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Department of Pesticide Regulation Opens $5.55 Million Grant Application Process to Fund Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Pest Management Tools and Practices


Contact:
Leia Bailey
California Department of Pesticide Regulation
916-247-9344 | Leia.Bailey@cdpr.ca.gov

September 2, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


(SACRAMENTO) – Today, the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) opened the application period for the 2022 Alliance and Research Grants, offering $5.55 million in potential funding to accelerate the transition to safer and sustainable pest management.

"California is a leader in the development of more sustainable systems for agriculture and pest management," said DPR Acting Director, Julie Henderson. "DPR Research and Alliance Grant opportunities increase the investment in innovation and the scale at which sustainable pest management tools and practices are adopted."

The increased funding for the 2022 Alliance and Research Grants, included in the 2021-2022 state budget, supports the state’s goal to increase the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in agricultural, urban, and wildland settings. IPM is an approach to pest management that uses the least-toxic, most effective method to solve pest problems. In the last 20 years, DPR has invested more than $13 million to fund 71 projects within the Research and Alliance Grant programs. DPR-funded grant projects are key to identifying and fostering new ways to reduce the impact of pesticides on human health and the environment.

The 2022 Research Grants Program will award projects up to 2.5 years in length that develop pest management tools and practices to reduce the use of high risk pesticides or decrease the impacts of pest management chemicals on public health and the environment. Project budgets will range from $50,000 to $3.75 million. Research Grant applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. PST on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021. Virtual information sessions will be held on Sept. 16, Oct. 14 and Nov. 10, 2021.

Past Research Grants projects have worked to understand invasive cockroach biology in underserved communities, facilitated collaborations with growers to find replacements for chlorpyrifos, used data-driven approaches to mitigate the impact of pesticide on bees, and developed cloud-based field sensors to monitor ants.

The 2022 Alliance Grants Program will award projects up to 2.5 years in length that promote or increase the implementation, expansion, and adoption of effective and proven IPM systems or practices. Project budgets will range from $50,000 to $1.8 million. Alliance Grant applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. PST on Thursday, March 10, 2022. Virtual information sessions will be held on Sept. 9 and Dec. 10, 2021, and Feb. 3, 2022.

Past Alliance Grants projects have conducted outreach to small growers in the Hmong and Iu-Mien communities, developed herbicide-free best practices for combating invasive plants in native habitats, increased IPM adoption in affordable housing communities, created area-wide pest management efforts between growers, and disseminated free software to minimize spray drift.

For more information on the Alliance Grants and Research Grants Programs, including how to join our Virtual Information Sessions and how to apply, please visit the Department of Pesticide Regulation website.

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