This project supports wildfire mitigation activities, including public outreach and education activities as well as the establishment of fire wise communities as part of an effort to mitigate wildfire…

Madera County received a $534,343 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Community Wildfire Defense Grants program (CFDA 10.720), awarded on September 29, 2025. The grant supports a four-year initiative through September 30, 2029, focused on wildfire mitigation activities across the region. Deliverables include public outreach and education programs designed to increase community awareness of wildfire risk, as well as the establishment of FireWise Communities—a certification program that encourages residents and local governments to take action to reduce wildfire risk in their communities.

The grant enables Madera County to implement comprehensive community wildfire protection efforts on nonfederal lands within California's Central San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada Mountain regions. By combining education and outreach with the structured FireWise Communities framework, the county will work to mitigate wildfire risk and build community resilience in this rural, geographically diverse area that faces significant wildfire exposure.

This project supports wildfire mitigation activities, including public outreach and education activities as well as the establishment of fire wise communities as part of an effort to mitigate wildfire risk and increase public knowledge of that risk across the region.