Funding Programs
Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM)
Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) is a collaborative effort to identify and implement water management solutions on a regional scale that increase regional self-reliance, reduce conflict, and manage water to concurrently achieve social, environmental, and economic objectives. This approach delivers higher value for investments by considering all interests, providing multiple benefits, and working across jurisdictional boundaries. Examples of multiple benefits include improved water quality, better flood management, restored and enhanced ecosystems, and more reliable surface and groundwater supplies.
Priority Conservation Area Grant Program
Priority Conservation Areas (PCAs) are spaces that provide important environmental and/or outdoor recreation benefits in the Bay Area. PCAs are identified and nominated through a locally driven process and designated by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). PCA designations and the PCA Grant Program support the goals of Plan Bay Area 2050, the adopted long-range regional plan for housing, the economy, transportation and the environment.
The PCA Grant Program funded through the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) program and administered by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership – was initiated by MTC in collaboration with the State Coastal Conservancy. Since 2013, the PCA Grant Program has provided over $30 million to protect and enhance the region’s natural and agricultural lands, improve outdoor access and urban greening, and build regional climate resiliency across Bay Area communities.
San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority
The Partnership and the State Coastal Conservancy jointly staff the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, a critically important regional effort to enhance and protect wetlands and wildlife habitat in San Francisco Bay. The Authority was formed by the California Legislature in 2008, with a mission to raise and allocate resources for the restoration, enhancement, protection, and enjoyment of wetlands and wildlife habitat in San Francisco Bay and along its shoreline, and associated flood management and public access infrastructure.
After the Authority voted to place Measure AA, the San Francisco Bay Clean Water, Pollution Prevention and Habitat Restoration Measure, on the June 7th, 2016, ballot, residents of the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area voted with a 70% majority to pass it. This measure is a $12 parcel tax, which will raise approximately $25 million annually, or $500 million over twenty years, to fund shoreline projects that will protect and restore the Bay.
Learn more about the Restoration Authority (external website).
