School and Grant Programs

Organizations and groups with a Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) with projects located in unincorporated areas of Sacramento County. Examples of organizations include: 

•         Schools and student groups

•         Service clubs

•         Youth organizations

•         Homeowner’s associations

•         Community and neighborhood groups

•         Not-for-profit groups

Groups with similar projects are allowed to partner and apply for a grant together. Individuals and for-profit groups are not eligible. Eligible projects must be located within the unincorporated areas of Sacramento County or Sacramento County Storm Water Utility boundary and/or directly affect the residents of these areas.

Projects must generally fall into one or more of the following categories:

Educational Projects

Projects which inform or instruct about the aquatic ecosystem, watersheds, or storm water pollution prevention:

• Develop a slide show, video, or public service announcement about storm water quality
• Create a booklet of historical information about a creek, river, or watershed
• Create materials or outreach activities that teach people about preventing pollution in creeks, rivers, or watersheds
• Write a stream or watershed guidebook and conduct tours or field trips

School/Club Projects

Projects which can be organized by teachers, classrooms, or clubs:

• Get involved in environmentally friendly carwash fundraisers that help keep polluted carwash water from flowing into storm drains and entering waterways. Below are a few ideas:
  • Purchase carwash vouchers from commercial carwash facilities and pre-sell them to the community to raise funds for important causes that benefit your school or community; or
  • Purchase equipment for an environmentally friendly carwash fundraiser.

• Go on a field trip to learn about Sacramento’s watershed, creeks, or rivers
• Coordinate a trash pick-up day or event
• Create an eco-friendly landscape
• Purchase a watershed model for classroom use
• Adopt a creek, river, or watershed near your school
• Organize an invasive species plant removal for creeks or rivers
• Conduct monitoring activities on a local creek or river
• Conduct a water quality related experiment
• Create a creek, storm water, or watershed club
• Evaluate the condition of the natural vegetation, native species, and habitat of a specific creek, river, or watershed
• Develop a wildlife habitat, hummingbird or beneficial insect demonstration garden.

Community Outreach Projects

Projects which involve and inspire the community:

• Coordinate clean-up days on local creeks or rivers
  • Participants may pick up trash anywhere around the bank or in the river as long as they’re safe!
• Hold a creek, river, or watershed workshop for community members, or a symposium about your watershed

Monitoring Projects

Projects which measure water quality, species, or habitat:

• Conduct a citizen’s monitoring program on a local creek, river, or watershed
• Evaluate the condition of the natural vegetation, native species, and habitat of a specific creek, river, or watershed

Restoration Projects

Projects which restore or enhance riparian habitats, wetlands, creeks, or rivers:

• Construct and revegetate stream side interpretative trails
• Organize a nonnative species plant removal and revegetation project for creeks or rivers
• Purchase equipment for an environmentally friendly carwash fundraiser
• Go on a field trip to learn about Sacramento’s watershed, creeks, or rivers
• Coordinate a trash pick-up day or event
• Create an eco-friendly landscape
• Purchase a watershed model for classroom use
• Adopt a creek, river, or watershed near your school
• Organize an invasive species plant removal for creeks or rivers
• Conduct monitoring activities on a local creek or river
• Conduct a water quality related experiment
• Create a creek, storm water, or watershed club. 
• Evaluate the condition of the natural vegetation, native species, and habitat of a specific creek, river, or watershed
• Develop a wildlife habitat, hummingbird, butterfly, or beneficial insect demonstration garden

Complete the application. The Sacramento County Stormwater Quality Program reserves the right to disqualify applications if it is not apparent that the proposed project promotes awareness and/or stewardship of Sacramento’s waterways.

Applications are due by October 16, 2026

All projects must be located within the unincorporated portion of the County and/or directly affect the residents of these areas. Identify exact location of the project site and explain how your project will impact local waterways and/or directly affect the residents of these areas. Include a map of the location with your completed application. Provide the names of the creeks, rivers streams, and other water bodies in the immediate area, if applicable. To determine if your project location is eligible, click here.

The school must be located within the unincorporated Sacramento County to be eligible for the Grant. Please use our eligibility search tool to find if your school is within the unincorporated Sacramento County area or see eligible school's list.

A maximum of $2,500 will be awarded to each recipient. Please save all receipts and submit them with the final report. 

Yes. We encourage groups with similar projects to partner and apply for a grant together.

Eligible uses of grant money include:

• purchase of materials and supplies related to watershed education activities
• equipment rental
• bus rental
• tours/field trips
• purchase of native vegetation
• printing or postage to promote events

Please save all receipts and submit them with the final report. 

Grant money does not cover the following expenses:

• wages or salaries for labor (includes substitute teachers)
• personal mileage
• refreshments or food
• purchasing of cameras, video equipment, printers, and computer hardware
• administrative processing fees
• activities required for compliance with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits or other regulatory requirements will not be funded through the grant program

Yes. If the project will use the equipment to protect, enhance, or restore the health of waterways or reduce stormwater pollution, the grant may be used towards the total purchase price. The equipment must be purchased before the deadline to use the funds. 

This grant is intended for an organization and not for personal use therefore we do require an active Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) to process the application. The EIN ensures that all payments and reporting are properly associated with the organization rather than an individual’s personal tax information. If the organization needs assistance obtaining or locating their EIN, they can refer to the IRS website for guidance on how to apply or retrieve it.

Groups/organizations without an EIN are allowed to partner with a group/organization that has an EIN.

Yes, a final report is required as part of this grant program. Please see the grant application for more details

For questions, please email Brittany Griffiths at griffithsb@saccounty.gov.