(a) The California Small Agricultural Business Drought and Flood Relief Grant Program is hereby created within the office. (b) The program shall be under the direct authority of the director. (c) The purpose of the program is to provide grants to qualified small agricultural businesses that have been affected by severe drought and flooding. (d) The office may contract with a fiscal agent, or amend an existing contract with a fiscal agent to meet the requirements of this article, to carry out the programs at a rate of no more than 5 percent of administrative and program funds appropriated by the Legislature for purposes of this article. (e) Subject to appropriation of funds for grants by the Legislature, the office shall allocate grants to qualified small agricultural businesses that meet the requirements of this article in one or more rounds. (f) (1) The office shall conduct marketing and outreach for equitable awareness and the distribution of grants that includes all of the following: (A) Engaging multiple partners, including, but not limited to, business and nonprofit associations, chambers of commerce, economic development corporations, and other nonprofit mission-based organizations, and organizations with nonprofit expertise. (B) Providing access to technical assistance services covering all counties in the state and in multiple languages to reach non-English-speaking individuals in all counties in the state. (C) Building awareness, including those in underserved and underbanked communities, by collaborating with multiple community groups to distribute program information, provide applicant access through multiple branded partner portals, or advertising or social media outreach through owned, paid, or earned media channels. (2) For the qualified small agricultural business portion of the program, the office shall conduct outreach in advance of open application rounds for a minimum of three weeks prior to opening each application round. Following each application round, the fiscal agent shall assess service gaps and address outreach deficiencies as necessary to improve program equity. (3) The office or fiscal agent shall provide information on how to connect to additional support resources to each applicant, whether or not the applicant is selected as a grant recipient. (g) Program grant funds allocated in the Budget Act of 2022 related to drought impacts shall be administered as follows: (1) A total of 10 percent of grant funds shall be held for qualified small agricultural businesses that do not file 2022 tax year returns until 2024. (2) A total of 20 percent of grant funds shall be allocated in one or more rounds of grants for small and socially disadvantaged farmers who are qualified small agricultural businesses pursuant to the following: (A) Grants shall be awarded in the following amounts: (i) Twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for applicants with a decline in annual gross receipts or gross profits of 10 percent or more and less than 30 percent. (ii) Sixty thousand dollars ($60,000) for applicants with a decline in annual gross receipts or gross profits of 30 percent or more and less than 40 percent. (iii) Eighty thousand dollars ($80,000) for applicants with a decline in annual gross receipts or gross profits of 40 percent or more and less than 50 percent. (iv) One hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) for applicants with a decline in annual gross receipts or gross profits of 50 percent or more. (B) The office or fiscal agent shall allocate up to 5 percent of program funds to nonprofit entities, tribal governments, resource conservation districts, or other entities with experience providing technical assistance to small farms or socially disadvantaged farmers to provide services to help maximize the participation of small farms or socially disadvantaged farmers in the one or more rounds of grants authorized by this subdivision. (C) For the purposes of this subdivision: (i) âSmall farmâ has the meaning described i
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