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By @Kyle Packham

There is a limited time remaining to apply for this year’s Community Wildfire Defense Grant program – the deadline is October 31. 

Special districts providing services in communities with high fire risk may apply (click here for a tool to determine whether your district be in a qualifying area). Eligible projects must be included in a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) that is less than a decade old or included in a Federal Emergency Management Agency-approved Hazard Mitigation Plan that meets CWPP requirements. Project funding can also be used to develop or revise CWPPs. Eligible projects generally include those that restore and maintain resilient landscapes, adapting communities to fire risks, and improving response to wildfire.

Agencies seeking CWDG funds to develop or update a CWPP must have a 10 percent non-federal cost share. Applications to carryout approved CWPP projects must have a 25 percent non-federal cost share. Cost share waivers are available for underserved communities.

The U.S. Forest Service announced in March 2023 that 100 projects totaling $197 million across 22 states were awarded the first round of CWDG funds. Successful programs ranged from transport trailers for prescribed fire programs to constructing fuel breaks around vulnerable communities.

Prospect applicants may register for the U.S. Forest Service’s “CWDG Applicant Office Hours” scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT.

Access the grant opportunities directly by region on Grants.gov:

• Northeast/Northwest: USDA-FS-2023-CWDG-NEMW (Includes: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin)
• West: USDA-FS-2023-CWDG-CWSF (Includes: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming)
• South: USDA-FS-2023-CWDG-SGSF (Includes: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia)

NSDC is advocating with a coalition of special districts providing water services in the Lake Tahoe region to advocate for flexibility in the CWDG program to include water infrastructure for firefighting projects as eligible.

The content of this article was contributed by the National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) of which CSDA is a founding member. Contact Cole Arreola-Karr, NSDC Federal Advocacy Director, for questions. CSDA members are encouraged to leverage NSDC/TFG Grant Services for this program as well. Inquiries for grant services may be submitted to the NSDC/TFG Project Idea Portal or may be sent to nsdcgrants@tfgnet.com.