The Community Wildfire Defense Grants (CWDG) are intended to help at-risk local communities, local governments, Tribes, non-profits, State forestry agencies, and Alaska Native Corporations plan and work to reduce the risk against wildfire.
Eligibility: The grants are only for eligible projects developed by communities, Tribes, states, non-profits, and Alaska Native Corporations. Communities will receive priority for this program if they are a low-income area, recently impacted by disaster or in a wildfire hazard location.
There are two primary project types for which the grant provides funding:
- The development and revision of Community Wildfire Protection Plans.
- The implementation of projects described in a Community Wildfire Protection Plan that is less than ten years old.
Individual grants will fund up to $250,000 to create and update community wildfire protection plans or conduct outreach and education, and up to $10 million for associated infrastructure and resilience projects. Local and Tribal governments are encouraged to conduct planning exercises to assist their communities with wildfire preparedness, response, and adaptation efforts. Projects must be completed within five years of the award obligation.
The CWDG program is available from the USDA Forest Service through the State of Alaska, Division of Forestry & Fire Protection. The grants are funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- The grant application period runs from August 2022 to October 3rd 11:59pm, Alaska Time
Important Resources:
- Alaska CWDG Application Portal
- Alaska CWDG Application Instructions (PDF)
- Pre-Award Guide for Applicants from USDA Forest Service (PDF)
- 2022 CWDG Notice of Funding Opportunity (PDF)
- CWDG Homepage
- Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program AK Infographic (PDF)
- Downloadable Waiver Form (Word)
- State Forest Action Plan (FAP) (PDF)
- Wildfire Risk Assessment Resource
We highly recommend viewing the recorded webinar(s) from USFS for Western States and/or Tribal application instructions. These webinars cover the application process, scoring criteria, and prioritization factors:
Western States Program Webinar for Applicants
Tribes and Alaska Native Corporation Program Webinar for Applicants
