Environmental Incentives (EI) is pleased to share the first Annual Report for California’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program (MLRP), available in English and Spanish. As a member of the MLRP Statewide Support Entity team, along with our partners at EDF and Self-Help Enterprises, EI convenes block grantees across California in a Community of Practice to foster collaboration and learning as teams develop inclusive, multibenefit land repurposing strategies and projects.
The California Department of Conservation (DOC) launched the MLRP with a set of ambitious and diverse regional objectives to find shared solutions for creating resilient landscapes and addressing California’s uncertain groundwater future. In the two years since launching, the MLRP has seen significant progress toward program and block grantee goals, many of which are capture in the new report. Key takeaways from the report include:
- In the second round of funding, DOC doubled the number of block grantees and has awarded $85 million to date extending the total reach of MLRP partner and collaborator support to over 100 organizations.
- The regions receiving funding face some of the most severe environmental justice challenges in the state—together the program’s eight block regions cover over 120 state designated disadvantaged communities.
- EI facilitated 11 learning engagements for the MLRP Block Grantee Community of Practice and leveraged 24 experts to support grantees as they navigated their first year of implementation.
We remain committed to supporting the MLRP’s objectives of sustainable water management and community resilience and look forward to continued progress in 2024 and beyond.
