Community Defense and Prevention Grants
   

Last update: 9/7/2023

What is the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG)?

 
The Community Wildfire Defense Program, or CWDG, is intended to help at-risk local communities and Tribes; plan for and reduce the risk of wildfire.  
 
This program, which was authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, prioritizes at-risk communities in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low-income, or have been impacted by a severe disaster that affects the risk of wildfire. More details on these three priorities can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) below.  
 
The program provides funding to communities for two primary purposes: 
 
  • Develop and revise Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP). 
  • Implement projects described in a Community Wildfire Protection Plan that is less than ten years old. 
 
The Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program also helps communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI) implement the three goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management 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 better 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. 

What does the CWDG fund?

 
There are three types of projects for which the grant provides funding:
  • The development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans
  • The updating of Community Wildfire Protection Plans
  • The implementation of projects described in a Community Wildfire Protection Plan and/or Hazard Mitigation Plan with a Wildfire Section that is less than ten years old.
  • Funding is not available for fire suppression training, equipment, or supplies.

Who can apply for CWDG funds?

 
Any community at risk to wildfire can apply, including:
  • Local government
  • Tribes
  • Non-profit organizations (including Homeowner Associations)
  • State forestry agency

How are CWDG funds prioritized?

 
Applications will be prioritized by areas of high or very high wildfire hazard, low income communities, communities impacted by a severe disaster within the last ten years which increased wildfire risk and/or hazard to the project area. 
 
The maximum amount of Federal funding awarded to any one community or Tribe via this competitive process is: 
  • $250,000 for the creation or updating of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. 
  • $10 million for a project described within a Community Wildfire Protection Plan less than 10 years old. 
  • For planning purposes, the total Federal funding available through the CWDG competitive process could be up to $250 million for this second round. 
 
Required matching funds: 
  • Applications to fund Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) will be prioritized for funding during Round 2.  While this does not guarantee funding, it provides a much greater likelihood of being awarded funds that support wildfire protection planning.  Reach out to your local coordinator (listed in the sidebar) if your County does not have a CWPP to discuss this enhanced opportunity.
  • 10% non-Federal match for proposals to develop or update a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. 
  • 25% non-federal match for proposals to implement projects described within a Community Wildfire Protection Plan. 
  • Match waiver request available for communities meeting the definition of underserved, nationally recognized Tribes, and Pacific Islands. 
 

Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Dashboard 

 
The Wildfire Risk to Communities project team developed a nationally consistent data dashboard to help communities complete grant applications and for reviewers to score applications. Get specific information about your community. 
 
The CWDG Dashboard supports the goals of the program described in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and can be used to help: 
 
  • Identify eligible "at-risk communities" 
  • Prioritize places that: 
    • are "low income" 
    • have "been impacted by a severe disaster" 
    • have "high or very high wildfire hazard potential" 
  • Identity places that qualify as "underserved" and that can request a cost-share waiver. 
 
The CWDG Dashboard is not intended to be the only source of information to prioritize communities, but it can help fill data gaps to support applicants. 
 
Visit the CWDG Dashboard for more information and links on the Datasets used. 
 
***Registration at SAM.GOV: 
 
USFS Staff CWDG Office Hours (Attend one of these sessions to ask questions specific to your project) – 
 
An opportunity for applicants to ask questions about the Community Wildfire Defense Grant program. These office hours will be available every other Wednesday, starting on August 30, 2023, and the last one on October 25, 2023.
 
Questions can be asked about the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the application, the portal, and/or anything along the process. Applicants may join any of the virtual office hour Zoom meetings at any time during the scheduled sessions, through the following links:
 
 
Important: Applicants must register in sam.gov to apply for a grant. Organizations must have an active registration with the System for Award Management (SAM.gov), which will generate a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Creating a SAM registration may take several weeks or more to complete. Therefore, ensure you apply for your SAM registration promptly.  
Applicant Webinars Recordings (Presented by USDA USFS Program Managers): 
 
Applicant Webinars for CWDG Round 2 have been scheduled as follows. The application process in Round 2 is the same for all applicants (versus Round 1 where there were different processes for different regions), and any applicant in any region, area, or Tribe may attend any webinar, they will all have the same content, however, the August 10 Webinar will be more focused on Tribal applications and Q&A. 
 

How do I apply?

 
Applicants will need to request a unique application link for each proposal through the WA State Point-of-Contact, Guy Gifford at guy.gifford@dnr.wa.gov. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. eastern time on October 31, 2023 at cwdg.forestrygrants.org. A fillable PDF version of the application can be found here to use while developing the content for the application. If you do not already have one, you must also register at SAM.gov to create a Unique Entity ID. 
 
Detailed grant information and eligible project examples can be found in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Western States and Territories. 
 
WADNR will hold weekly office hours/informational webinars beginning only on Mondays, Aug. 21, 2023 and run through Oct. 30, 2023 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
 
**View Past Webinar Recordings here.
 
 
CWDG Weekly Sessions
Join Zoom Meeting
https://dnr-wa-gov.zoom.us/j/82679290735
Meeting ID: 826 7929 0735   
One tap mobile  
+12532158782, 82679290735# US (Tacoma)  
+12532050468, 82679290735# US  
Dial by your location  
• +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)  
• +1 253 205 0468 US 
 
Washington State Points-of-Contact
 
Guy Gifford
guy.gifford@dnr.wa.gov
(509) 990-6218
 
or
 
Marc Titus
(509) 504-5357

 

Round 2 CWDG Documents for Applying

 
 

Additional Federal Wildfire Grant Resources 

 
Federal Wildfire Resources (click here) describes a variety of pre-disaster Federal grant and cost-share programs across the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), that can support community-led efforts to prepare for wildfire. 
 

Round 1 CWDG Archives