- Granting Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture, via AK DNR
- Appropriation Amount: $2.36 Billion
- Grant Amount: $250k, planning; $10M, projects
- Announcement Date: August, 2022
- Closing Date: October 7, 2022
Purpose: The Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) program provides grants to at-risk communities to develop or revise a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and to carry out projects described in a CWPP that is less than 10 years old.
CWDG is authorized through the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA) and provides $1 billion for this program over a five-year period (fiscal years 2022 through 2026). CWDG prioritizes at-risk communities that are in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low-income, and/or have been impacted by a severe disaster.
CWDG helps communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI) implement the three goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive 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 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.
Application Materials
To apply, applicants must reach out to their state point of contact to get a unique link for final submission. Please review the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) on the USDA Forest Service webpage for a list of contacts (featured on page 20).
- FY 2022 CWDG Western Region Application (PDF) (Note: PDF is for preparation purposes only; submissions are through the web portal. Contact the designated point of contact for your state for more information.)
- GIS instructions for application
- Measurable Outcomes Table
- Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) – Available on the USDA Forest Service CWDG Program Webpage
Timeline*
- Portal is now open
- Closes October 7, 2022 ALASKA will be accepting applications until 10/3/2022 Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program (CWDG) (alaska.gov)
- Scoring to occur in October and November
- Regional ranked list to be submitted to the USDA Forest Service Washington Office for integration into a final national list in November
*Note that dates are subject to change.
Resources