81816_-_EHCRP_CBO_RFP.pdf

Todd Smith, Planning Director

Planning and Environmental

Review

County of Sacramento

Troy Givans, Director Department of Community

Development

Subject: Request for Proposals: Extreme Heat Community Resilience Program (EHCRP) Round 2: Community Based Organization (CBO) Co-Applicant Partnership

Issued by: Sacramento County Planning and Environmental Review (PER) Deadline to Respond: 5:00 PM PST, August 27, 2026 Contacts: PER Long Range Team: PER-LongRange@saccounty.gov

SUMMARY

The County of Sacramento (County) is seeking proposals from qualified Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to partner with the County as Co-Applicant for the Extreme Heat Community Resilience Program (EHCRP) Round 2 grant, administered by the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI). The selected CBO will work in partnership with PER team to develop and submit a competitive joint application for an Early Infrastructure Project and, if awarded, support implementation throughout the 30-month grant term.

The County’s proposed project, Sacramento Beats the Heat: Cool 20 Infrastructure Plan (Cool 20 Plan), would pair a community cooling demonstration at Foothill Community Park with development of a broader infrastructure planning framework to identify, prioritize, and advance cost-effective cooling investments in County communities most vulnerable to extreme heat.

The County is seeking a CBO partner with strong community relationships, demonstrated experience engaging vulnerable populations, and the capacity to lead meaningful community co-design and help translate community knowledge into implementable infrastructure solutions.

ABOUT THE EHCRP GRANT AND THE PROPOSED PROJECT

EHCRP Round 2 funds Early Infrastructure Projects that protect communities most vulnerable to extreme heat. It is funded through the 2024 Climate Bond (Proposition 4) and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. Awarded projects will receive between $750,000 and $1.2 million and must be completed within 30 months of the grant award start date. For full mailto:PER-LongRange@saccounty.gov program information, please visit: https://www.lci.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Round-2- Final-Guidelines.pdf

Applicants must develop a heat-related Planning Document and implement an Infrastructure Demonstration Project that directly protects vulnerable populations from extreme heat and informs the Planning Document. The proposed Planning Document, Sacramento Beats the Heat: Cool 20 Infrastructure Plan, would identify 10 priority Cooling Routes and 10 priority Cooling Nodes in communities with the greatest heat vulnerability and infrastructure need. Cooling Routes may include trails, park pathways, sidewalks, and other public connections while Cooling Nodes will focus on local and regional parks, County plazas, and other high-use public spaces. For the 20 priority locations, the Cool 20 Plan would develop planning-level infrastructure concepts, cost and maintenance ranges, implementation considerations, and potential funding pathways to position projects for future grant opportunities.

The proposed Infrastructure Demonstration Project at Foothill Community Park would directly reduce heat exposure by strategically placing cooling infrastructure where people need it most. Priority park cooling zones would receive a site-responsive combination of shade, canopy, hydration, and other built and nature-based cooling improvements. A Cooling Node would provide concentrated heat relief at a high-use gathering area, while a Cooling Route would improve thermal comfort along a park trail or pathway. Lessons from the demonstration would directly inform the Cool 20 Plan’s infrastructure strategies, cost assumptions, design principles, and future implementation priorities.

Partnership and Belonging are core EHCRP values and central to the County's proposed approach. The County will provide planning, technical, administrative, and implementation capacity, while the selected CBO will bring community knowledge, trusted relationships, and expertise in inclusive engagement and co-design. Together, the partners will ensure that infrastructure investments respond to lived experience while remaining feasible, maintainable, and positioned for implementation.

Belonging activities will go beyond traditional outreach. Community members, particularly those most vulnerable to extreme heat, will have meaningful opportunities to influence the design and location of proposed improvements so that resulting public spaces are safe, welcoming, culturally responsive, and reflective of the communities they serve.

