Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program

Utah’s Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands received a Notice of Funding Opportunity to participate in the Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG), which is a 5-year program funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and administered by the USDA Forest Service in partnership with state forestry agencies. $5 billion has been allocated over 5 years to help communities at risk of wildfires fund projects that support the three goals in the National Cohesive Strategy:

  1. Restoring and maintaining landscapes
  2. Creating fire-adapted communities
  3. Improving wildfire response

The CWDG program is entering its second year. Round two opened July 31, 2023. Utah is now accepting applications for projects that fit into two categories; 1) Develop or revise a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) or 2) Implement a project identified within a CWPP. Any entity can apply, including state agencies, counties, municipalities, NGO’s, Tribes and HOA’s.

Utah’s 2023 deadline for application submission is October 17, 2023.

Links to helpful resources:

Point of Contact for Utah: Jennifer McBride, Assistant Wildfire Risk Reduction Coordinator, at jomcbride@utah.gov or 801-560-1072