Sacramento, CA – Today, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) announced 58 grants totaling $29.1 million awarded to community-based nonprofit organizations across the state. The funds come from cannabis tax revenue generated by The Adult Use of Marijuana Act (Proposition 64, 2016), and are allocated through the California Community Reinvestment Grants (CalCRG) program.

These grants serve communities disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs. Harsh federal and state drug policies enacted during that period led to the mass incarceration of people of color, decreased access to social services, loss of educational attainment due to diminished federal financial aid eligibility, prohibitions on the use of public housing and other public assistance, and the separation of families.

“The California Community Reinvestments Grants program is a resource to help communities overcome the presence of systemic restrictions and barriers to opportunity and equity,” said the Governor’s Chief Economic and Business Advisor and Director of GO-Biz Dee Dee Myers. “These grants will help advance health, wellness, and economic justice for populations and communities harmed by the War on Drugs.”

Through this program, GO-Biz may award grants to local health departments and qualified community-based nonprofit organizations to support the following activities:

• Job placement
• Mental health treatment
• Substance use disorder treatment
• System navigation services
• Legal services to address barriers to reentry
• Linkages to medical care