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.

Announcement

On March 20, 2023, the White House and USDA Forest Service announced the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Community Wildfire Defense Grant program project list. See the USDA press release and the Forest Service CWDG Webpage for more information. 

In the first round of this program, a total of 100 projects are being funded for a total of $197 million in 22 states and seven tribes throughout the United States. The full list of funded projects can be found here.

For a deeper look at the western process, read our blog post “$197 Million Invested in State, Private, and Tribal Lands Through Community Wildfire Defense Grants”.

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 closed October 7, 2022 
• Scoring occurred in October and November 2022
• Regional ranked list submitted to the USDA Forest Service Washington Office for integration into a final national list in December 2022
• Round 2 timeline will be announced once determined

*Note that dates are subject to change.   

Resources

• Program Administrator Resource: PowerPoint Slides from August 1 & 3 webinars
• USDA Forest Service CWDG Program Webpage
• USDA’s Press Release Announcement
• National Association of State Foresters' (NASF) Press Release (July 26, 2022)
• NASF Press Release (March 22, 2023)

CWSF Contact 

For questions about CWDG, please contact:

Halie Miyazawa, Competitive Grants Manager
hmiyazawa@westernforesters.org