CalOptima Health’s mission is to serve member health with excellence and dignity, respecting the value and needs of each person. With a goal of reducing health inequities, CalOptima Health is expanding programs and partnerships to better serve members, especially those at risk of poor health outcomes, including individuals experiencing homelessness. The CalOptima Health Board of Directors has shown strong support for addressing homelessness by allocating Board-reserved funds, which are a key part of the community investment strategy.
CalOptima Health also participated in the Department of Health Care Services’ (DHCS) Housing and Homelessness Incentive Program (HHIP), earning additional funds to support health and housing services for Medi-Cal members experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This voluntary program incentivized Managed Care Plans to actively reduce and prevent homelessness by supporting the delivery and coordination of health and housing services for Medi-Cal members.
CalOptima Health has directed investments to four priority areas:
Together, the funds from the CalOptima Health Board and HHIP have supported meaningful investments across Orange County. This 7th funding opportunity will focus on capital projects, systems change initiatives and equity grants to expand housing options and prevent homelessness, with particular attention to disproportionately impacted populations. The application period is October 1 – November 13, 2026.
CalOptima Health is prioritizing projects and programs that are trauma-informed, inclusive, non-residency-restricted, low-barrier, and aligned with housing-first and harm-reduction principles. This includes ensuring the “voice of lived experience” is integrated into all phases: design, development, implementation and evaluation.
CalOptima Health is committed to the following:
Applications must demonstrate how the request adds to or builds upon the existing cadre of services offered in Orange County, with a focus on non-duplicative, sustainable efforts. Prohibited budget items include lobbying and rental assistance.
This funding opportunity is purposefully broad to solicit as many ideas as possible from organizations across Orange County working to address the homelessness crisis. CalOptima Health will work to award funds across all three Service Planning Areas.
Organizations may only apply for one grant in Round 7.
Social determinants of health — such as income level, education attainment, employment status, interaction with the criminal justice system, immigration status, and other factors — significantly influence a person's housing status by impacting their ability to afford and maintain stable, adequate housing. The objective of this funding priority is to prevent or remedy homelessness by ensuring individuals at risk or experiencing homelessness have access to tailored housing and supportive services that address the root causes of housing instability, such as those social determinants of health. This opportunity is purposefully open to a broad range of programs and organizations that impact a variety of root causes.
Priority will be given to applicants with expertise in serving populations such as, but not limited to people of color, transition-aged youth (TAY), older adults (55+), LGBTQIA+ individuals and justice-involved individuals.
Priority-Specific Eligibility Requirements:
| Criterion | Max Points | Description of basis for assigning points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CalOptima Health core value alignment | 15 | Project is trauma-informed, inclusive, non-residency restricted, low-barrier, person-centered, and aligned with housing-first and harm-reduction principles. |
| 2 | Program Description | 20 | Clear, concise description demonstrating alignment with the funding priority area that includes the following:
Program details must specify how funds will benefit actively enrolled CalOptima Health members. |
| 3 | Program Implementation | 15 | Plan is complete and includes measurable objectives, logical and feasible activities, as well as clearly defined measures of success. |
| 4 | Sustainability | 5 | Program is sustainable through a well-defined plan for long-term success, without reliance on continuous grant funding, and includes clear indicators related to homelessness prevention and social determinants of health. |
| 5 | Readiness | 10 | Projects that can launch soon after the grant award will receive more points. |
| 6 | Experience | 15 | Demonstrated expertise in delivering proposed services and implementing similar projects, with clear alignment to the selected funding priority area. Evidence must be explicitly detailed in the application. |
| 7 | Capacity of Applicant | 10 | Able to demonstrate financial and management capacity to carry out the project, as evidenced by the submission of required materials in the application portal. |
| 8 | Evaluation Plan | 10 | Applicants clearly articulate a feasible and well-thought-out plan for evaluating project success. |
| Total Earnable Points | 100 | ||
This funding priority will support the development or enhancement of housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. This funding is for capital projects only, such as construction, renovation, conversion, expansion, furnishing or opening of housing units.
