CAL FIRE’s WP Grants Program provides funding for wildfire prevention projects and activities in and near fire threatened communities that focus on increasing the protection of people, structures, and communities. Funded activities include Hazardous Fuels Reduction, Wildfire Prevention Planning, and Wildfire Prevention Education with an emphasis on improving public health and safety while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
California’s Strategic Fire Plan serves as a roadmap for project development. Projects are evaluated based on the overall benefit to reduce the threat of wildfires to people, structures, and communities. CAL FIRE will consider the wildfire hazards and risk of an area, the geographic balance of projects, and whether the project is complementary to other wildfire prevention or forest health activities when awarding grants. Disadvantaged communities and low-income communities as defined by Assembly Bill 1550 (Gomez) (Stats. 2016, Ch. 369), and projects that demonstrate a carbon benefit by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contain matching funds will receive additional priority. Projects are selected on a competitive basis and consecutive awards are not guaranteed. Disadvantaged and low-income communities can be determined using the process in Appendix F. Projects that demonstrate that they are providing maintenance of existing fuels reduction projects paid for by CAL FIRE or any other funding sources (i.e., other state funds, federal funds, or private funds) will also receive priority.