Wildfire defense funding grants available
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack meets July 31, 2023 in Portland, Oregon with a panel of state and local officials and others to discuss funding for wildfire defense.
COURTESY PHOTO/USFS/ALEXA PENGELLY
PORTLAND, Ore. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new round of federal investment in wildfire protection last week, according to a statement from the USDA.
The funding will come in the form of Community Wildfire Defense Grants, according to the statement. Individual grants will fund up to $250,000 to create and update Community Wildfire Protection Plans, and up to $10 million may be awarded for associated projects in the 2023 cycle. Priority funding will flow to communities that have been underserved by other resilience programs and are at the greatest risk of wildfire.
The USDA Forest Service is offering in-person workshops and webinars on how to prepare an application for a CWDG. The 2023 open period for grant application submittal is July 31 to Oct. 31. The CWDG program is intended to help at-risk local communities and tribes plan for and reduce the risk of wildfire on private lands. Non-profits, state, county and community government agencies and Tribes are eligible to apply for grants.
For information on this grant program opportunity, visit bit.ly/CWDGPRGRM.