California Air Resources Board

The California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) Sustainable Transportation and Communities Division has identified ten priority projects for which it is seeking brief pre-proposals from California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) academics. These eleven projects will fill important data, information, and research gaps to support the division’s programs related to sustainable transportation, land use, housing, and buildings.

CARB is committed to increasing the equitable impact of our efforts agencywide, and as such, this solicitation contains several projects that will explore, address, and embody racial equity components. Additionally, CARB is posting this solicitation on the Empower Innovationwebsite to increase awareness of this funding opportunity as well as to facilitate partnerships between university investigators and new partners. The goal of increasing the equity elements of projects, awareness of project opportunities, and diverse collaboration between academics of various backgrounds is to achieve equitable and healthy sustainable transportation and community strategies that meet California’s climate goals.

See answers to Frequently Asked Questions.

List of Projects

1. Technical Feasibility, Cost-effectiveness, and Policy Strategies for Reducing Embodied Carbon in Building Materials | up to $600,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation
2. White Paper: Toxic Air Contaminant Emissions from Fossil Gas Appliances in California | up to $100,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation
3. Regional Propane and Woodburning Utilization in Commercial and Residential Buildings across California | up to $600,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation
4. Impacts of Telecommuting and Remote Services on Transportation, Land Use, And Climate Change | up to $600,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation
5. Sustainable Communities Strategies Evaluation Process Update | up to $200,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation
6. Evaluation of Pricing Strategies' Potential to Pursue Multiple Objectives [Coming Soon] | up to $500,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation Postponed
7. Guidance and Best Practices for Development of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Vehicle Miles Traveled Mitigation Banks or Exchanges | up to $150,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation
8. Developing an Equity Evaluation Framework for Place-Based, Community-Scale Mobility Investments | up to $150,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation
9. Evaluate the Potential Quantification of Community Garden Project Benefits | $100,000 to $200,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation
10. Quantification Methodology Development for Air Filtration, Microgrid, and Electric Bicycle Incentive Projects | up to $200,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation
11. Housing Solutions for Climate and Equity [NOW ADDED. Due August 4] | up to $500,000 | Detailed Statement of Work | Project Page on Empower Innovation

Solicitation Details

Application Process

If your team is interested in conducting any of these projects, please submit a pre-proposal by email to stcdivision@arb.ca.gov by 5 p.m. on July 7, 2023.

Responses to this solicitation should include the following:

1. A brief technical pre-proposal that does not exceed five pages and discusses your proposed approach for conducting the project.
2. A curriculum vitae or statement of qualifications for all key personnel who would be involved in the study (separate attachment, does not count toward five-page limit of pre-proposal).
3. A brief description of research that has been conducted or is currently underway by the applicant in areas related to this topic.  (It is preferable, but not required, that this description include funding source and amount of research funds. This can be in a separate attachment and will not count toward the five-page limit of pre-proposal).
4. For projects that include an equity component and/or community engagement (as noted in the project description), it is required that teams provide a cultural competency/humility statement not to exceed one-page in length (to be included as a separate attachment that does not count toward the five-page limit of pre-proposal).
5. A preliminary budget using the included Budget Summary Template.

Please carefully read the statement of work and scoring criteria information provided for each project to understand detailed requirements unique to each project.

These submissions will be used to gauge the extent of interest and available expertise within the UC and CSU systems. If a pre-proposal is selected for further development, the applicant will be notified no later than July 28, 2023. For selected investigators, an initial full proposal that meets CARB’s internal review requirements will be required by August 31, 2023. Funded projects are expected to begin in the spring of 2024.

Budget Summary Template

*Private subcontracting (i.e., any paid partners outside of a CSU or UC including private universities, community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, private companies, etc.) is limited to 25% of the total direct cost or $50,000, whichever is less. Private subcontracting can be up to 50% but an additional attestation memo describing why the expertise within the subcontract cannot be found within the UC or CSU systems is required.

Relevant Dates for Projects 1-10

• July 7, 2023 – Pre-proposals must be submitted by email to stcdivision@arb.ca.gov by 5 p.m. 
• July 28, 2023 – Winning applicants will be notified. 
• August 31, 2023 – Full proposals due to CARB staff for review by 5 p.m. 

Relevant Dates for Project 11

• August 4, 2023 – Pre-proposals must be submitted by email to stcdivision@arb.ca.gov by 5 p.m. 
• August 18, 2023 – Winning applicant will be notified. 
• September 22, 2023 – Full proposals due to CARB staff for review by 5 p.m.