Community Wildfire Defense Grant 2023 Tribes | USDA FS 2023 CWDG TRIBES

Opportunity Information: Apply for USDA FS 2023 CWDG TRIBES

The Community Wildfire Defense Grant 2023 Tribes (Funding Opportunity Number: USDA FS 2023 CWDG TRIBES) is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (CFDA 10.720). It is designed to help at-risk communities and Indian Tribes reduce wildfire risk through better planning and on-the-ground mitigation work, especially in places where homes, critical infrastructure, and wildlands meet (the wildland-urban interface, or WUI). The program is funded and authorized under Public Law 117-58, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

A major focus of this opportunity is directing resources to places with the greatest need. The underlying law and the NOFO prioritize projects that benefit communities that (1) are located in areas identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, (2) are low-income, and/or (3) have been impacted by a severe disaster. The NOFO provides the detailed definitions and how those priorities are assessed, but the overall intent is clear: support communities that face elevated wildfire threat and have fewer resources or have recently been hit hard by disasters.

The grant aligns with the three core goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. First, it supports efforts to restore and maintain resilient landscapes, meaning land management and fuels work that reduce vulnerability to wildfire as well as related stressors like insects, disease, invasive species, and climate change impacts, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries. Second, it helps create fire-adapted communities by improving how well residents, buildings, and local systems can prepare for, withstand, respond to, and recover from wildfire. Third, it aims to improve wildfire response by encouraging coordinated, risk-based decision-making across jurisdictions, emphasizing safer and more effective wildfire management.

Funding under this opportunity is organized around two main project types. One is the development or revision of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), which is the foundational planning document communities use to identify risks, set priorities, and lay out mitigation strategies. The second is implementation funding for projects that are already described in an existing CWPP, as long as that CWPP is less than 10 years old. In practice, this means applicants can seek support either to create or update the plan that guides wildfire risk reduction, or to carry out the specific mitigation actions that the plan already calls for.

Eligibility is targeted to Tribal entities: federally recognized Native American tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments. The opportunity was posted July 31, 2023, with an original application deadline of October 31, 2023. The maximum award amount listed is $10,000,000, and the Forest Service anticipated making about 75 awards, indicating a competitive program with the potential for both smaller planning awards and larger implementation projects depending on the scope and the NOFO guidance.

Applications are submitted through the program portal at cwdg.forestrygrants.org, and the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) serves as the main instruction document for requirements, evaluation, and submission details. For applicant support, the Forest Service scheduled Round 2 webinars that cover the application process; the Round 2 process is described as consistent across regions (unlike Round 1). Any eligible applicant can attend any session, but the August 10 webinar is specifically noted as more focused on Tribal applications and includes a Tribal-oriented Q and A. Webinar recordings are expected to be posted afterward on the Forest Service CWDG website for those who cannot attend live.

• 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 Tribes" 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 75 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments).

Apply for USDA FS 2023 CWDG TRIBES

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