2023 Wildfire Recovery and Forest Resilience Directed Grant Program

Purpose

The primary priority of the Wildfire Recovery and Forest Resilience Directed Grant Program is the planning and implementation of forest health projects that promote wildfire recovery and forest resilience. This program seeks to create more-resilient forest landscapes, reduce wildfire risk, accelerate recovery from recent wildfires and supports projects that address these strategies.

Description

The Sierra Nevada Conservancy (SNC) identified five wildfire recovery strategies for the Sierra Nevada: landscape-scale forest restoration, water supply protection, strategic reforestation, rapid expansion of wood-utilization infrastructure, and support for community-led initiative. California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan identifies three goals that are strongly aligned with SNC's Watershed Improvement Program: healthy and resilient natural places, safe communities, and sustainable economies. Both plans also stress the importance of climate resiliency, regionally tailored solutions, the linkages between ecological and economic health, the importance of low-intensity fire, and the need to work strategically across land ownership boundaries. This grant program aims to support projects with the following, additional focal areas: multi-benefit projects, landscape-scale projects, high-impact projects, and wildfire recovery. To be eligible to receive a grant award from the SNC under this program, projects must meet all of the following criteria: be located within or provide services to the Sierra Nevada Region as defined by current SNC governing legislation; be consistent with the SNC mission and program areas as defined in the SNC Strategic Plan; be consistent with the requirements of the funding source and budget provisions, result in a clear, demonstrable, and enduring public benefit; and meet all California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements, as applicable. Consistent with provisions of the program funding and objectives of the proposed project, the SNC may give favorable consideration to projects which: involve California Native American tribes, including grants directly to tribal entities or those to tribal or other entities which provide meaningful engagement with and support to tribal partners; were developed under the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity program; address fire recovery objectives; directly benefit severely disadvantaged or disadvantaged communities; engage a workforce development effort, including but not limited to tribal workforce programs, California Conservation Corps, or other training programs; employ a collaborative, community-led approach in project development or implementation and enable the equitable geographic distribution of SNC resources. Proposals are developed in conjunction with SNC. To initiate consideration of a project, an applicant must contact the appropriate SNC Area Representative (AR) and the AR will work with the applicant to determine if the project meets the grant program’s basic criteria. If SNC determines consideration of the project, a concept proposal form will be shared with the applicant. This proposal process involves Concept and Full Proposal phases. Concept Proposals are due June 16, 2023. A site visit may be conducted for eligible implementation projects. If invited to submit, Full Proposals are due September 29, 2023. Deadlines may be subject to change pending final state budget decisions. Review the full grant guidelines here.