Clean Vehicle
Assistance Program
Launched in June 2018, the Clean Vehicle Assistance Program (CVA Program) provides grants and fair loans directly to income-qualified Californians when they purchase or lease a new or used clean vehicle. Beneficial State Foundation administers the program and partners with Beneficial State Bank who provides fair and transparent financing for CVA Program participants.
THE PROJECT
The program strives to make clean vehicle ownership attainable to California’s low- and moderate-income families. The benefits of clean vehicles ownership, such as lower fueling and maintenance costs, are often overshadowed by barriers such as higher upfront cost, limited access to charging infrastructure and predatory auto loans. The CVA Program is designed to address these barriers by providing participants with three key benefits:
- A clean vehicle grant: awarded based on simple eligibility criteria, including California residency and income qualification. Grants are up to $5,000, depending on an individual’s household income and which type of clean vehicle they buy (fully electric, plug-in hybrid, or hybrid). Grants are provided at the point of purchase, so grant-recipients don’t need to pay large amounts up front and wait for reimbursement.
- A charging station grant: that covers up to $2,000 for home or public charging access. Whether a grant-recipient lives in a single-family home or apartment, whether they rent or own, we have a charging station grant that will make their charging easier and more affordable. Charging station grants are administered by our partner GRID Alternatives.
- A fair auto loan option: capped at an 8% interest rate. This special loan offering, provided by our partners at Beneficial State Bank, is designed to help people with low or no credit the most. We also provide customized financial education videos designed to help our participants prepare for a vehicle purchase.
The CVA Program starts with the individuals and families we serve. Access to safe, affordable, and clean transportation should be available to everyone. Transportation is linked to upward mobility and we work to ensure our low-income communities have the resources they need to thrive. While we do this work, we are proud to contribute toward California’s climate initiatives. Poor air quality is a public health issue that impacts low-income communities the most, so we are inspired by and motivated to help individuals who choose clean vehicles, because they are contributing to better air quality for all of us.
OUR IMPACT
As of January 1, 2020:
- 453 clean vehicle grants awarded to low- and moderate-income individuals.
- 87% of clean vehicle grants contributed to the purchase of the cleanest vehicle technologies (fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids).
- 109 charging station grants awarded.
MOVING FORWARD
The CVA Program was launched in June 2018. Due to overwhelming interest and an unexpectedly high number of applications, the program was closed to new applications in November 2018. At that time, we continued to serve existing applicants, secured additional funding, and scaled our capacity such that we were able to relaunch the program in March 2020. We are proud of the success demonstrated in the first pilot phase of the program and we look forward to significantly increasing our impact as the program scales.
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