State of California Department of Justice
Rob Bonta
Attorney General
Attorney General
In addressing many of the questions asked by prospective applicants to the Tobacco Grant Program, please review carefully the answers to many of the common questions asked. If you have a question not addressed by one of the below items, feel free to email us at TobaccoGrantRFP@doj.ca.gov for assistance.
Last Updated: 11/26/2025
Applications for FY 2025/26 were due on June 20, 2025, and awards have been made. New applications will not be accepted until the next cycle opens in Spring 2026. To stay informed, we encourage you to subscribe to the DOJ Grant Opportunities mailing list for updates as the release date gets closer.
Yes! You may view the recorded pre-application webinar that was held on April 30, 2025, 10:00-11:00 AM (Pacific) via Zoom. We encourage all prospective applicants to view this recording for information regarding the program’s focus and priorities, funding available, and application process.
Any local public agency within the State of California that has authority to enforce tobacco-related state laws or local ordinances related to retail tobacco sales and marketing is eligible to apply. This may include, but is not limited to, police and sheriffs’ departments, district and city attorneys and county counsels, public health departments, cities, counties, and public school/college districts. Please note: Entities eligible to receive funds must demonstrate the capacity and plans to perform activities specifically identified within the Funding Priorities section of the Request for Proposals (RFP).
Nonprofits and other non-public agencies are ineligible to directly apply and receive funding.
No, funding amounts will be evaluated based on the submitted grant proposal.
No, there is no requirement for matching funds.
Projects may begin as early as November 2025, contingent upon return of all grant opening documents. For more information on the grant opening process, please review the Grantee Handbook.
Yes, current grantees may re-apply for funding with some important considerations to keep in mind. Agencies may apply to supplement (but not supplant) objectives of their existing award, propose new objectives, or continue previously-funded activities only if these activities are within the parameters of this RFP (subject to change with each RFP released). For any continued activities, applicants should address the timing and scope of project activities and objectives such that existing activities and funding will not be supplanted.
Supplanting is defined as using grant funds to pay for costs that are already funded within your agency’s budget, or for which other funding has already been received, in order to reallocate existing funding to other purposes. The effect of supplanting would be to reduce the total amount that would have been available for the purpose stated in the application or grant agreement. When agencies submit their grant application, they are required to certify that grant funds are not supplanting.
Administrative or indirect costs are allowable expenses. These are defined as the necessary and reasonable indirect expenses as allowed under the terms and conditions of the Grant Agreement. Administrative costs are limited by statute to 5% of the total direct expenditures (those within Sections A and B of the Budget Detail). These costs must be specifically requested within Section C of the Budget Detail and adhere to this limit.
The grant is offered on an annual basis. The exact release timing and project start dates may vary somewhat year-to-year.
Funds may be used to support and/or hire law enforcement officers for activities specifically aimed at reducing the illegal sales and/or marketing of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, to minors and youth. For more information, please review the Funding Priorities section of the Request for Proposals (RFP).
All activities must be specifically tobacco-related and may not be used to address non-tobacco issues such as alcohol or cannabis. Additionally, the AG or their designee can set priorities in any given funding cycle. For more information about activities currently considered, please carefully review the Funding Priorities section of the Request for Proposals (RFP) as well as the list of activities not currently considered. Additionally, "Restricted Items" not allowable in your budget can be found in Appendix B of the RFP. The list is not exhaustive and is subject to change.
Designing a program that makes sense and will be effective takes time and careful thought. While we understand the desire to model a program after a successfully funded one, our years of experience have shown that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. For considerations to tailor a program design that makes sense for your community and agency, we recommend reviewing the pre-application webinar section that covers many of these in detail.
DOJ offers enforcement trainings periodically throughout the state and these are advertised widely to public agencies, regardless of grant funding, in the region of the training. We highly recommend attending these to become more familiar with this line of work. Additionally, DOJ facilitates virtual working groups for grantees on a regular basis. You are also welcome to consult with current grantees about their experiences, tips, and potential for collaboration. See our Awards page for the list of awardees.
Enforcement agencies might consider the following activities if minor decoys are not available:
Stipends for decoys is an allowable expense if they are not in the form of gift cards or food. Providing these may also help in the recruitment of decoys.
Commitment to enforcement is key as well as knowing what laws or local ordinances you will be enforcing.
If you are not a prosecuting agency, encourage your prosecuting agency to apply. You can also consider contracting for attorney time within your grant. Make sure to coordinate with these prosecutors to ensure you are all aware of the laws/ordinances to be enforced and that these are done within the law.
If you are a prosecuting agency, encourage your enforcement agencies to apply. If they will not directly apply, you could contract with them as part of your grant or use investigators within your own office. Having a designated point person for cases emerging from the grant will ensure the proper follow-up occurs. Start dialogue with the courts early about cases coming their way as they may never have dealt with tobacco cases. Successful templates for civil and criminal cases are available.
Public Health agencies need to consider whether they have direct enforcement authority or can work in partnership with agencies who will do that enforcement. Deterring bad actors in your communities comes from a commitment to enforcement.
Collaborating in this work may look like:
If your agency has enforcement authority (such as within an Environmental Health section), you will still want to carefully consider safety measures. Know the limitations of your agency’s authority and have policies and procedures in place prior to committing to action.
As described in the Request for Proposals document, all applications must use the Online Application Form and attach the Budget Detail Sheet. Additionally, if your proposals will involve partnering or contracting agencies, Letters of Commitment will also be required. A template for this letter can be found in the appendices of the Request for Proposals.
It is recommended that applicants obtain as much information about the community need, baseline information, and information about successes and challenges with current or past DOJ Tobacco Grant funding. Please review carefully the Request for Proposals and consult the resources referenced.
While you do not need an account within the Alchemer system to apply, we strongly recommend that applicants save a draft immediately upon starting their application. To do so, select "Save and Continue" on the top-right of any application page other than the initial landing page (see graphic below). Selecting this option will allow you to enter your email address to receive a link to your in-progress application. We highly recommend bookmarking this link to easily return to your application.
If you have any trouble accessing your prepared content, please contact us at TobaccoGrantRFP@doj.ca.gov and we can provide the link to your in-progress work.
After saving a draft of the application and receiving the link to return, you may share this with other team members. Caution: It is not advised to have more than one person active within the application at the same time.
The final section of the proposal – Review Responses Before Submission – will allow you to download a PDF preview of all responses. You may wish to utilize this to have others review the information prior to submission.
The final submission button of the online application form is located at the bottom of the Table of Contents / Section Navigator page (see screenshot below) and requires completion of all sections. Upon submission, a finalized version of the submitted proposal (and links to documents provided) will be sent by email to all contacts provided. Within that confirmation email, you will also receive a survey to complete about the application experience. We welcome your feedback at that time to help us improve future grant packages.
No. DOJ only accepts electronic applications submitted using the link provided in the Request for Proposals.
Please email any questions or support needs to TobaccoGrantRFP@doj.ca.gov. Prior to contacting us, we encourage careful review of the grant materials and these FAQs.
Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate requests for individual meetings by phone or video.
We encourage you to sign up for DOJ’s Grant Opportunities mailing list to stay informed about this grant opportunities and others as they are forecasted and released.