CMO Awardee General Branding and Communications

Access the CMO branding and communications toolkit by clicking here.

Section Z of the CMO Implementation Manual (IM) – the program’s guiding document that was in effect at the time you submitted your voucher application – and your awardee agreement requires that all public communications about your involvement with CMO must go through a review and approval process with the Program Administrator team before publication.

In addition, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California Energy Commission (CEC) will review any materials geared toward earning media attention. This document is a reference for describing the program and the process for getting your public communications approved for distribution.

All public communications require the inclusion of/or a way to access logos of funding entities and boilerplate funding language. See logo files and language below.

What are public communications?

For the purposes of the CMO and approval process, public communications include ANY content that is public-facing.

If you are unsure of whether or not a communication material needs review by the Program Administrator, please contact your Cohort Facilitator.

Examples of direct public communications for the Program Administrator to review and approve include but are not limited to:

Presentations and PowerPoints
Blog posts
Newsletters
E-blasts
Mailers
Social media posts
PSA scripts and interview talking points
Flyers, handouts, and event invitations
Surveys
Project websites (or webpages)

Examples of materials for CARB and CEC to review and approve include but are not limited to:

Press Releases
Press event advisories
Press statements
Press kits

Communications Review Process and Estimated Review Timeline

Technical Assistance Request

Email your project implementation Technical Assistance Advocate and cc the Communications Manager at media@cleanmobiltiyoptions.org, use the subject “CMO COMMS FOR REVIEW: [Org Name]” and include:

What type of communication you are looking to develop.
When you plan to send the materials and when you want to distribute them to the public.

TIMELINE: Two days to one week based on the communications needs.

APPROVAL PROCESS: After technical assistance is provided, approval follows the timelines outlined below.

General Communications Review

Email your project implementation Technical Assistance Advocate and cc the Communications Manager at media@cleanmobiltiyoptions.org using the subject “CMO COMMS FOR REVIEW: [Org Name]” and include:

What type of communication, i.e. flyer, website, social media posts, vehicle wrap, etc.
When you plan to send the materials and when you want to distribute them to the public.

TIMELINE: Allow 48 hours for final approval on all materials types that are not direct communications to media.

Media Communications Review

Email your project implementation Technical Assistance Advocate and cc the Communications Manager at media@cleanmobiltiyoptions.org using the subject “CMO PRESS MATERIAL FOR REVIEW: [Org Name]” and include:

What type of communication, i.e. press release, media advisory, media statement, media invitation, etc.
When you plan to send the materials and when you want to distribute them to media.

TIMELINE: Allow 2 weeks for final approval on all materials that go directly to media

CARB Speaker Request

Email your project implementation Technical Assistance Advocate and cc the Communications Manager at media@cleanmobiltiyoptions.org using the subject “CMO CARB SPEAKER REQUEST: [Org Name]” and include:

A summary of the event including the date, location and all event activities.
The “Run of Show” which includes all other speakers, their talking points and the line-up with when the CARB representative will speak.

TIMELINE: Allow 1 month for processing a CARB speaker request for your event.

REQUIRED BOILERPLATE FUNDING LANGUAGE FOR ALL COMMUNICATIONS MATERIALS

[PROJECT NAME] is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Invest, formerly known as Cap-and-Trade, dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment — particularly in disadvantaged communities, and California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program, which is investing more than $1 billion to accelerate the deployment of zero-emission transportation infrastructure and support in-state manufacturing and workforce training and development.

ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

State and federal laws require that all public programs, activities and services are accessible to persons with disabilities. One of the most important components of accessibility is ensuring that any communication with a person with a disability is as effective as communication with others.

As publicly funded entities, the CMO program and its awardees are required to meet accessibility standards specified in WCAG 2.1 Level AA.