The U.S. Forest Service supports Moving Toward Shared Stewardship Across Landscapes as part of a conceptual framework for making strategic investments across landscapes to co-manage wildfire risk and achieve positive outcomes at the most appropriate scale. Within this framework, Eastern Region Cohesive Fire Strategy Competitive Request for Applications is designed to support and carry out the goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (NCS) across the Midwestern and Northeastern States as well as meet the intent of the current year budget direction.

Cross-Boundary Wildfire Hazard Mitigation on Non-Federal Lands: Cross-Boundary Mitigation grants should reduce hazardous fuel conditions on non-Federal land and benefit National Forest System lands. Grants shall increase the probability a fire management response will meet the following land management and protection objectives:

• Protect communities (and associated lives, property and public infrastructure) which are at the highest risk from damaging wildfire.
• Protect critical resource and economic values and restore and maintain landscapes to accommodate fire, within the context of fire regime parameters, while meeting land management plan objectives.

All grants support the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy goals:

• Restore and Maintain Landscapes: Landscapes across all jurisdictions are resilient to fire-related disturbances, in accordance with managementobjectives.
• 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.

Funding Information

Estimated Total Program Funding: $1,502,000  

Eligibility Criteria

• For profit organizations other than small businesses
• Special district governments
• Independent school districts
• State governments
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education

Criteria

• On-the-ground activities must be on non-Federal lands.
• The grant term is four years, with a one-year extension possible, up to a total maximum of five years.
• The three grant opportunities will be evaluated independently of one another, by application review teams of U.S. Forest Service and State forestry agency staff.
• All applications will undergo a preliminary eligibility review prior to ranking. All applicants will be notified of the final selection or non-selection of their applications.
• Any one applicant may submit no more than three applications per WRR or WR grant opportunity (single or multistate).
• Multistate applications must identify the lead agency and the amount of funds to be allocated against each state cap in the Project Budget Explanation.
• Third-party (non-State) applications must identify the lead organization, have State support, and state amount of funds to be allocated against one or more state caps.
• Forest Fire Compact applications will not impact state caps.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.