The following table shows the estimated budget that can be allocated to specified categories per EHCRP grant requirements. As shown, additional funds may be allocated to Partnership and Belonging activities as long as the minimum requirements are met.

https://www.lci.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/Round-2-Final-Guidelines.pdf

Category Requirement Estimated budget

Infrastructure Demonstration Project

25%–60% of total budget $187,500 – $720,000

Partnership (funds to Co- Applicants/Contributors)

At least 8% of total budget $60,000 – $96,000 (minimum)

Belonging Design and Implementation Activities

At least 4% of total budget $30,000 – $48,000 (minimum)

Post-Award Activities Reserve $25,000 $25,000

Indirect Costs Up to 15% of total budget $112,500 – $180,000

WHO SHOULD APPLY

Pursuant to LCI’s grant guidelines, CBOs are eligible if they:

• Are qualified to do business in California;

• Hold current 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit status (nonprofits, NGOs, philanthropic organizations, faith-based organizations, and community foundations are all eligible);

• Maintain a staffed operational office within 100 miles of the project site in North Highlands; and,

• Are able to submit two years of financial statements as part of the Full Application.

The County particularly encourages proposals from CBOs that combine strong community relationships with demonstrated organizational capacity. Competitive organizations will understand the lived experiences of heat-vulnerable communities; have experience engaging residents who may not participate through traditional outreach methods; be comfortable facilitating co-design of public infrastructure; and have the administrative capacity to participate in a complex, multi-agency grant project. Direct experience designing or constructing infrastructure is not required, provided the organization can effectively translate community priorities and lived experience into the project development process.

WHAT THE CO-APPLICANT WILL BE EXPECTED TO DO

PER will serve as Lead Applicant and provide overall project management, grant administration, planning, and coordination with technical and implementation partners.

PER will be responsible for executing the Cool 20 plan with input from a wide range of stakeholders, including any co-applicants. The selected CBO will serve as one of the Co- Applicants and a core member of the project team. Responsibilities are anticipated to include:

• Community Engagement and Assessment: Help identify community priorities, lived experiences, barriers, and heat-related needs through culturally responsive outreach, listening sessions, workshops, surveys, site-based engagement, and other appropriate methods.

• Belonging and Co-Design: Lead or co-lead a meaningful co-design process for the Foothill Community Park demonstration so community members, particularly heat-vulnerable users, directly inform the location, function, character, and usability of proposed cooling infrastructure (i.e., nature-based and/or built-environment solutions, as defined in the Guidelines).

• Planning Document Engagement: Support community engagement associated with Sacramento Beats the Heat, helping ensure the Plan's priorities, design principles, and replicable cooling strategies reflect community needs and experience.

• Partnership Development: Help build and maintain relationships among residents, community organizations, Sunrise Recreation & Park District, County departments, and other project partners.

• Evaluation and Learning: Help document community experience, participation, lessons learned, and qualitative outcomes from the demonstration and planning process.

• Grant Implementation: Complete assigned workplan tasks, participate in project coordination, maintain and comply with the project budget, and fulfill applicable EHCRP Co-Applicant requirements throughout the grant term. One of these requirements is to complete all required reporting, including quarterly progress reports, a mid-term report, a final report, and a project case study at grant close.

• Partnership Agreement: If awarded, execute a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the County within the first quarter following contract execution, consistent with Task 1 deliverable timelines in the LCI’s Guidelines (Section 5).

Notes:

• Financial Documentation: If selected and the project is awarded, LCI will require the

CBO to submit two years of financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, cash flow) and the most recent IRS Form 990 and 501(c)(3) Tax Determination Letter at the time of full application.

• No project costs may be incurred prior to full execution of the LCI grant agreement. The selected Co-Applicant will be expected to support Readiness Review requirements, including site control and additional tasks necessary to successfully advance on the project.

• EHCRP operates on a cost-reimbursement basis. If your organization would need an advance payment (available to eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits for up to 25% of the total grant award, per LCI’s Guidelines Section 10.6) in order to perform the required tasks, please indicate that on your response.

HOW TO RESPOND

Please submit the following by August 27, 2026, at 5:00 PM PST to PER Long Range Team at PER-LongRange@saccounty.gov. Responses should be no more than 10 pages and will be scored and evaluated as explained below for a total score of 50.

1. Organization Overview (5 points) Provide a cover letter with your organization name, 501(c)(3) status, address, primary and alternate contact person, office location, and confirmation that your operational office is within 100 miles of the project site. Please include 2-3 relevant references.

2. Mission and Community Connection (10 points) Describe your organization’s mission and the communities you serve. Tell us specifically about your existing relationships in the North Highlands/Foothill Farms area or any other EJ Communities. Describe your connections with residents most affected by extreme heat, including but not limited to, elderly, low-income, unhoused, or children.

