California communities are preparing for climate emergencies that can take many forms. Extreme heat can overwhelm homes without cooling. Wildfire smoke can make the air unsafe. Floods and outages can disrupt daily life. The response needs more than a last-minute shelter. It needs trusted places where neighbors can find information, resources, and support before an emergency begins.
That is the purpose of California’s Community Resilience Centers Program. The California Strategic Growth Council made approximately $55 million available through Community Resilience Centers Round 2 for planning and implementation grants. Planning applications have closed, but implementation applications remain open until September 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. For eligible California organizations, the program can support or upgrade places that serve residents year-round and help neighborhoods respond during climate emergencies.
A timely opportunity for local climate readiness
Community Resilience Centers Round 2 is designed to build local capacity, not merely fund a building. The program supports facilities that can provide shelter and resources during climate and other emergencies while offering services that make the site useful every day. This combination can make a center familiar, accessible, and trusted before a crisis tests the community.
The program offers two tracks. Planning grants of $100,000 to $500,000 were intended to help communities assess needs, develop partnerships, evaluate sites, and prepare future projects. That application window closed on September 4, 2026. Implementation grants range from $1 million to $10 million over a six-year grant term and can support projects ready to move from an idea to a lasting community asset. The CRC Round 2 application page is the controlling source for the current deadline, materials, and submission instructions.
What makes a resilience center different
A community resilience center is not intended to replace an emergency shelter, fire station, or local disaster-management plan. It is a neighborhood-scale facility that connects local systems to residents. During an emergency, it may offer a safe place to gather, information, communications, charging access, supplies, or coordinated services. Outside an emergency, it can host programs that build relationships and respond to local needs.
Resilience starts before an emergency
This year-round role matters. The Greenlining Institute’s overview of community resilience hubs describes these sites as trusted, locally managed neighborhood centers that should reflect community culture, values, and practical needs. A library, community center, nonprofit facility, or other familiar gathering place may be a starting point when it is shaped through meaningful local engagement.
When residents already know where to find a class, a wellness program, or neighborhood information, they are more likely to know where to turn when conditions become dangerous. It also helps project leaders understand language access, mobility, health, and transportation needs before a crisis creates additional barriers. Individual preparedness remains important, including the steps in our guide to protecting health during wildfire smoke. A resilience center adds a shared layer of support that no household can provide alone.
What implementation grants can support
Implementation funding can support a connected package of facility improvements, site amenities, services, and partnerships. According to the state’s published grant information, eligible activities can include pre-development, construction or retrofits, campus amenities, community resilience programs, partner sites, and evaluation. Strong applications will show how these pieces work together for a defined California community.
Facilities and site improvements
Projects may include new construction, retrofits, and upgrades to a Community Resilience Center facility. Pre-development work such as engineering, architectural design, facility assessments, and construction planning can also be part of an implementation project. Campus amenities that improve a site’s usefulness during climate and other disasters may qualify. Applicants should consult the CRC Round 2 Final Guidelines before deciding whether a proposed activity is eligible.
Programs and partnerships
Buildings alone do not create resilience. Round 2 can also fund services and programs that build social cohesion and encourage year-round use. Depending on local priorities, that could include multilingual outreach, preparedness education, resource navigation, wellness activities, youth programming, or coordination with trusted partners. Each implementation application must include at least two partners. If the lead applicant is not already a community-based organization, at least one partner must be a community-based organization. The application also requires a Collaborative Governance Worksheet and letters of commitment.
How eligible organizations can prepare now
With the September 30 deadline approaching, organizations should work from the current requirements. The Strategic Growth Council says that applications must be completed and submitted through Submittable. Preview documents can help a team understand the process, but the agency advises applicants not to rely on previews alone because the live application may contain differences or omissions.
- Confirm that the lead applicant, project area, facility, and partner sites meet the eligibility requirements.
- Review the amended Notice of Funding Availability, Final Guidelines, Submittable instructions, and live implementation application.
- Document the local need and the community engagement that informed the project.
- Secure at least two committed partners and prepare the required governance and commitment materials.
- Align the budget, work plan, facility scope, services, and evaluation approach with program requirements.
- Submit before September 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, leaving time for technical issues and final review.
This article is an informational overview, not grant or legal advice. Applicants should use the state’s current materials and the official Submittable application as their source of record. The Strategic Growth Council expects implementation applications to be reviewed in winter and spring 2027, with awards expected in spring 2027.
How residents can support stronger centers
Residents do not need to be grant applicants to contribute to community resilience. They can participate in local meetings, share reliable information with neighbors, ask trusted organizations about preparedness planning, and support facilities that already serve as gathering places. Local knowledge can identify who may have difficulty accessing a center, which services are missing, and how communications can reach people in the languages they use every day.
Community-scale planning also complements household action. Improving a home’s ability to resist wildfire exposure can reduce risk for individual families, as explained in our article on California home hardening and wildfire resilience. Shared spaces, trusted partners, and reliable information help neighborhoods respond when risks affect more than one property. These investments also support the wider work California is doing to combat climate change and prepare communities for its impacts.
A practical investment in connected communities
Community Resilience Centers Round 2 is an opportunity to build places that support people before, during, and after climate emergencies. The most effective centers will not look identical. A rural community, a Tribal community, a dense urban neighborhood, and a coastal town may prioritize different facilities, services, and partnerships. Their shared goal is to make resilience local, useful, and equitable.
For eligible organizations, the next step is to review the official application materials and determine whether a ready-to-implement, community-supported project can meet the September 30 deadline. For everyone else, the program is a reminder that climate readiness grows through everyday relationships and accessible community spaces. When neighbors know where to connect and how to help one another, California is better prepared for what comes next.