Eligible applicants must demonstrate how their project will increase the number of people connected to permanent housing or add new housing units. Projects must also ensure access to supportive services that are culturally appropriate and informed by the lived experiences of those served. Priority will be given to proposals that expand equitable, countywide access to permanent, affordable housing.
CalOptima Health is especially interested in capital projects that are ready to move forward but may be stalled due to budget shortfalls.
Funding is subject to prevailing wage requirements.
Priority-Specific Eligibility Requirements:
| Criterion | Max Points | Description of Basis for Assigning Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CalOptima Health Core Value Alignment | 5 | Project is trauma-informed, inclusive, non-residency-restricted, low-barrier, person-centered and aligned with housing-first and harm-reduction principles. |
| 2 | Project Description | 10 | Applicants must clearly explain how their project aligns with the funding opportunity and specify how the project will benefit actively enrolled CalOptima Health members. |
| 3 | Project Implementation | 15 | Plan must be complete and include measurable objectives, logical and feasible activities, and clearly defined measures of success (such as SMART objectives). Timelines should be clear, realistic and well-structured. |
| 4 | Budget and Financial Management | 15 | Project must demonstrate financial sustainability beyond this funding opportunity and should not rely on ongoing grant support. Applicants must provide evidence of additional secured funding that meets or exceeds the minimum threshold:
|
| 5 | Readiness | 15 | Projects that can demonstrate viability and be fully operational soon after grant award will receive more points. |
| 6 | Experience | 15 | Applicants must demonstrate experience developing housing options for people experiencing homelessness in Orange County. Organizations with a proven track record of successfully completing similar projects will receive additional points. |
| 7 | Capacity of Applicant | 5 | Ability to demonstrate financial and management capacity to carry out the project, as evidenced in the submission of required materials in the application portal. |
| 8 | Support Service Planning | 10 | Demonstrate how people served at this project will have access or referral to supportive services. Application packet includes a letter of commitment or attestation regarding the plan for support services. |
| 9 | Housing Type | 10 | Permanent and affordable housing projects that include many units designated for “extremely low income” (rent at 30% AMI or less) receive more points. Provision of a housing service or type of housing that meets a need/fills a service deficit in Orange County. |
| 10* | Bonus Points: Project Permitting | 10 | Projects that are already permitted, as evidenced by documentation, will receive these bonus points. |
| Total Earnable Points | 110 | ||
This funding priority is centered on preventing homelessness through systemic changes that create broad, county-wide impact. It is designed to support projects and initiatives focused on upstream prevention strategies that address the root causes of homelessness before they negatively impact housing status. Priority will be given to innovative systems-level changes that employ evidence-based practices and sustainable solutions to build upon or transform the local homelessness response system.
Successful applicants will propose initiatives that expand and enhance prevention efforts at an upstream level, improving outcomes for individuals and families and reducing their risk of homelessness. This may include, but is not limited to, increasing access to income, education and employment opportunities, improving coordination and accessibility of homelessness prevention services or housing resources such as vouchers, providing targeted interventions for vulnerable populations and strengthening local systems through community engagement. Projects should prioritize the implementation of upstream, proven or best practices, policies, and processes designed to prevent homelessness before its onset. CalOptima Health, through these grant awards, is seeking to support a sustainable, systemic approach to reducing risk.
All applicants will be given the opportunity to meet with staff for a 30-minute phone consultation prior to submitting Systems Change applications to determine whether their proposal is appropriate for this funding opportunity. Those phone consultations can be scheduled by submitting a request to communitygrants@caloptima.org. Please title your email “Request for HHIP Systems Change Phone Consult,” and we will reply to you with available times.
