Youth Beverage Consumer Education and Research Fund

The Office of the Attorney General established the Youth Beverage Consumer Education and Research Fund to give state or local agencies, public or non-profit colleges or universities, or non-profit organizations in California access to grants for study, research, or education concerning youth nutrition or consumption of non-branded water. For Fiscal Year 2021-22 a total of $120,000 in grant funding is available to support statewide research or education efforts on youth nutrition or the consumption of non-branded water by children.

In 2017, the Attorney General office announced the concurrent filing of a complaint and a settlement involving allegations that the Gatorade Company violated California consumer protection laws by making misleading statements about water in a mobile videogame application it used to promote Gatorade sports drinks to teens and young adults.

Any state or local agencies, public or nonprofit colleges or universities, or nonprofit organizations in California are eligible to apply for the grant. Nonprofit entities must be current in their registration and reporting requirement with the Attorney General’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers. To verify your status, please visit oag.ca.gov/charities.

Grantees must use grant funds for study, research, or education in the areas of (1) nutrition of children or teenagers or (2) consumption of non-branded water by children.

For Fiscal Year 2021-22, a total of $120,000 in grant funding is available to support statewide research or education efforts on youth nutrition or consumption of non-branded water by children.

  • Each applicant may apply for a grant of up to $24,000.
  • Applicants may seek grants with a term of up to two years for more complex and/or longer-term projects.
  • Applications can be made to fund new or existing projects and for equipment that is needed for an ongoing project.
  • Applications can be made to fund or partially fund new project-specific positions or limited-term positions. However, funds may not be used to pay for already existing staff salary, benefits, overtime, or other compensation.

The Office of the Attorney General may consider the following factors to determine which projects receive grant funding:

  • The intended purpose of the project for which funds are sought;
  • The specificity of the proposal, including the use of funds, expected costs and expenses, materials and personnel to be used, and the services or goods to be provided through the project;
  • Competing requests for funding;
  • The anticipated benefit to the public if the project is approved; and
  • Whether the applicant has the demonstrated ability to safeguard and properly account for and report on the use of grant funds.

Special consideration will be given to proposals that:

  • Provide research or education in connection with childhood nutrition or the consumption of water in disadvantaged communities, such as communities that have an annual median household income that is less than 80% of the statewide annual median household income; or
  • Conduct research and education related to geographic areas in which children consume sugary beverages or branded water because of the lack of available potable water.

Applications should be no more than five pages, not including the application form and supporting documentation. Applications should address the provision of metrics through which the grant’s effectiveness can be measured.

Applicants are limited to one application to the California Department of Justice by Monday, June 7, 2021. All grant proposals must be emailed. No late applications will be accepted.

Emailed proposals must be submitted to YouthBeverageStudy@doj.ca.gov. Email submissions must be received by 6 PM. A confirmation email will be sent out to the applicant once the application has been received.

An incomplete grant application will be disqualified and not reviewed by the Merits Review Committee.

Questions regarding the application process may be directed to the California Department of Justice at YouthBeverageStudy@doj.ca.gov.

Factsheet, pdf

Grant Instructions, pdf

Grant Application, pdf

Examples of entities and projects that are eligible to apply may include but are not limited to the following:

  • Public school districts, public colleges or universities, and non-profit colleges or universities that propose:
    • Hiring, training, and supporting graduate or student workers to conduct research or implement a new program or education outreach efforts; or
    • Purchasing project-specific equipment to improve or properly execute the study, research, or education concerning youth nutrition or consumption of sugary beverages or non-branded water.
  • Nonprofit organizations engaging in youth health or nutrition services that propose efforts such as:
    • Educating, advocating, and promoting healthy beverage consumption and nutrition habits among children and teenagers;
    • Implementing social media campaigns to inform the public on the harmful effects of unbalanced nutrition and sugary beverages as a replacement of water; or
    • Targeting outreach to children of low-income families or youth with limited access to clean drinking water.
  • State, county, and city agencies and health departments with authority or influence over the youth in their community that propose to engage in the following:
    • Conduct research;
    • Develop a public education campaign that educates parents and youth on nutrition or consumption of sugary beverages or non-branded water; or
    • Provide education classes or nutrition programs for children, teenagers, and parents to help promote healthy habits.