Agency: Department of Agriculture – Forest Service
Description:
To award community wildfire defense grants to at-risk communities, including Tribes, to develop or revise a community wildfire protection plan (CWPP) and to carry out projects described in a CWPP that is not more than 10 years old. Priority will be given to communities that are low-income (less than 80% of the median household income of its state or the nation), were impacted by a severe disaster within the previous 10 years, or are located in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential.
For developing or revising CWPPs, a community may receive a maximum grant amount of $250 thousand and federal funding is available for up to 90 percent of eligible costs. For projects described in a CWPP, a community may receive a maximum grant amount of $10 million and federal funding is available for up 75 percent of eligible costs.
Bill Section:
40803(c)(12)
Potential Cost:
$1,000,000,000
Timeline:
FY22-26
Implementation Status/Rulemaking:
On July 26, 2022, the USDA announced the launch of the new $1 billion Community Wildfire Defense Grant program and announced the availability of approximately $160 million in FY2022 funding. Applications were due October 7, 2022: Source
According to a report by the Office of Inspector General, the Forest Service planned to allocate $161.03 million in FY2022 for Community Wildfire Defense Grants, with the remaining funds allotted for administrative expenses and oversight: Source
On March 20, 2023, USDA announced it had invested $197 million in 99 project in FY2022. A full list of FY2022 grantees is available here
On July 31, 2023, USDA announced the availability of up to $250 million in FY2023 funding. Applications were originally due October 31, 2023 but were later extended to November 4, 2023: Source
Other TCS Resources:
Clearing the Smoke: A Closer Look at Federal Spending and Programs on Wildfire