The Service Access & Equity Grant Program awards $11 million each year to community-based organizations (CBOs) and regional centers. The grant program’s aim is to reduce disparities and increase access to regional center services. The 2024-25 grant awardees have been announced on the Department’s webpage. Established in 2016, the grant program empowers community leaders and cultivates new opportunities to support Californians with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has awarded over 500 grants to CBOs and regional centers to-date. Service Access & Equity grant projects are seeds for change. They inspire new statewide initiatives, community partnerships, and innovative resources that increase access to vital services and supports to Californians receiving regional center services. These grant projects break down barriers to service, enhance cultural and linguistic competency, and increase equity in service access for ALL.

Highlights from the 2024-25 Grant Cycle

The Department’s Service Access & Equity division received 111 applications requesting a record $56 million during the 2024-25 cycle. Grants were awarded to 29 CBOs and regional centers, supporting individuals supported by all 21 regional centers, in at least 15 languages. The grant priorities included:
  1. Culturally and linguistically competent services
  2. Building capacity and improving access to Early Start services, resources, and education for diverse and marginalized communities
  3. Navigation support for families in accessing services.

Grant Project Spotlights

California Community Education Center
  • Information: CBO provides statewide advocacy and educational training services to underserved individuals
  • Project: Training workshops to help equip LGBTQIA+/communities of color with the tools to access and use culturally and linguistically affirming services. This project also will provide cultural humility trainings for regional center staff
  • Service Area: All of California
  • Amount Awarded: $500K
Strategies to Empower People
  • Information: Northern California-based CBO supporting Deaf & Hard of Hearing individuals with specialized language and cultural needs
  • Project: A training curriculum to educate and mentor families and service providers in accessing regional center and generic services to help bridge gaps in service delivery for Native American communities
  • Service Area: Alta California Regional Center & North Bay Regional Center catchment areas
  • Amount Awarded: $340K
Understanding Needed Integration
  • Information: Southern California-based CBO with experience serving Black and Latino communities
  • Project: A training program to empower Black and Latino families to enhance their self-advocacy skills and help Early Start service transitions
  • Service Area: Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center, Harbor Regional Center, South Central Los Angeles Regional Center & Westside Regional Center catchment areas
  • Amount awarded: $428K

Looking Ahead

The Department expects to release new Service Access & Equity Grant guidelines in late Spring 2025 for the 2025-26 grant cycle. For more information, or to learn more about all 29 existing grantees, visit the Department’s website.
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