Priority-Specific Eligibility Requirements:
| Criterion | Max Points | Description of basis for assigning points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CalOptima Health core value alignment | 10 | Project is trauma-informed, inclusive, non-residency restricted, low barrier, person-centered, and aligned with housing-first and harm-reduction principles. |
| 2 | Program Description | 15 | Clear, concise description demonstrating alignment with funding priority areas and supported by evidence-based or emerging best practices. Program details must specify how funds will benefit actively enrolled CalOptima Health members. |
| 3 | Program Implementation | 10 | Plan is complete and includes measurable objectives, logical and feasible activities, as well as clearly defined measures of success. Description of county-wide implementation. If the county-wide rollout is beyond the life of the grant, please still include the effort to implement it. |
| 4 | Sustainability | 20 | Program is sustainable through a well-defined plan for long-term success, without reliance on continuous grant funding. |
| 5 | Readiness | 5 | Projects that can launch soon after the grant award will receive more points. Points are also given for projects with a well-conceived timeline to achieve the intended results. |
| 6 | Experience | 15 | Demonstrated expertise in delivering proposed services and implementing similar projects, with clear alignment to the selected funding priority area. Evidence must be explicitly detailed in the application. |
| 7 | Capacity of Applicant | 10 | Able to demonstrate financial and management capacity to carry out the project, as evidenced by the submission of required materials in the application portal. |
| 8 | Evaluation Plan | 10 | Applicant clearly articulates a feasible and well-thought-out plan for evaluating project success. Includes clear indicators related to homelessness prevention and the reduction of the risk of becoming homeless. |
| 9 | References | 5 | Applicants must provide three references, as outlined in the requirements above. |
| Total Earnable Points | 100 | ||
| Funding Priority | Grant Request Limit | Total Amount Available | Notes Specific to this Priority | Project Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity Grants | No minimum; $100,000 maximum request | $300,000 | A minimum of three grants will be awarded, assuming a large enough applicant pool. | Two-year projects. |
| Capital Grants | Currently funded projects: New applicants: $5 million | $27.9 million | A minimum of five grants will be awarded, assuming a large enough applicant pool. | Multi-year are acceptable. |
| Systems Change Projects | $500,000 minimum; $1.5 million maximum | $2.5 million | A minimum of one grant will be awarded, assuming a large enough applicant pool. | Projects can be from one to three years in duration. |
Payment structure and budget will be defined in the fully executed grant agreement for awarded grants and discussed with grant management prior to grant execution.
Remember: Carefully review all priority-specific and general eligibility requirements. Applicants who fail to meet these requirements will be deemed ineligible.
| Action | Date |
|---|---|
| Application Released/Portal Opens | 10/1/2026 |
| Round 7 NOFO – Bidder’s Conference | 10/13/2026 at 2 p.m. PST |
| Systems Change Phone Consultations Available During this Period | 10/1/2026 - 10/30/2026 |
| Application Deadline | 11/13/2026 at 5 p.m. PST |
| Internal Review Capital Grant Applicant site visits will be conducted in December 2026 | 11/16/2026-12/18/2026 |
| CalOptima Health Board of Directors Meeting | 2/4/2027 |
| Announcement of Approved Grants | 2/5/2027 |
| Grant Start Date | 3/1/2027 |
All documents related to this NOFO will be made available on the CalAIM Resources and Funding Opportunities webpage.
CalOptima Health has adopted a new grant management system. New users, please register your organization only one time and follow these steps:
NOTE: Once you create your organization’s profile, only CalOptima Health administrators can edit that information. Furthermore, if you would like to add additional users to your organization’s account, please send the users’ contact details to communitygrants@caloptima.org and we will create additional user profiles. Multiple users can then be assigned as collaborators on your proposal and on future proposals. All grant actions and opportunities will be accessible through this same account, which will maintain a history of your organization’s grant application, award, and reporting activities.
Join our Bidder’s Conference for this funding opportunity by registering through the link below:
Questions about the funding opportunity or application? Contact the Grant Management Team at communitygrants@caloptima.org.