California Climate Investments (CCI) Fire Prevention Grant Program

Grants to California agencies, nonprofit organizations, Native American Tribes, and fire safety councils for wildfire mitigation activities in the northern and southern regions of the state. Applicants must request a project tracking number at least one week before the deadline. Funding is intended for three types of activities: hazardous fuel reduction, fire prevention planning, and fire prevention education.

Projects will be ranked based on the overall benefit to reduce the threat of wildfires to the greatest number of habitable structures, State Responsibility Area, and people. Projects should be designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during project activities and over time through wildfire reduction. Projects that benefit or focus on assisting those with special needs (i.e. low income, disabled, or elderly) will receive additional priority, as will projects that demonstrate a carbon benefit by reducing the carbon emissions during the implementation of the project. Disadvantaged communities and low-income communities will also be given preference. 

The Fire Prevention Grants Program funds three types of activities:

Hazardous Fuel Reduction

• Vegetation clearance in critical locations to reduce wildfire intensity and rate of spread.
  
• Creation or maintenance of fuel breaks in strategic locations, as identified in CAL FIRE Unit Fire Plans, a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, or similar strategic planning document.
• Removal of ladder fuels to reduce the risk of crown fires.
• Creation of community-level fire prevention programs, such as community chipping days, roadside chipping, and green waste bin programs.
• Selective tree removal (thinning) to improve forest health to withstand wildfire.
• Modification of vegetation adjacent to roads to provide for safer ingress and egress of evacuating residents and responding emergency personnel.
• Reduction of fuel loading around critical firefighting infrastructure, including, but not limited to, fire hydrants, water drafting locations, and staging areas.
• Purchase of fuel modification equipment not to exceed $250,000 (excluding vehicles).
• Removal of dead and dying trees that pose a threat to public health and safety.

Fire Prevention Education

• Workshops, meetings, materials creation, and other educational activities with the purpose of increasing knowledge and awareness of information that could be used to reduce the total number of wildland fire and acres burned. 
  

Fire Prevention Planning

• Wildfire risk or related mapping.
  
• Creation of Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP).
• Development of evacuation plans. 
• Creation or updates to wildfire mitigation plans.

Examples of eligible costs include:

• Evaluation and identification of dead or dying trees posing an imminent threat to the public rights-of-way and public or private infrastructure, or Tier 2 high hazard zones by a certified arborist or Registered Professional Forester (RPF).
• Removal of dead, dying or diseased trees posing an imminent threat to public rights-of-way and public infrastructure, which may include trees on private property.
• Contracted tree removal, transportation, holding site fees, and disposal.
• Costs that are necessary and prudent to the accomplishment of the project.