Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) Program Offers $2.5 M in Grant Funding to California Community Organizations to Engage In the Cleanup Process of Contaminated Properties In Their Communities

What is the TAG Program?

The Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program provides funds ranging from $40,000 to $150,000 to eligible communities to hire independent Technical Advisors with the goal to effectively communicate technical information to communities so they can become more involved and informed about Response Actions (cleanup sites). Response actions include activities performed to address a release or potential release of contamination at a property under DTSC oversight.

What is a Technical Advisor? 

A Technical Advisor (TA) is a person who will provide the grantee with an unbiased, independent review of Cleanup Site-related information. Technical Advisors should be qualified in areas related to the type of contamination and specific issues relevant to the Cleanup Site. Please review Appendix A in the TAG Guidelines for a list of key qualifications. 

The Department of Toxic Substances Control TAG Program is building a vendor list of interested and available independent TAs to support the recipients of the TAG awarded by the TAG program. The list is available as a resource to TAG applicants who are looking to identify and hire TAs to support their proposed TAG projects.

The information provided will be directly transferred to DTSC’s TAG website to allow community organizations to contact a TA of their choice to assist them in the implementation of their TAG award. The inclusion of a TA on the list generated as a result of this informal request does not mean that the Statement of Interest and Qualifications (SOIQ) application has been prequalified or otherwise approved for the participation of the TAG program. TAG applicants will remain responsible for investigating TA qualifications prior to entering into a contract with any TA whose submission is provided in response to this request.

To be included on the vendor list, please review the TAG SOIQ Information and submit the Statement of Interest and Qualifications for Technical Advisors form.

To view the current vendor list, please visit TAG’s New Applicant Resources webpage.

Who Is Eligible

• The applicant must be a community group or organization that is a qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit (or has a fiscal sponsor), or a Tribe.
• Applicants must also show that they are representative of their community
• Communities must be considered underserved and vulnerable. This may be shown by meeting one or more of the following criteria* :
  • CalEnviroScreen (CES) score of 75% or higher
  • CES poverty rate of 50% or higher
  • A tribal community
  • If the above criteria are not met, applicants may provide additional justification to show that their community is underserved and vulnerable

*The Grant Manager’s address will be used to represent the community.

Sites That Are Eligible

Active cleanup sites under DTSC oversight are eligible for the TAG Program. Enter your address into the Technical Assistance Grant Site Mapping Tool to see eligible sites near your community.

How to Apply for TAG

Fluxx applications open on December 20, 2023. Please apply for TAG through Fluxx. Check back for updates and information on Fluxx.

How to Apply for Advanced Pay

• Review the Technical Assistance Grant Advance Payment Guidance.
• Apply for Advanced Payment through TAG application on Fluxx.
• Utilize the TAG Advance Payment Checklist to gather the documents needed for Advanced Pay. 

Application Window

• Applications open on December 20, 2023.
• Applications can be submitted anytime until January 15, 2025. All environmental work must be completed by January 15, 2027. The Funding period will be dependent on the application and award date. All final invoices must be submitted by March 1, 2027.

Application Assistance

• Contact the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) to set up a time for them to take you through the grant opportunity and application questions. Please reach out to CCLR at tag@cclr.org or schedule an appointment through Calendly.
• Review the December 2023 TAG webinar where DTSC provides a program overview, answers audiences questions, and demonstrates the TAG site-mapping tool. 

For More Information

Sign up for the email list to stay informed about the TAG program!

To contact us, please email DTSC_TAGprogram@dtsc.ca.gov

Past Events

TAG Fluxx Application Webinar 
February 27, 2024

• Presentation Recording 
• Presentation Slides (English) (PDF)
• Presentation Slides (Spanish) (PDF)

TAG Webinar Presentation
December 6, 2023

• Presentation Recording
• Presentation Slides (English) (PDF)
• Presentation Slides (Spanish) (PDF)

TAG Polling Session
June 22, 2022

• Presentation Slides (PDF)
• Polling Session Recording

Cleanup In Vulnerable Communities Initiative

In 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation referred to as the Cleanup In Vulnerable Communities Initiative (CVCI), allocating $500 million to expedite the cleanup and beneficial reuse of contaminated properties, with priority given to properties in historically vulnerable and disadvantaged communities. The TAG program is a subset of the larger CVCI program.