Wildfire Prevention Grants

Funds for projects in and near fire threatened communities to improve public health and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The Wildfire Prevention Grants solicitation for FY22-23 is now closed. Please check back for future opportunities.

The Wildfire Prevention Grants Program is funded through California Climate Investments (CCI), which puts cap-and-trade dollars to work.

Program Example

Yuba Country’s Roadside Fuels Reduction is a great example of a project that reduces the potential for large and damaging wildfires. Fuels reduction also reduces the potential for hazardous greenhouse gasses released by wildfires.

Project Types and Activities

  • 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
  • Removal of ladder fuels to reduce the risk of crown fires
  • Creation of community-level wildfire prevention programs, such as community chipping days, roadside chipping, and green waste bin programs
  • Selective tree removal (thinning) to improve forest health to withstand wildfire
  • Modification of vegetation adjacent to roads to improve public safety for egress of evacuating residents and ingress of responding emergency personnel 
  • Reduction of fuel loading around critical infrastructure to maintain continuity of government and other critical services 
  • Purchase of fuel modification equipment not to exceed a cumulative total of $750,000. Equipment is an item of $5,000 or more per unit cost and has a tangible useful life of more than one year 
  • Supplies include items under $5,000 per unit cost. Chainsaws are an example of a supply item and are not considered equipment 
  • Projects to improve compliance with defensible space requirements as required by Public Resources Code Section 4291 (Projects eligible for CCI funds are low-income, disabled, or elderly households per CA requirements) 
  • Seasonal and temporary prescribed grazing consistent with increasing the protection of people, structures, and communities

  • Wildfire risk or related mapping 
  • Creation or update of strategic wildfire planning documents, such as: 
    • Evacuation plans
    • Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP) 
    • Local Hazard Mitigation Plans 
    • Safety Elements 
    • Wildfire Prevention or mitigation plans 

  • Development and implementation of public education and outreach programs. 
  • 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 wildfires, acres burned, and structures lost 
  • To educate the public on regarding making homes and communities more wildfire resilient, including defensible space training. 
  • Activities are subject to CAL FIRE approval. 

How to determine if a project is more applicable to the Forest Health or the Wildfire Prevention grant program?

  • Maximum allowable funding amount cap of $5 million 
  • Equipment purchase cap increased from $250,000 to $750,000 cumulative 
  • Apply through eCivis Grants Portal instead of SharePoint folders 
  • Online Project Mapping Program changes: eliminated Project Influence Zone (PIZ) polygon requirement for all projects. PDF map(s) are still required to be uploaded in Grants Portal 
    • Hazardous Fuels reduction projects will submit a Geopoint and Treatment Influence Zone (TIZ) polygon(s) only 
    • Planning and Education projects will submit a Geopoint only 

All Grant Documents by Award Year

Education and Contact Information

Get assistance with your application by topic.

Scope of Work

February 1, 2023 at 10:00-11:00

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 234 121 932 160 Passcode: cpHRp8 or +1 650-564-3271,,384129551#

Project Mapping Program

February 8, 2023 at 10:00-11:00

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Meeting ID: 230 951 231 262 Passcode: yJsFVi or +1 650-564-3271,,433380786#

Budget

February 15, 2023 at 10:00-11:00

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Meeting ID: 283 652 645 658 Passcode: mrVrCa or +1 650-564-3271,,981210663#

Primary Contact

WPGrants@fire.ca.gov — the email box is monitored by multiple staff and will provide you with the quickest response. Or call Diane Carpenter (916) 224-8442, Sina Tate (916) 639-0476, or Shaiyal Kumar (916) 204-0073.

Additional Contacts