The Community Wildfire Defense Grant assists at-risk local communities and Indian Tribes with planning for and mitigating the risk created by wildfire.
Donor Name: Forest Service
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/28/2025
Size of the Grant: More than $1 million
Grant Duration: 5 Years
Details:
This program is authorized in Public Law 117-58, ‘‘An Act to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes,’’ commonly referred to as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Specifically, the CWDG is provided for in Title VIII, Section 40803 of that Act. There are two primary project types for which the grant provides funding: The development and revising of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP), and the implementation of projects described in a CWPP that is less than ten years old. The Act prioritizes at-risk communities that are in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low-income, and/or have been impacted by a severe disaster.
The CWDG helps communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI) implement the three goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy):
- Restore and Maintain Landscapes: Landscapes, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries, are resilient to fire, insect, disease, invasive species, and climate change disturbances, in accordance with management objectives.
- Create Fire Adapted Communities: Human populations and infrastructure are as prepared as possible to receive, respond to, and recover from wildland fire.
- Improve Wildfire Response: All jurisdictions participate in making and implementing safe, effective, efficient risk-based wildfire management decisions.
Project Proposal Types
Applications may be submitted to fund the following types of project proposals:
- CWPP Development or Revision: One of the fundamental building blocks in creating a fire adapted community is the development, adoption, and continuous use of a well-prepared Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP). In some cases, a community may choose to utilize a FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan or Tribal hazard mitigation plan with a wildfire component that meets the same objectives of a CWPP. A well-prepared, collaboratively developed CWPP or similar plan should address issues such as wildfire response, hazard mitigation, community preparedness (which includes smoke readiness), structure protection, or a combination of these issues, and will greatly assist a local government body in planning and prioritizing project work.
- Planning: Local and Tribal governments are encouraged to conduct planning and exercises to assist their communities with wildfire preparedness, response, and adaptation efforts. Local governments should also consider how tools such as zoning, building codes and land use planning may be used to change how and where homes and businesses are constructed and located so that wildfire risk is reduced, and firefighter safety is improved if protective actions are required. In developing any planning tools, and determining risk both now and into the future, a community should consider the most recent climate data available for the planning area involved, as appropriate.
- Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Education/Outreach: Local and Tribal governments can provide leadership to result in reduced wildfire risk to their communities by coordinating, developing, and distributing educational programs. These programs and outreach may be delivered in association with states, insurance companies, non-governmental organizations, and other partners. Educational and outreach projects must raise awareness of what is the main cause of wildfires, what the risks are, and what actions they can take to reduce that risk.
- Reduce Hazardous Fuels / Restore Fire-adapted Ecosystems: Fuel reduction projects and vegetation treatments have been identified as an effective means of mitigating wildfire hazards. Recipients shall facilitate and implement mitigating fuel treatments in, or adjacent to communities to reduce the threat of wildfire to such communities.
Funding Information
Minimum and Maximum Funding Levels:
- There is no minimum Federal funding limit for projects under CWDG.
- The maximum amount of Federal funding awarded to any one community or Tribe via this competitive process is:
- $250,000 for the creation or updating of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, and
- $10 million for a project described within a Community Wildfire Protection Plan less than 10 years old.
- For planning purposes, the Federal funding available through the CWDG competitive process could be up to $200 million for this second round.
Grant Period
Projects must be completed within five (5) years.
Geographical Areas
This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is for projects that will be carried out within the footprint of the Southern States (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia, and for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands).
Eligible Lands
Eligible applicants may apply for grant funding for a project proposal to be conducted on lands with the following ownership types, provided the project proposal directly reduces wildfire risk to a community:
- Private lands,
- Local governments,
- Homeowner associations,
- State government, and
- Tribal/Alaska native corporation (includes Trust lands).
Eligibility Criteria
- State governments
- Special district governments
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
