The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Fairs
and Expositions Branch has announced the 2020-21 fair
distribution of $12 million in allocations from two sources. The
first source is a General Fund base allocation of $2.7 million
statewide. The second source is AB 1499’s New Fair Funds,
which CDFA anticipates reaching $9.3 million that will be
allocated separately from the General Fund allocation.
AB 1499 (Gray 2017) requires a percentage of taxes derived on
fair properties to be returned to fairs for a variety of
projects. Allocations are by class size and while base
allocations follow the current model. New Fair Funds include
additional metrics for distribution that include both fair size
and impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdowns.
CDFA’s letter detailing these allocations can be found
here.
Grant agreements and the scope of work specific to New Fair Funds
are currently being prepared for distribution. The grant
agreements for the New Fairs Funds are expected to have a start
date in October 2020 with an end date of June 30, 2021. Also,
Executive Order N-40-20 suspending workforce conditions is
still in place; however, if the Executive Order ends prior to the
end date of the grant agreement, the fair will need to implement
the required workforce conditions.
Although there is still uncertainty about the total amount of the
New Fair Funds for FY 2020-21, CDFA has confirmed the
availability for the first distribution of $5.7 million in New
Fair Funds. Any additional funds that might become available
under the AB 1499 New Fair Funds programs will be announced once
that information becomes readily available. Please contact John
Quiroz at 916-900-5025 or via email at John.Quiroz@cdfa.ca.gov
with questions.
