2025 WMA Grant Program (WMAGP)
Information
Purpose:
The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) 2025 Weed Management Area Grant Program (WMAGP) will award grants to eligible applicants within the State of California to establish, develop and maintain Weed Management Areas (WMAs) and implement the WMAs integrated weed management plan. This award is noncompetitive and available to all WMAs who submit a completed application.
Description:
The CDFA has allocated $6 million for the WMA program (Food and Agriculture code 7271) and will fund one grant proposal per WMA, with a maximum award amount of $120,000 based on $40,000 per year for a total of 3 years. The maximum award amount has been set to ensure dispersal of funds in a variety of geographic locations that will result in measurable accomplishments. The minimum amount of funds that can be requested per WMA is $40,000 total over three years.
The project term is three (3) years with a review period at the end of each twelve (12) months and grant funds cannot be expended before July 1, 2025, or after June 30, 2028. CDFA may offer an award differing from the amount requested.The 2025 WMAGP will support WMAs in California. A WMA is a local organization that brings together all interested landowners, land managers (private, city, county, state, and federal), special districts, and the public, in a county or other geographical area for the purpose of coordinating and combining their action and expertise to deal with their common weed control problems. The organization shall function under the authority of a mutually developed memorandum of understanding. A WMA may be voluntarily governed by a chairperson, steering committee, County Agricultural Office or Resource Conservation District.
The project site must be located within the state of California. Applications must reflect work pertaining to implementation of controlling and/or mapping of noxious and invasive weed populations as defined in Food and Agricultural Code section 7270.5(b). In addition to plants on the Section 4500 Noxious Weed List allowable targeted species would include CDFA A and Q-rated as well as regionally important B-rated weeds.Cost-share is strongly encouraged but not required.
Keywords: Noxious Weeds, Pest exclusion, Integrated Pest Control, Invasive plants