Rubberized Pavement Grant Program

CalRecycle provides the Rubberized Pavement (Pavement) Grant Program, formerly called the Rubberized Asphalt Concrete (RAC) Grant Program, to promote markets for recycled-content surfacing products made from waste tires generated in California.

The goal is to decrease the adverse environmental impacts created by unlawful disposal and stockpiling of waste tires.
RAC is a proven road paving material used in California since the 1970s.
RAC is made by:
1. Blending ground tire rubber with asphalt binder
2. Then, mixing the blended materials with conventional materials.
Roads made with RAC last 50% longer than roads made only with conventional materials.

Rubberized Pavement before and after road repair.

Within the Pavement Grant Program, the Targeted RAC Incentive Grant and RAC Chip Seal Grant were consolidated into one grant with two project types – RAC and Chip Seal projects.

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Eligibility

Eligible applicants include:

Local Governments – cities, counties, and cities and counties
Other local governmental agencies, including regional park districts, special districts, and Joint Powers Authorities where all JPA members are also otherwise eligible applicants.
Qualifying Indian Tribes. A “Qualifying Indian Tribe” is defined as an Indian tribe, band, nation or other organized group or community, residing within the borders of California, which:

(1) is recognized for special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of the status of its members as Indians; or
(2) can establish that:

It is a government entity and
Meets the criteria of the grant program
State agencies, including offices, departments, bureaus, and boards.
- State agencies are only eligible for projects for Class 1 bikeways, greenways, and disability access at parks – see Projects for specific limitations.

Funding

Maximum grant awards are:

$250,000 for individual applications.
$350,000 for regional applications.
- The Lead or a Non-Lead Participant is limited to no more than $250,000 of the grant award.
$500,000 for qualifying Indian Tribes.

Eligible Costs

The funding of project(s) is based on the amount of rubberized pavement material proposed and number of previous CalRecycle RAC/Pavement grants received.
- Hot-Mix Projects must use a minimum of 2,000 tons of RAC hot-mix (1,000 tons for Tribal Entities.
  - For Individual Applications, grant awards are based on a variable rate of $4-$10 ($8-$20 for Tribal Entities) or $8-$20 ($16-$40 for Tribal Entities) per ton of RAC hot-mix material proposed, depending on grant category.
  - This variable rate doubles for Tribal Applications.
  - For Regional Applications, the grant award is based on a $10 or $20 per ton of RAC hot-mix, regardless of grant category.
- Chip Seal Projects must use a minimum of 40,000 square yards of chipseal material (20,000 square yards for Tribal Entities).
  - Grant awards are based on a flat rate of 50 cents ($1 for Tribal Entities) or $1 ($2 for Tribal Entities) per square yard of chip seal material proposed, regardless of whether the applicant is an Individual or a Regional Application.
  - This rate doubles for Tribal Applications.
Eligible costs include expenditures incurred and paid for eligible paving material delivered and installed during the Grant Term.

For more information about the Rubberized Pavement Grant Program, contact tiregrants@calrecycle.ca.gov or (916) 341-6180.

Current Grant Cycle

Application materials for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 were due September 12, 2024.

Upcoming Grant Cycles

Awarded Grant Cycles

How to Apply

Watch for the Notice of Funds Available (NOFA) on either of these two web pages:

Online Applications

CalRecycle grant applications are submitted online through the CalRecycle Grants Management System (GMS).