Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) announced the application opening period for the Climate Adaptation & Resiliency Grant program, designed to assist local cities in becoming more resilient and address climate vulnerability, adaptation, resiliency, and hazard mitigation plans with an emphasis on supporting underserved communities.

The grant program will provide $50,000 each to three municipalities within SoCalGas' service territory. The funds will be used to help local cities and counties prepare for and recover from climate risks, such as extreme heat, wildfires, drought, subsidence, sea level rise, and flooding.

An advisory panel of planning and sustainability experts from the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC) and the American Planning Association-California Chapter (APA-California) will select the 2022 winning applications from across Southern and Central California.

"The City is very excited to get started on the very important work of developing a Climate Action and Resiliency Plan for our underserved community. Strengthening climate resilience and focusing on issues of environmental justice are critical to our community and are at the core of many of our strategic goals over the next five years," said Mary Mendoza, San Fernando mayor. "The City of San Fernando is very honored to receive these funds and so appreciative to the Southern California Gas Company for recognizing our efforts with this generous grant."

Municipalities embarking on Hazard Mitigation Plan updates, Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Plans, or are incorporating climate change impacts into the Safety Element of their General Plan are eligible to apply.

"Climate adaptation and resilience planning is a crucial part of helping our communities stay strong in the face of unprecedented changes," said Ashley Atkinson, president of the American Planning Association's California Chapter. "This program allows recipient cities to prioritize resilience planning and address these changes with urgency."

The application submission period ends on October 14, 2022, at 5 p.m.

Last year, the City of Maywood, the City of San Fernando, and the City of Pico Riverawere each awarded $50,000 for winning adaptation and resiliency grants from SoCalGas.