Wildfire and Forest Resilience
Directed Grant Program

Now accepting proposals

The primary focus of the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Directed Grant Program is protecting people and communities.

The program seeks to create more resilient forest landscapes and watersheds and reduce wildfire risk. The climate and ecological benefits of forest-restoration treatments are well known. Ecologically sound forest management, including prescribed fire, and community protection are critical in securing the overall well-being of the Sierra-Cascade region. The SNC seeks projects that will reduce wildfire risk to people and communities.

We also offer capacity-building grants to support this program.

How to Apply

Review the Grant Guidelines. To submit a project idea, download the Statement of Interest, discuss project ideas with your SNC Area Representative, and submit via email to grants.snc@sierranevada.ca.gov.

Grant Guidelines (pdf) Statement of Interest (doc)
If the Statement of Interest format is not compatible with your system, please reach out to grants.snc@sierranevada.ca.gov .

Additional information regarding Vulnerable Populations and Disadvantaged and Severely Disadvantaged Communities will be added when available.

man in a hard had, mask, and shovel poses on front of small flames burning behind him in a forestground-level view of a small tree seedling growing out of dirt with a few people standing and talking in the backgroundlarge machine holds a long tree trunk horizontally getting ready to place it next to a pile of tree trunks

Eligibility

Eligible applicants:

  • public agencies, including federal agencies
  • qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations
  • tribal entities recognized on the current United States Federal Register or the Native American Heritage Commission as a California Native American tribe

Eligible projects:

  • Have completed environmental compliance, or approval under the Environmental Protection Plan
  • Be an implementation project with on-the-ground improvements resulting in a clear, demonstrable, and enduring public benefit
  • Be located within the Sierra-Cascade region
  • 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
  • Commence on-the-ground work no later than October 15, 2026

Example Projects

  • Removal of hazardous, dead, and/or dying trees
  • Removal of vegetation for the creation of strategic fuel breaks as identified by approved fire prevention plans, including without limitation, CAL FIRE Unit Fire Plans or Community Wildfire Protection Plans
  • Removal of vegetation for community defensible space
  • Removal of vegetation along roadways, highways, and freeways for the creation of safer ingress and egress routes for the public and responders and/or to reduce roadside ignitions
  • Removal of vegetation using cultural traditional ecological knowledge for cultural burning and/or prescribed fire treatments for fuels reduction
  • Improvements to previously established fuel breaks or fuels-modification projects

Process and Schedule

Review the Grant Guidelines. To submit a project idea, download the Statement of Interest, discuss project ideas with your SNC Area Representative, and submit via email to grants.snc@sierranevada.ca.gov.

Proposals will be accepted and reviewed on a continuous basis. As long as funding is available, they will be accepted until January 31, 2026. Recommendations may be made to the SNC Governing Board on a quarterly basis.

Funding Source

The primary funding source for the program is Proposition 4 funding appropriated to SNC under AB100. Ten million dollars ($10,000,000) will be available for this grant cycle.