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DCAP is a financial education and down payment assistance program for clean energy vehicles offered to low-income families/individuals. We offer two services: a grant of up to $5,000 (amount depends on income level and the vehicle type) and financing of up to $30,000. An applicant may apply for just one service or both.

Eligibility is based on several criteria which includes the California county where you reside and qualifying household income, which is 300 percent of the federal poverty level. Check if you qualify by entering your gross income and county of residency.  (Click here to see if you are eligible.)

Please fill out an eligibility questionnaire. If you are eligible, the questionnaire will allow you to download an application. To submit the application, you can either click on the submit button on the application itself, email a copy, mail a copy, or text us pictures of the application.

• Ensure you are eligible
• Complete your application and submit all required documentation
• Once your file is complete, you will be assigned to a coordinator. The coordinator will be the direct point of contact moving forward approving your for the grant and/or loan. When you have been approved, you will receive an approval letter from the coordinator
• Find a vehicle and send the dealership information to your coordinator
• Once the dealership send all required documentation, we can disburse the funds to the dealership account.
• After you have finalized your purchase, we can refer you to Grid Alternative for the EVSE charging grant

Due to high demand for DCAP grants, our processing time is taking approximately 12 weeks. Applications are processed in the order received. Please note, this is an estimation. Actual processing times may vary depending on demand.

Any vehicle qualifying as a plug-in hybrid, battery electric, or fuel cell. Both new and used vehicles are acceptable for either purchase or lease.

Used vehicles must meet the following restrictions:

• Less than 8 years old
• Less than 75,000 miles
• Cannot be a salvaged title

Unfortunately, no. We are a point of sale program, which means you would have needed to apply before the purchase of the vehicle. Since we are a pre-purchase program, we are unable to provide grant funds retroactively. To be eligible, you would have needed to receive approval and to coordinate the vehicle purchase beforehand.

Up to $30,000 in low-interest auto loans from (Travis Credit Union) and up to $7,500 in grant funds from the State of California Air Resources Board. The grant amount varies depending on gross household income and the vehicle type (BEV vs FCE vs. PHEV ).

Anyone you are financially responsible for, we would consider a part of your household. This would include children, spouses, partners, etc. To ascertain if you are financially responsible for someone, consider how much of their expenses you pay.

We are NOT able to be stacked with CVAP or Clean Cars 4 All. Stacking with any State funded equity program (other than CVRP) is strictly prohibited. Failure to adhere to this mandate will constitute fraud and the grant received by the applicant will be forfeited and liable to being paid back to the administrators of the grant. We do NOT stack with most grants.

However, we DO stack with several rebates, such as: CVRP (California Vehicle Rebate Project), PCE (Peninsula Clean Energy aka Driving Forward), MCEv (Marin Clean Energy Electric Vehicle Rebate), PG&E, CFL (Clean Fuel Reward), Federal Tax Credit, etc. Each one of these programs/rebates have their own unique eligibility requirements and application process, which differs from our organization.  Please check each program’s website for eligibility, requirements, and how to apply

If you are interested in learning more about the aforementioned programs, here are two comprehensive lists of incentives and programs offered federally and by the state of California.

References – List of Incentives/Programs:

1. California – https://driveclean.ca.gov/
2. Federal – https://afdc.energy.gov/laws

Grants received do not have to be repaid however, there are conditions.

• The vehicle purchased with the grant must be registered in the applicant’s name and in California for a minimum of thirty months.
• Stacking with any CARB funded equity program (other than CVRP) is strictly prohibited. Failure to adhere to either of these mandate will constitute fraud and the grant received by the applicant will be forfeited and liable to being paid back to the administrators of the grant.

Low interest loans will require repayment. Call the Driving Clean team for more information.

No. Applicants can only submit one application per lifetime for the Driving Clean Assistance Program.

We have a list of partnered dealerships that will accept our grant and that we have worked with in the past (click here for the list of partnered dealerships). However, you are not required to go through these dealership. If the dealership is located in California and able to provide all required vehicle documentation, you should be able to work with them. Exercise caution when selecting a dealership. Communicate with the dealership of choice to ascertain if they will accept our grant before you begin the vehicle purchase process.

*Private sellers are not permitted*

If you purchase a Battery Electric Vehicle or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, up to $2,000 in additional grant funds are available for an at-home or public charge card. The eligible applicant must own the property where the charger will be installed or provide evidence from the property owner allowing the applicant to install and operate the charger. We have partnered with GRID Alternatives to provide installation services for clients. (GRID Alternative’s website). To be eligible for the charging grant, you must have successfully purchased a BEV or PHEV with the DCAP grant.

Most likely, you would still be eligible for the grant even if you are unemployed. However, you would not be eligible for our loan. We do require financial documents, even if you are unemployed. If you are receiving unemployment benefits, you can submit a 1099 form or Unemployment Benefits Award Letter, both of which can be downloaded from the unemployment website.

First, you must complete an application packet and submit all of the required documentation listed in the application. Once complete, your file will be assigned to a coordinator for further review and financial education. The coordinator will be working with you directly towards grant approval and the vehicle purchase/lease. After you receive a conditional grant and/or loan approval letter, you will be permitted to go car shopping. Please send us the dealership’s and sales representative’s contact information once you have selected a particular vehicle

Applicants can check the status of their application by emailing us at DriveEVgrants@communityHDC.org

Grant funds are wired directly to the dealership, on behalf of the grantee.