(a) The director shall establish the Outdoor Equity Grants Program to increase the ability of underserved and at-risk populations to participate in outdoor environmental educational experiences at state parks and other public lands where outdoor environmental education programs take place. The grant program shall award grants to public organizations, including local governments and local educational agencies, joint powers authorities, open-space authorities, regional open-space districts, other relevant public agencies, or nonprofit organizations, with a focus on funding transportation, logistical, and program operations and capacity costs associated with reaching historically underserved communities.

(b) In developing the grant program, the director shall do both of the following:

(1) Develop criteria, procedures, and accountability measures as may be necessary to implement the grant program.

(2) Administer the grant program to ensure that priority is given to underserved populations, including both urban and rural areas and low-income communities, where participation in outdoor environmental education and recreation programs has been limited.

(c) The director shall give priority for funding to outdoor environmental education programs that primarily provide outreach to and serve pupils who are eligible for free or reduced-price meals, foster youth, or pupils of limited English proficiency, as these terms are defined in Section 42238.01 of the Education Code, and have one or more of the following attributes:

(1) Have a curriculum that is aligned to the content standards for California public schools adopted by the State Board of Education, including, but not limited to, the Next Generation Science standards, or the California History-Social Science standards.

(2) Foster stewardship of the environment and include, when available, curriculum established pursuant to Part 4 (commencing with Section 71300) of Division 34.

(3) Integrate instruction in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

(d) The director may give additional consideration to outdoor environmental education programs that do any of the following:

(1) Maximize the number of participants that can be served.

(2) Demonstrate partnerships between public, private, and nonprofit entities.

(3) Contribute to healthy lifestyles, sound nutritional habits, and improved outdoor educational and recreational experiences.

(4) Include service learning and community outreach components for purposes of building partnerships between participants and local communities.

(e) The director may provide funding for professional learning, based on approved content standards, for the staff and volunteers of those programs given priority pursuant to subdivision (c).

(f) In implementing the grant program, the department shall work with relevant stakeholders to promote and implement the grant program in a manner that effectively reaches a wide geography throughout the state and ensures that regions in northern, central, and southern California, including both urban and rural areas, are adequately considered with an emphasis on addressing the transportation needs within these regions.

(Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 675, Sec. 1. (AB 209) Effective January 1, 2020.)