Dear Colleagues,
The USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry has launched a new grant program for Fiscal Year 2022, The Community Wildfire Defense Grant.
Community Wildfire Defense Grants (CWDG) are intended to help at-risk local communities and Tribes plan and reduce the risk against wildfire. 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 across all jurisdictions are resilient to fire-related disturbances, in accordance with management objectives.
- Create Fire Adapted Communities: Human populations and infrastructure can withstand a wildfire without loss of life and property.
- Improve Wildfire Response: All jurisdictions participate in making and implementing safe, effective, efficient risk-based wildfire management decisions.
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.
Priority will be given to project proposals that:
• Are located in an area identified as having a high or very high wildfire hazard potential;
• Benefit a low-income community; or
• Are located in a community impacted by a severe disaster within the previous 10 years.
Applicants may propose: a.) Planning, b.) Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Education/Outreach, or c.) Hazardous Fuels Reduction/ Restoration projects. Individual grants will be awarded up to $250,000 to create and update community wildfire protection plans or conduct outreach and education, and up to $10 million for associated infrastructure and resilience projects. Local and Tribal governments are encouraged to conduct planning exercises to assist their communities with wildfire preparedness, response and adaptation efforts. Projects must be completed within five years of the award obligation. The number of projects selected will be determined by available funding, which is $200 million annually.
Cost-sharing is required. For proposals to develop or update a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), the required match is 10%. For proposals to implement projects described within a CWPP, the required match is 25%. Matching funds must be derived entirely from non-Federal sources (unless expressly authorized in law by the other federal program).
Grant applications are by October 7th via Grants.gov. For additional information, please visit the Community Wildfire Defense Grants webpage at https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)