the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development GO-Biz announced it is once again making a handful of grants to various health departments and nonprofit organizations on May 25th. The agency is using cannabis sale and cultivation taxes to fund $50 million in the 2022-2023 fiscal year and awarded the money through the California Community Reinvestment Grant Program. Recipients are allowed to use the money to help people find jobs, treat mental health or substance abuse, and provide legal services.
In order to qualify, organizations must meet different requirementssuch as being in good standing for at least six months prior to bidding, having tax-exempt status from the IRS and the California Franchise Tax Board, and being classified as “current” or “exempt” on the California Attorney General’s Register of Charities confidence, among other things.
This fiscal year’s grant recipients include 31 organizations that specifically aim to support communities affected by the War on Drugs. The highest grants awarded were $3 million to Centers for Equity and Success, Inc. , Shields for familiesLos Angeles Department of Public Health, Uncommon lawMonterey County Health Department. Other grants include Youth First Center, San Francisco Bay Goodwill, United Friends for Children, and more.
According to a GO-Biz press release, the agency plans to open the next wave of grants for application later this summer in August 2023.
the California Department of Cannabis Control DCC initially announced the launch of the program with $30 million in first grant recipients for the fiscal year 2019-2020 in April 2020. in 2021The California Community Reinvestment Grants Program has awarded $15 million to various organizations. Recently last year in JuneGO-Biz announced the distribution of $35.5 million in cannabis tax money among 58 grant recipients.
In February, DCC announced that it was offering $20 million in grant programs for the purpose of supporting and expanding the state cannabis industry. “Expanding access to the retail cannabis market in California is an important step toward protecting consumer safety and supporting a balanced market.” said DCC Director Nicole Elliott. “The Retail Access Grant Program ultimately seeks to encourage legal retail operations in areas where existing consumers do not have easy access to regulated cannabis.” Six scholarship initiatives have been approved at UCLA, three at UC Berkeley, and individual scholarships to colleges such as UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Cal Poly Humboldt.
Also in February, DCC announced that it would allocate $20 million to the Local Jurisdiction Retail Access Grant, which helps local governments enact their own cannabis licensing programs. It also announced an additional $15 million that will be awarded to support equity in the cannabis industry.
California continues to fund cannabis research efforts, too. In April, it was 16 colleges Awarded nearly $20 million For cannabis study purposes. These initiatives ranged in topics from the study of heredity, potency, and more. “The department looks forward to these studies strengthening the scientific research body, increasing our understanding of cannabis, and aiding the continued development and improvement of the legal framework,” Deputy Director of the Communications Coordination Center Rasha Salameh said. “These studies will provide valuable insights into topics of interest to California consumers, businesses, and policymakers, and the administration looks forward to sharing them once they are complete.”
Just a few weeks ago, A.J California Task Force It released a draft of its final report, which concluded that the state is issuing an apology to black Americans for the discrimination they experienced as a result of the War on Drugs. In addition, he called for black Americans to be paid for “every year of residence in California during the 49-year period between 1971 and 2020.” The final version of the report will be sent to Congress on Monday June 29th.
