Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program

Community Wildfire Defense Grants (CWDG) help communities and Tribes plan for and reduce wildfire risk and implement the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy.

Launched in 2022, the $1 billion five-year competitive grant program funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act prioritizes communities that:

• Are in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential,

• Are low income or,

• Have been impacted by a severe disaster within the previous 10 years which increased wildfire risk and/or hazard.

Funds can be used to:

• Develop and revise Community Wildfire Protection Plans

• Implement projects described in a Community Wildfire Protection Plan that are less than ten years old

News and Announcements

09/23/2025: USDA Invests in 58 Community Projects to Reduce Wildfire Risk

In the third year of this opportunity, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service received 573 applications requesting more than $1.6 billion. Applications came from 40 states, three U.S. territories and 48 Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations. Review panels made up of representatives from Tribes and state forestry agencies selected 58 proposals totaling $200 million. The awarded projects span 22 different states and two Tribes.

Year Three Selected Applicant Statistics

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Public Law 117-58) established eligibility priorities for Community Wildfire Defense Grants.

100% met all three priorities of eligibility:

• High/very high wildfire hazard,

• low-income, and

• impacted by a severe disaster.

View round 3 funded projects