Climate Catalyst Program

Accelerating the speed and scale of climate-solution deployment by mobilizing public and private finance

What is the Climate Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund?

The Climate Catalyst Revolving Loan Fund is designed to:

Jumpstart critical climate solutions through flexible, low-cost credit and credit support.
Help bridge the financing gap that currently prevents these advanced technologies from scaling into the marketplace.
Mobilize public and private finance for shovel-ready projects that are stuck in the deployment phase.
Accelerate the speed and scale at which technologically proven, critical climate solutions are deployed.

What type of financial help is available?

The Climate Catalyst Fund is flexible, offering a range of financial instruments to help bridge the financing gap currently preventing advanced technologies from scaling into the marketplace. Because the Climate Catalyst Fund is designed to increase the pace and scale of private financing for climate solutions, potential applicants should have written expressions of interest from other financing parties before completing the Climate Catalyst Intake Form.

Who can apply?

The program is open to both private- and public-sector applicants.

What kind of projects can get help?

Catalyst Fund’s current focus is on three sectors critical to the state’s climate mitigation and resilience strategies:

Forest Biomass Management and Utilization:

Projects that reduce wildfire threats through forest biomass management and utilization.

Projects may include (but are not limited to):

Sustainable vegetation management
Forestry practices
Timber harvesting products such as advance energy and construction materials

The clear and present threat of wildfire is California’s most obvious manifestation of climate change. Climate Catalyst’s focus on forest biomass management and utilization reflects this reality and priority.

Real opportunity exists to stimulate inclusive economic growth for Californians in forest communities — distributing the benefits of climate solutions beyond the communities where they are typically experienced through other types of projects including solar, wind, and electric vehicles.

View the Wildfire and Forest Resilience project categories and eligibility criteria.

Clean Energy Transmission:

Projects that increase access to zero-carbon resources through new clean energy transmission infrastructure.

Projects may include (but are not limited to):

Clean energy transmission project infrastructure
Other necessary technical elements of transmission infrastructure, such as environmental planning, permitting, and preconstruction costs for projects

The initial project or projects funded in this sector will support the development of a new transmission line to deliver zero-carbon, firm electricity from the Salton Sea region to the system operated by the California Independent System Operator. This line is identified by the Administration and relevant state agencies as critical to achieving the state’s mid-decade energy reliability goals, as well as delivery on the Lithium Valley vision, and goals for clean energy and climate mitigation more broadly.

View the Clean Energy Transmission project categories and eligibility criteria.

Climate-Smart Agriculture:

Projects that promote climate-smart technologies and practices across the agricultural value chain

Projects may include (but are not limited to):

On-farm and food processing renewable energy, including electricity, fuels, and bioenergy
Energy, water, and materials efficiency
Methane reduction projects that use best practice approaches consistent with state policy goals
Energy storage or microgrids
Equipment replacements

The rapidly evolving field of climate-smart agriculture presents some of the most compelling opportunities to support climate resilience in a critical industry while also directly reducing global warming pollution. As a global leader in agricultural productivity and innovation, what California does to address the climate crisis can have truly global significance.

View the Climate-Smart Agriculture project categories and eligibility criteria.

The Climate Catalyst Program is not accepting applications for Climate-Smart Agriculture projects at this time. Stakeholders will be notified via IBank’s Climate Financing Newsletter when financing becomes available. Sign-up for the Climate Financing Newsletter.

How do I apply?

If you have a climate-smart agriculture or forest biomass management or utilization project and have written expressions of interest from other financing parties, complete the Climate Catalyst Intake Form below.

Learn about the program goals, requirements, application process, and more in our
Criteria, Priorities, and Guidelines for the Selection of Projects.

Click image for Climate Catalyst Fact Sheet

Complete the Climate Catalyst Intake Form

Why Climate Catalyst Fund?

California’s climate innovators are ready to move — The time is now

Innovative, clean technologies struggle to scale into the marketplace, while shovel-ready projects are standing by right now and just need the final “gap” financing in order to deploy, creating jobs and economic growth today.
State, national, and international leaders are calling the 2020s the critical decade for climate action.
To avoid the worst effects of climate change in the decades ahead, we must make tangible progress at infrastructure scale.
California has the world’s leading combination of policies and markets for sustainability — Catalyst’s supportive financing can help scale up critical climate solutions.

Both public- and private-sector capital are necessary to bring climate solutions into reality

Private capital is the key but requires supportive capital from the public sector to enter new markets.
Public sector support complements existing grant programs to create a greater impact.
Public revolving loan funds like Climate Catalyst can leverage 3-8X in private investment, providing a great public benefit in a time of challenged budgets.