community wildfire defense grants now open
By Karen Harrison
Wildfire Prevention Specialist, Minnesota DNR Forestry
Intended to help at-risk communities and Native American tribes reduce wildfire risk, these grants— funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — focus on the three goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy:
- Restore and Maintain Landscapes
- Create Fire Adapted Communities
- Improve Wildfire Response
Funding
Applications are being accepted for two categories:
- Community Wildfire Protection Plan Development or Update
- Awards up to $250,000
- 10% cost-share match*
- Community Wildfire Protection Plan Project Implementation
- Awards up to $10 million
- 25% cost-share match*
*Full match waivers are available for underserved communities!
Eligibility
Communities, tribes, states, and non-profits are all eligible. Priority will be given to areas with high or very high wildfire hazard potential, low-income and underserved communities, and those impacted by disaster (e.g., blowdown).
Project funding can be used on private, local government, homeowners' associations, state government, and tribal lands. Federal lands are not eligible for this funding opportunity except for tribal trust lands.
Application Resources
The CWDG Dashboard was recently developed by the Wildfire Risk to Community's project team. Applicants can enter their county, city, or tribal area to get specific information related to grant priorities they can copy and paste into the application, such as low-income information, disaster impacts, wildfire hazard potential, and cost-share waiver eligibility.
View the Notice of Funding Opportunity for Northeast-Midwest CWDG Grant Opportunity which provides guidance documents and instructions on how to apply.
Applicant Webinars
Attend a webinar to learn more about the application process. Applicants in any region, area, or Tribe may attend any webinar. However, August 10 will be more focused on Tribal applications and Q&A.
Please register in advance. All webinars will take place on Zoom.
How to Apply
The application period has opened.
The deadline for applications is 10:59 p.m. central time on October 31, 2023.
This year, applicants will use a new CWDG portal to apply.
Important: Applicants must also register on sam.gov. Do this promptly; this registration can take several weeks or more to complete.
This opportunity will be available each of the next three years.
Questions and Help
Contact your DNR Regional Firewise Specialist for any questions.
Visit the USDA Forest Service CWDG webpage for more information.