3. Heat, Infrastructure, and Environmental Justice Experience (10 points) Describe any projects or programs your organization has led or participated in related to extreme heat mitigation, urban greening, infrastructure design and construction, community health, environmental justice, emergency preparedness, or climate resilience. Highlight any experience working in North Highlands/Foothill Farms or other disadvantaged communities (as shown in the Climate Bond Disadvantaged Communities Map – Proposition 4) in Sacramento County as designated in the (see General Plan Environmental Justice Element for more details). If you have experience with grant management, implementation, and reporting, please provide examples.

4. Belonging and Community Co-Design (10 points) Describe your organization’s approach to ensuring that community members, particularly people most vulnerable to extreme heat, have a meaningful role in shaping public infrastructure. Provide examples of culturally responsive or community-led co-design processes your organization has facilitated. Explain the engagement techniques you would consider using at Foothill Community Park and how you would reach residents who mailto:PER-LongRange@saccounty.gov https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/aa723fdf521a44c9a428f1a46cd38a09/page/(S)DAC-Communities-Map https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/aa723fdf521a44c9a428f1a46cd38a09/page/(S)DAC-Communities-Map https://landuse.saccounty.gov/gp/ej/#sacramento-county-general-plan--environmental-justice-element https://landuse.saccounty.gov/gp/ej/#sacramento-county-general-plan--environmental-justice-element may not participate through traditional public meetings. Describe how community input would be documented, incorporated into project decisions, and communicated back to participants.

5. Community Heat Vulnerability and Meaningful Benefits (10 points):

Describe your understanding of the communities (North Highlands/Foothill Farms) served by Foothill Community Park and the factors that may increase residents' exposure or vulnerability to extreme heat. Explain how your organization would help identify community priorities and ensure that proposed infrastructure provides direct, tangible, and meaningful benefits to Severely Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Populations. Where applicable, describe your experience combining community knowledge and lived experience with quantitative vulnerability, environmental justice, or other community data. In preparing your response, refer to the Climate Vulnerability Map and LCI’s Guidelines Section 7 and Appendix E.

6. Approach to Partnership and Project Implementation (5 points)

Based on the proposed Sacramento Beats the Heat: Cool 20 Infrastructure Plan and Foothill Community Park demonstration described in this RFP, explain how your organization would approach its role as Co-Applicant. Identify opportunities to strengthen community participation, Belonging, and the connection between the Foothill Community Park demonstration and the broader community cooling planning effort.

Describe how your organization would work collaboratively with the County, Sunrise Recreation & Park District, residents, and other project partners.

DISCLAIMER

Please be aware that the County’s selection of a Co-Applicant to jointly apply for the EHCRP grant does not guarantee that the project will receive an EHCRP grant award.

This request does not commit the County of Sacramento to award a contract, to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of proposals in response to this request, or to procure or contract for services or supplies. The County of Sacramento expressly reserves the right to reject any and all proposals or to waive any irregularity or informality in any proposal or in the RFP procedure and to be the sole judge of the responsiveness of any proposer and of the suitability of the materials and/or services to be rendered. The County of Sacramento reserves the right to withdraw this RFP at any time without prior notice. Further, the County of Sacramento reserves the right to modify the RFP schedule described in this request.

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/652c6def7040429bafe23c38966f8f73/page/Sacramento-Valley-

Until a Co-Applicant is selected, submissions shall be held in confidence and shall not be available for public review. Upon selection of a Co-Applicant, all responses shall be public records. All responses received become the property of the County of Sacramento. No submission shall be returned after the date and time set herein.

All materials, data, reports, and other work products developed using grant funds, including those created by the Co-Applicant, will be owned exclusively by the State of California as works made for hire, consistent with LCI’s Guidelines Section 10.5. The Co-Applicant must agree to this ownership condition as part of entering into the Partnership Agreement.

The County’s Full Application to LCI is due October 13, 2026, at 2:00 PM PST. If the grant is awarded, the selected Co-Applicant will be required enter a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or other County/LCI-required agreement establishing roles, responsibilities, fund flows, reporting, and duties related to grant implementation.

Thank you for your interest in building a more heat-resilient community in Sacramento County.