At the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, we’re proud to support the work of local organizations that are stepping up to make our air cleaner and our communities healthier. Our Board of Directors recently approved $439,000 in grant funding to 14 projects across Yolo County and northeastern Solano County.
These projects span a wide range of clean air efforts, including clean vehicle technology, alternative transportation, transit Services, and public education — all with the common goal of reducing air pollution and protecting people who live and work in our District.
“All of these projects are helping to reduce emissions in the District and promote cleaner air,”
Executive Director Gretchen Bennitt said. “From EV chargers to bike racks to educational
programs, we’re proud to support such a wide range of impactful projects.”
Projects funded for the 2025–2026 grant cycle include:
Clean Technologies / Low-Emission Vehicles
• The City of Vacaville will install publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure at De
Colores Park and Malaquias Montoya Community Center.
• The City of Rio Vista will purchase one Ford F-150 Lightning for its Public Works
Department vehicle fleet.
• The Vacaville Neighborhood Boys and Girls Club will replace its current gas-powered
pickup van with an electric van and install EV charging infrastructure at its new Clubhouse
location.
• The Yolo Food Bank will replace its current diesel-powered refrigerated truck with a fully
electric refrigerated truck to pick up food donations across Yolo County.
Alternative Transportation
• The Solano Transportation Authority will expand its Eastern Solano Vanpool program that
connects northeastern Solano County workers with their jobs across the region and
increase the incentives offered to residents for taking alternative transportation.
• The City of Vacaville will install a high visibility crosswalk to promote safer routes to
school at Kairos Elementary School.
• The City of Woodland will install bike racks for public use at its new aquatic center.
• Fourth and Hope, a non-profit serving individuals experiencing homelessness, will install
bike racks at its East Beamer Campus in Woodland.
Public Education / Information
• The Solano Transportation Authority will continue and expand its Safe Routes to School
Program, which conducts school-based outreach and education in Solano County,
offering students bicycle education and bicycle repair resources.
• Sustainable Solano will expand its Youth Air Protectors program to a cohort of high school
interns in Dixon, teaching them about air quality awareness and culminating in a bike rack
installation project.
• Catholic Charities of Yolo-Solano will incorporate air quality education into its existing
disaster preparedness outreach efforts in vulnerable communities across Yolo and Solano
Counties.
• The Solano Resource Conservation District will integrate air quality education into its
Suisun Marsh Watershed Program, which provides sixth-grade students in Solano County
with hands-on, field-based learning experiences about the environment.
• The Bike Campaign, a Yolo County non-profit that educates people about bicycling, will
bring the All Kids Bike Program to local schools to teach kindergarteners how to bike.
• Breathe California Sacramento Region will hold the 5th Annual Breathe Bike Festival in
West Sacramento to kick off May is Bike Month.
Funding for the program comes from a portion of annual Department of Motor Vehicles registration fees, with additional support for Solano County projects provided by property tax proceeds. Since the program’s launch more than 30 years ago, the District has awarded roughly $12 million in grants.
Stay tuned over the next year as these projects take shape — we’ll be sharing updates and success stories along the way!
To learn more about the Clean Air Funds program and how to apply in the future, visit: https://www.ysaqmd.org/clean-air-funds/
