In the years following the severe wildfire season of 2000, public funding for projects that reduce fuels and increase the resilience of fire-dependent ecosystems increased sharply. The National Fire Plan (NFP) is the largest source of funding.

National Fire Plan S&PF Grants
The National Fire Plan provides assistance to at-risk communities that have been or may be threatened by wildfire. The USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry (S&PF) program provides grants to state, local and tribal governments, and nonprofit and community organizations to carry out this work. These are “pass through” grants—meaning that funds are transferred from the federal government to the state forestry agency (or other designated state fire fighting agency) before it is given to projects. The application process and requirements vary from state to state, but typically, S&PF proposals are submitted to the State Forester, who approves proposals and forwards them to the S&PF regional office. Therefore, funding may depend on gaining the support of your State Forester. 

Projects also need to show strong local, state and federal partner support. Participating in the U.S. Fire Learning Network is one way a team can demonstrate its commitment to collaboration. More than 40 U.S. Fire Learning Network projects have successfully applied for NFP grants to date. A sampling of NFP funding proposals submitted by U.S. Fire Learning Network projects in 2003 is available. The Partnership Resource Center—a joint project of the National Forest Foundation and the USDA Forest Service—has additional resources related to forming and fostering strong partnerships.

In general, projects that address wildland-urban interface (WUI) issues are a funding priority. (The wildland-urban interface is commonly understood to be the zone where structures and other human development meet and intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels.) Moreover, preference may be given to projects in WUI areas that have developed Community Wildfire Protection Plans—documents that local communities create to define their fire-related priorities and strategies for mitigating hazardous fuels problems. The Society of American Foresters web site includes a handbook on developing CWPPs. 

In western states, NFP State Fire Assistance (SFA) funding is available and awarded “through a competitive process with emphasis on hazard fuel reduction, information and education, and community and homeowner action” (see more information below). The purpose of the Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Program, formerly known as the Rural Community Fire Protection (RCFP) Program, is to provide federal financial, technical and other assistance to State Foresters and other appropriate officials to organize, train and equip fire departments in rural areas and rural communities to prevent and suppress fires.

State Fire Assistance Resources
The Southwest Area Forest, Fire and Community Assistance Grants web site is an excellent clearinghouse for grants and assistance in Arizona and New Mexico.

The Pacific Northwest National Fire Plan web site provides a clearinghouse for grants in Oregon and Washington.

Additional Federal Funding Options

• The Wyden Amendment allows Forest Service money to be spent on non-federal lands as long as the projects benefit the fish, wildlife and other resources on National Forest lands within an affected watershed (Public Law 105-277, Section 323). This law allows the Forest Service to partner with other entities for projects that benefit resources on both public and private lands.
  
• National Fire Plan monies can be spent on federal lands as well. Typically proposals are generated at the district level (or similar scale for other agencies), sent to the forest supervisor (or similar position within other agencies), and then to the regional office.
  
• Fish and Wildlife Service Private Stewardship Grants.
  
• Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program.