Uncompensated Care Grant Program
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, allowing states to ban or severely limit access to abortion. California, as a Reproductive Freedom state, took immediate steps to protect abortion rights and access.
AB 2134 (Weber) established the Uncompensated Care grant program within the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), and the legislature appropriated $40 million to ensure abortion and contraception services are affordable for and accessible to all patients seeking these essential health services across the state.
HCAI has designated Essential Access to serve as the Program Administrator for both grant programs. In this role, Essential Access will manage the distribution of program funding, and ensure compliance with statutory requirements.
The goal of the grant program is to provide abortion and contraceptives services to income-eligible patients, who would not be eligible to receive abortion and contraception at no cost through Medi-Cal or Family PACT.
Timeline:
- 3/18/2025 - RFP release
- 3/28/25 - Informational webinar 11am Pacific Time
- 4/02/2025 - 5pm Pacific deadline to submit RFP questions
- 4/07/2025 - Application FAQs and Webinar posted to Essential Access website
- Download Uncompensated Care Application FAQ
- Watch the Webinar Recording - Passcode: *1Qkj?D2
- 4/25/2025 - Applications close - 11:59pm Pacific deadline to submit applications
- 6/23/2025 - Award notifications released
- 7/01/2025 - Project start date
Have questions about the program? Contact: CAReproHealthEquity@essentialaccess.org