is closed; or other extenuating circumstances 
3. Programs team reaches out to parks with quick “survey” (phon call or email with 3-4 questions to determine immediate needs) 
4. Recorded as threat event in Salesforce  
5. Section for Climate Crisis Relief Fund interview in the threat object, includes the prompts for the questions 
6. Was any critical equipment lost in the event? 
7. Is there a need for additional public outreach/education about the situation? 
8. Has there been specific infrastructure damage – can you use the facilities? 
9. Has the event incurred any personal hardships for your staff or volunteers? 
10. Has the event created any issues surrounding the park that are affecting the park (ex: flooded entrance road)? 
11. Fund is activated for immediate needs: 
12. Education about dangerous areas of park 
13. Replace equipment 
14. Coordinate with finance to deploy the funds 
15. Climate Program Manager identifies the need 
16. Researches cost of items needed and creates budget 
17. Programs and development team confirm use of funds 
18. Identify award amount and type (ex: purchase materials, provide grant to a partner, provide grant directly to parks) 
19. Climate Program Manager allocates funds 
20. Works with park manager to identify process for fund supply allocation 
21. Purchases supplies or coordinates with finance to cut check 
22. Follow-up interview 6 months after the event 
23. Include in section of threat object