Third round of Community Wildfire Defense Grants available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Forest Service News Release
Missoula, MT, November 25, 2024—The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service is accepting applications for the Community Wildfire Defense Grants to help at-risk communities and Native American Tribes develop and revise community wildfire protection plans and implement projects to mitigate wildfire risks.
Individual grants of up to $250,000 can be used to develop and update community wildfire protection plans, while individual grants of up to $10 million can be used for wildfire resilience projects that implement community wildfire protection plans. Projects must be completed within five years of the award. The number of projects selected will be determined by available funding, which is up to $200 million.
“Wildfires do not stop at property lines. Community Wildfire Defense Grants help empower communities to proactively prepare for and mitigate the risk of wildfires,” said Craig Glazier, Director of Fire and Aviation Management for the Northern Region. “By investing in these grants, communities can build resilience and safeguard lives and property”. Notices of funding opportunities are available on Grants.gov. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time on February 28, 2025. Applicants are strongly encouraged to develop proposals in consultation with state or Forest Service regional cooperative fire contacts listed in the Notices of Funding Opportunity.
For more information on the program and how to apply please visit the Community Wildfire Defense Grants webpage.
The USDA Forest Service has brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation for more than 100 years. Grounded in world-class science and technology—and rooted in communities–the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live. E5P
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