Incentives by Business Operations

California’s Workforce Development Board
The California Workforce Development Board works to serve employment and training needs for companies. Employee recruitment and technical assistance services are predominantly provided through regional One-Stop Career Centers at no cost.

Employment Training Panel
The Employment Training Panel (ETP) provides funding to employers for training that upgrades the skills of their workers.

Joint Venture Program
This program allows companies to establish enterprises inside California’s prisons to employ inmates. Employers pay comparable wages, but save substantially on employment benefit costs. Employees selected to participate have a strong desire to work and learn job skills.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit
The Employment Development Department is the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) certifying agency for California employers. WOTC is a federal tax credit incentive available to employers for hiring individuals from certain target groups (veterans, ex-felons, youth, and more) who have consistently faced significant barriers to employment.

New Employment Credit
The New Employment Credit is an income tax credit available to companies that hire full-time employees within designated geographic areas.

Fidelity Bonding Program
The Employment Development Department Fidelity Bonding Program (PDF) helps ease employers’ concerns with hiring ex-offenders and at-risk job applicants by providing a level of insurance for employers against possible theft and dishonest or fraudulent acts. The bonding program is provided at no cost to employers, employees, and job seekers at America’s Job Center of California locations.

California Competes Tax Credit
The California Competes Tax Credit is an income tax credit available to businesses who want to come, stay, or grow in California.

California Competes Tax Credit
The California Competes Tax Credit is an income tax credit available to businesses who want to come, stay, or grow in California.

New Employment Credit
The New Employment Credit is an income tax credit available to companies that hire qualified full-time employees within designated geographic areas.

California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank) CLEEN Center
The IBank established the California Lending for Energy and Environmental Needs (CLEEN) Center to offer financing to public agencies and non-profit corporations to help achieve the State’s greenhouse gas reduction goals and increase market confidence in green investing.

Industrial Development Bonds
Industrial development bonds provide financing for the acquisition, construction, rehabilitation and equipping of manufacturing and processing facilities for private companies.

Small Business Loan Guarantee Program
This program provides access to capitalthat may not have been available to growing businesses without this guarantee. The guarantee minimizes the credit risk for lenders, and makes it possible for new and existing businesses in California to qualify for small business loans.

California Capital Access Program
This program encourages lenders to make loans to small businesses that may have difficulty obtaining capital. These credit enhancement mechanisms minimizes the credit risk for lenders, and makes it possible for new and existing businesses in California to qualify for small business loans.

New Employment Credit
The New Employment Credit is an income tax credit available to companies that hire qualified full-time employees within designated geographic areas.

Small Business Certification Program
Certified small business (SBs) and microbusinesses (MBs) are entitled to benefits in the state contracting process.

Disabled Veterans Business Enterprise Certification
Disabled veteran business enterprises are eligible for special benefits in the state contracting process.

California Competes Tax Credit
The California Competes Tax Credit is an income tax credit available to businesses who want to come, stay, or grow in California.

California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank Export Financing Program
This program helps provide loans to small businesses that sell goods in other countries through the Small Business Loan Guarantee Program.

Export-Import Bank
This bank is the official export credit agency of the United States. Its mission is to ensure that U.S. companies large and small have access to the financing they need to turn export opportunities into sales.

Self-Generation Incentive Program
This program provides rebates for qualifying distributed energy systems installed on the customer’s side of the utility meter. Qualifying technologies include wind turbines, waste heat to power technologies, pressure reduction turbines, internal combustion engines, microturbines, gas turbines, fuel cells, and advanced energy storage systems.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grants and Loans
The California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery established the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant and loan program to promote infrastructure development for recycling manufacturing, composting, and anaerobic digestion facilities in California that divert more materials from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Grant funds also available for food rescue and food waste prevention projects that benefit disadvantaged communities.

Tire Incentive Program
The Tire Incentive Program provides a reimbursement (as an incentive payment program) to eligible businesses to use crumb rubber in eligible products or substitute crumb rubber for virgin rubber, plastic, or other raw materials in products. The program’s goal is to increase demand for crumb rubber and promote higher value products.

The Recycled Fiber, Plastic, and Glass Grant Program
The Recycled Fiber, Plastic, and Glass Grant Program is a competitive program designed to further the purposes of the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) by lowering overall greenhouse gas emissions through the expansion of existing capacity or establishment of new facilities in California that use California-generated postconsumer recycled fiber (paper, old corrugated cardboard, paper board, or textiles), plastic, or glass to manufacture products.

The Organics Grant Program
The Organics Grant Program is a competitive grant program designed to lower overall greenhouse gas emissions by expanding existing capacity or establishing new facilities in California to reduce the amount of California-generated green materials, food materials, or alternative daily cover being sent to landfills.