SACRAMENTO – In effort to reduce the risk and damage from wildfires, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) today announced the availability of local fire prevention grant funding.
The program is part of Cal Fire’s California Climate Investments (CCI) which will increase carbon storage and sequestration in forestlands through a variety of objectives including wildfire prevention.
The 2017-2018 California budget allocates up to $195 million for the Fire Prevention and Forest Health Programs.
Cal Fire’s Fire Prevention Grants Program provides funding for local projects and activities that address the risk of wildfire and reduce wildfire potential to forested and forest adjacent communities. Funded activities include hazardous fuel reduction, fire planning, and fire prevention education with an emphasis on improving public health and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Eligible grantees may be State Agencies, Native American Tribes, local government within or adjacent to State Responsibility Area including, fire districts, community services districts, water districts and special districts, certified local conservation corps, Fire Safe Councils, or other nonprofit organizations organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code.
The three qualifying projects and activities include those related to hazardous fuel reduction and removal of dead, dying, or diseased trees, fire prevention planning, and fire prevention education.
Examples of qualifying projects and activities include, but are not limited to, the following:
Hazardous Fuel Reduction
- Removing dead and dying trees
- Vegetation clearance in critical locations to reduce wildfire intensity and rate of spread
- Creation or maintenance of fuel breaks in strategic locations, as identified in CAL FIRE Unit Fire Plans, a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or similar strategic planning document
- Removing ladder fuels to reduce the risk of crown fires
- Community level fire prevention programs, such as community chipping days, roadside chipping, and green waste bin programs
- Elective tree removal (thinning) to improve forest health to withstand wildfire
- Modification of vegetation adjacent to roads to provide for safer ingress and egress of evacuating residents and responding emergency personnel
- Reduction of fuel loading around critical firefighting infrastructure, including, but not limited to, fire hydrants, water drafting locations, and staging areas
Fire Prevention Education
- Workshops, meetings, materials creation, and other educational activities with the purpose of increasing knowledge and awareness of information that could be used to reduce the total number of wildland fire and acres burned.
Fire Prevention Planning
- Wildfire risk or related mapping.
- Creation of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP).
- Development of evacuation plans.
- Creation or updates to wildfire mitigation plans.
Examples of non-qualifying project types and activities
- Purchase of capital equipment greater than $100,000.
- Installation, creation, upgrade, or maintenance of fire protection features, such as roads, bridges, structure’s or water storage facilities.
- Any project submitted by a for profit company or corporation.
- Projects or activities with indirect costs greater than 12%.
- Projects or activities utilizing Cal Fire staff without corresponding reimbursements or requests seeking funding for services already provided by Cal Fire.
- Removal of dead and dying trees that do not pose a threat to public health and safety.
How to apply –
Step 1 – Project Application: Due no later than June 6 at 3 p.m.
The application must be completed in full at the time of submission. An incomplete application may result in disqualification of the application.
To request a tracking number please email one of the following:
Step 2 – Grant Selection: July 2018
Successful Grant Applicants will be notified in this stage.
Step 3 – Grant Agreement: Due no later than Sept. 28.
During the Grant Agreement stage, the project applicant will prepare and provide additional administrative detail for the complete agreement package.
Step 4 – Grant Award: Sept. 28.
In the Grant Award stage, official signatures are submitted and the grant is awarded.
Applications are being accepted through June 6. More information and the grant guidelines are posted at: http://calfire.ca.gov/fire_prevention/firepreventiongrants.
For questions about these grants email the Cal Fire Grants Management Unit at calfire.grants@fire.ca.gov.
