The Eastern Region Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy Wildfire Risk Reduction (WRR) grant opportunity, CFDA 10.698, supports the goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. It focuses on restoring and maintaining resilient landscapes and creating fire-adapted communities to mitigate wildfire risks. Applications must align with state Forest Action Plans and address one or more regional options under Goals 1 and 2 of the Cohesive Strategy, which include prescribed fire use, fire-dependent ecosystem management, fuel reduction, community adaptation, and fire prevention activities. On-the-ground activities must take place on non-federal and/or Tribal trust lands. Eligible applicants include state forestry agencies, forest fire compacts, groups of states, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, Tribes, and fire science exchanges. For-profit organizations are not eligible.

Applicants must meet a 100% cost match requirement using eligible and allowable non-federal funds. The grant term is five years, with individual project budgets ranging from $25,000 to $300,000 in federal funds. Third-party (non-state) applicants must obtain a letter of support from the relevant state forester, except Tribes and forest fire compacts. Each state is subject to a cap of 15% of the total available FY 2025 WRR funds, which includes state and third-party applications. Equipment costs are limited to 25% of requested federal funds. Multistate applications are allowed but must identify a lead agency and outline state-specific funding allocations.

Eligible activities include prescribed fire, mechanical fuel reduction, vegetation management, defensible space creation, development of Community Wildfire Protection Plans, fuel and fire break maintenance, slash removal, public awareness programs, fire prevention training, and installation of fire-support infrastructure like dry hydrants. Non-qualifying activities include research, capital improvements, and economic development projects. Proposals must use tools such as the Northeast-Midwest Wildfire Risk Assessment Portal (NMWRAP) or comparable wildfire risk tools to document risk reduction goals and must focus on underserved communities where applicable.

Applications are evaluated based on five scoring criteria: alignment with the National Cohesive Strategy and Northeast Regional Action Plan (30 points), partnerships and collaboration (20 points), support for underserved communities (10 points), project effectiveness and efficiency (20 points), and a clear focus on wildfire risk reduction (20 points). Applicants must include a project narrative that addresses these criteria, a project overview, and a detailed budget explanation. Maps or shapefiles illustrating project locations and activities must also be provided. The WRR Planned Spending & Accomplishments Excel spreadsheet is required for reporting projected accomplishments.

Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov. The deadline for final submissions is Wednesday, January 15, 2025, with draft applications due to respective state foresters by December 16, 2024. Tribal applications do not require state forester approval. Grants.gov registration, including a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) registration, must be completed in advance as these processes can take weeks. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals early to address any potential technical issues. Required forms include SF-424, SF-424A, and SF-424B, as well as agency-specific documents such as the project narrative, maps, letters of support, and planned spending spreadsheets.

The Eastern Region provides designated contacts for technical support, including program managers and cooperative fire specialists. Applicants are encouraged to consult resources such as the National Cohesive Strategy, State Forest Action Plans, and wildfire risk assessment tools to strengthen their applications. Proof of timely submission will be verified through Grants.gov, and late applications will not be considered.