Community Wildfire Defense Grant 2023 West | USDA FS 2023 CWDG CWSF

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS 2023 CWDG CWSF

The Community Wildfire Defense Grant 2023 West is a discretionary grant program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA FS 2023 CWDG CWSF; CFDA 10.720) designed to help local communities and Indian Tribes reduce wildfire risk through planning and on-the-ground mitigation. The program focuses on places considered "at-risk," especially communities in or near the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where homes and infrastructure meet or intermingle with wildland vegetation. Applications are submitted through the dedicated portal at cwdg.forestrygrants.org after reviewing the official Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and instructions.

A central feature of this opportunity is its emphasis on priority communities identified in the authorizing legislation. The grant is intended to benefit communities that fall into one or more of the following categories: those located in areas with high or very high wildfire hazard potential, those that are low-income, and those that have experienced impacts from a severe disaster. The NOFO provides the detailed definitions and documentation expectations for these priority factors, which are important because they influence how applications are evaluated and which projects are most strongly aligned with the program's intent.

The grant is structured to support the three major goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. First, "Restore and Maintain Landscapes" supports work that improves landscape resilience across jurisdictional boundaries, recognizing that fire risk does not stop at property lines and is shaped by conditions like fuels, insects, disease, invasive species, and climate change-driven stressors. Second, "Create Fire Adapted Communities" emphasizes preparedness and mitigation around people, homes, and critical infrastructure so communities are better able to withstand wildfire and recover afterward. Third, "Improve Wildfire Response" promotes coordinated, risk-based decision-making among all jurisdictions so suppression and response actions are safer and more effective.

Funding is available for two main project types. One is the development or revision of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), which is a community-driven planning document used to identify wildfire risks, set priorities, and coordinate actions among partners. The second is implementation funding for projects that are already described in an existing CWPP, as long as that plan is less than 10 years old. In practical terms, this means applicants can either seek support to create or update the plan itself, or move directly into implementing eligible mitigation actions that the community has already identified and agreed upon through a recent CWPP process.

The opportunity is authorized under Public Law 117-58, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), which is one reason it places strong emphasis on community-level risk reduction and measurable mitigation benefits. The listing notes an award ceiling of $10,000,000 and anticipates approximately 500 awards, indicating the program is designed to fund a significant number of projects across eligible areas rather than only a small handful of large efforts.

Eligibility is broad and includes multiple types of public and community-serving entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized Tribal governments; Tribal organizations (including those not federally recognized, as specified); and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in the nonprofit category). This wide eligibility is meant to match how wildfire mitigation work is often organized locally, where counties, fire districts, Tribes, nonprofits, and community partners may each be well-positioned to lead planning or implementation.

Key administrative details include the posting date of July 31, 2023 and an original application closing date of October 31, 2023. Applicants are expected to rely on the NOFO for the most specific requirements related to eligible activities, required attachments, priority scoring, and how to demonstrate that proposed work aligns with CWPP content or CWPP development standards.

To help applicants navigate the process, the Forest Service scheduled Round 2 applicant webinars (with the same application process regardless of region). These sessions were set for August 4, August 9, August 10, and August 15 from 2pm to 4pm Eastern, with the August 10 webinar specifically geared more toward Tribal applications and a Tribal-focused Q and A. Recordings were planned to be posted on the Forest Service CWDG website shortly after the live sessions, which is helpful for applicants who cannot attend in real time but still want guidance on requirements, common pitfalls, and how to submit a competitive package.

• The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service in the disaster prevention and relief, natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Community Wildfire Defense Grant 2023 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 Jul 31, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Oct 31, 2023. (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 500 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 2023 CWDG CWSF

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: