Community Wildfire Defense Grant 2024 (FY25) West | USDA FS 2024 CWDG CWSF

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS 2024 CWDG CWSF

The Community Wildfire Defense Grant 2024 (FY25) West is a discretionary grant program run by the USDA Forest Service (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA FS 2024 CWDG CWSF) designed to help communities that face meaningful wildfire risk take practical steps to reduce that risk. The core aim is to support at-risk local communities and Indian Tribes with both planning and on-the-ground mitigation work that lowers wildfire impacts, especially in places where development meets or mixes with fire-prone vegetation, commonly called the wildland urban interface (WUI). The program is rooted in the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy, which frames wildfire work around three connected goals: restoring and maintaining resilient landscapes, building fire-adapted communities that can better prepare for and recover from fire, and improving wildfire response through safer, more effective, risk-based decision-making across jurisdictions.

This funding opportunity is authorized by Public Law 117-58, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, often referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). In practice, that means the Forest Service is using BIL resources to push wildfire preparedness and risk reduction work outward into communities, including work that crosses jurisdictional boundaries when the landscape and fire behavior do not neatly follow city, county, Tribal, state, or federal lines. The program places special emphasis on communities that meet one or more statutory priorities: communities located in areas rated as high or very high wildfire hazard potential, communities that are low-income, and communities that have been impacted by a severe disaster. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is where applicants will find the detailed definitions and how those priorities are evaluated.

The grant supports two main project types. First, it funds the development or revision of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs), which are local or regional plans used to identify wildfire hazards, outline strategies to reduce fuels and improve preparedness, and prioritize mitigation actions. Second, it funds implementation projects that are already described in a CWPP, as long as that CWPP is less than ten years old. That implementation focus is meant to move communities beyond planning into real mitigation actions that reduce risk to homes, infrastructure, and public safety, consistent with the broader goal of creating fire-adapted communities and more resilient landscapes.

Eligible applicants are broad and include state governments; county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments); and nonprofits, including both 501(c)(3) organizations and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (in both cases, other than institutions of higher education). The program is listed under CFDA number 10.720 and aligns with funding activity categories tied to disaster prevention and relief and natural resources, reflecting its dual emphasis on reducing disaster impacts while improving land and community resilience.

From a funding scale standpoint, the opportunity lists an award ceiling of up to $10,000,000 per award, with an expectation of about 100 awards. While the ceiling indicates the maximum size an individual award could reach, actual award sizes typically depend on project scope, demonstrated risk, readiness, alignment with CWPP priorities, and how well the proposal meets the program priorities described in the NOFO. The original closing date for this round is February 28, 2025, and the opportunity record lists a creation date of November 21, 2024. Applicants are directed to read the NOFO instructions carefully and then submit through the program portal at cwdg.forestrygrants.org.

To help applicants navigate the process, the Forest Service scheduled Round 3 applicant webinars, and while any applicant can attend any session, one webinar is specifically tailored toward Tribal applicants with a Tribal-focused Q and A. The scheduled sessions are Monday, December 2 (2:00 to 4:00 pm Eastern), Wednesday, December 4 (12:30 to 2:30 pm Eastern, Tribal-focused), and Friday, December 6 (2:00 to 4:00 pm Eastern). Recordings are expected to be posted after the live events on the Forest Service CWDG website for those who cannot attend. The agency also plans to provide periodic applicant office hours during the application window, with dates and times posted on the CWDG website, giving applicants additional chances to ask procedural questions and troubleshoot common application issues before the deadline.

• The Forest Service in the disaster prevention and relief, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Community Wildfire Defense Grant 2024 (FY25) West" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 10.720.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 100 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for USDA FS 2024 CWDG CWSF

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