CWDG_Applicant_Webinar_Round 3_Final_12022024.pdf

Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Program Webinar for

Applicants

(Updated 12/02/2024)

Today's Agenda

• Overview of Round 3

• Overview of Program Changes from Round 2

• CWDG Program Overview

• CWDG Application Eligibility

• CWDG Application Components

• CWDG Application Portal Information

• Grants and Agreements

• Wildfire Risk to Communities CWDG Tool

• Timeline

Overview of Round 3

Grant Application Portal

All four Notice for Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) will use the https://cwdg.forestrygrants.org/ portal for application submittal.

• Round 3 NOFOs are advertised in grants.gov as required

• NOFO point applicants to apply in the cwdg.forestrygrants.org portal, which is where applicants will find the actual application form

• Applicants will be required to submit UEI # and certify they have an active SAM.gov registration https://cwdg.forestrygrants.org/

Underserved Communities

The determination of underserved community for Round 3 will use the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool

• Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, Pacific Islands and USVI automatically qualify for a match waiver

• Communities that meet the Low-Income definition are also eligible for the match waiver

• The CJEST info is already loaded into the Wildfire

Risk to Communities CWDG Tool

Application Period

Application period will be open for 100 days

• Grants.gov and Application portal opened on Thursday, November 21 and will stay open until 11:59pm, eastern time zone, on Friday, February 28th.

Funding for Round 3

Anticipated funding amounts available for the third round is $200 million.

Community Navigators

Once again, Community Navigators will be available to assist communities in applying for FS funding opportunities.

• The three main goals of the Community Navigator project are to:

1. Help Communities engage with the FS;

2. Assist Communities in applying for Grants; and

3. Help Communities stay in compliance with Grant requirements and reporting.

• Organizations currently providing Community Navigators are:

The Watershed Research and Training Center, Hispanic Access Foundation, Coalitions and Collaboratives, First Nations Development Institute, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, and American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association

• FS Community Navigators webpage mailto:https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/navigators

Overview of Program Changes from Round 2

Low Income Communities

• We received feedback from small communities, and especially Alaskan villages, regarding the tool’s ability to capture the true income levels for areas with very small populations.

• These small communities, particularly with low income, are a focus of the program.

• Working with Headwaters Economics, it was recognized that the income data for small communities has a much greater margin of error (MOE) in the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.

• This discrepancy is due to the limited sampling size as compared to cities and communities with larger populations.

• An improved method of handling these small population areas has been developed for Round 3

Low Income Communities (continued)

• Round 1 & 2 used midpoint of MOE, but Round 3 will use the lower end of the MOE versus the mid-point, thereby not penalizing smaller communities.

• For Round 3, median household income is based on the lower bound of the Census Bureau’s reported 90% confidence interval, which provides a range to help account for uncertainty in survey data.

• Places with low population or low response rates will see a wider range in the median household income estimates.

• “Low-income” definition remains as having a median household income less than 80% of the state’s or nation’s median household income, whichever is higher.

Updating of CWDG Tool https://wildfirerisk.org/cwdg-tool

• The online CWDG tool, built in partnership with the Wildfire Risk to Communities (WRC) group and Headwaters Economics, has been updated with the latest information;

o census information o listing of federally declared disasters

• The tool has been uploaded with the new WRC version of wildfire risk and hazard data released this past summer

• This update changed the eligibility and prioritization of some communities.

• Round 3 eligibility will include the new communities, but also grandfather the communities that would lose eligibility based upon the new data

• This allows time to socialize the changes before Round 4

• Information about which communities, counties and tribal areas change eligibility is available https://wildfirerisk.org/cwdg-tool

No Prioritization of CWPPs

• The CWDG workgroup prioritized CWPP's in the second round of CWDG, and 109 CWPP applications were awarded.

• For the third round, there will not be a prioritization of one type of application over the other.

• Funding will be based upon scoring.

Severe Disaster Question

• No other question received more feedback than this one. The issue lies in the requirement to not just list the disasters that have impacted the community, but also to explain how the disaster impacted that community’s fire risk and/or hazard.

• Several applicants just listed the disasters and didn’t feel they needed any additional narrative.

• Requirement to explain the disasters impact remains

• The question is now a two-part question;

o First: Yes/No question asking if there was a disaster o Second: explain how the disaster impacted that community’s fire risk and/or hazard

Clarification of Grant Award Requirements

• Based upon feedback from applicants and Forest Service Grants and Agreement staff, several clarifications have been made to the NOFO regarding topics such as:

o The handling of program income o Match requirements o Confirmation that approval of project costs will occur as part of grant execution process o Confirmation that some states may have additional grant requirements due to state-specific regulations

Additional items

• Webinars for applicants

• Scheduled for week of December 2-6

• Office hours

• First one December 18

• Office hours will occur bi-weekly in January and February

• CWDG will likely have total of 4 Application Rounds

CWDG Program Overview

Authorizing Legislation

Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act, Section 40803(f) authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, through the USDA Forest Service, to establish a program, which shall be separate from the program established under section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133), under which the Secretary of Agriculture, in cooperation with the States, shall award grants to at-risk communities, including Indian Tribes —

• (A) to develop or revise a community wildfire protection plan; and

• (B) to carry out projects described in a community wildfire protection plan that is not more than 10 years old

Program Purpose

• The CWDG programs helps communities in the wildland urban interface (WUI) implement two of the goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (Cohesive Strategy):

• Resilient Landscapes: Landscapes, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries, are resilient to fire, insect, disease, invasive species and climate change disturbances, in accordance with management objectives

• Fire Adapted Communities: Human populations and infrastructure are as prepared as possible to receive, respond to, and recover from wildland fire

• Safe, Effective, Risk-based Wildfire Response: All jurisdictions participate in making and implementing safe, effective, efficient risk-based wildfire management decisions https://forestsandrangelands.gov/strategy/thestrategy.shtml

Program Administration

• A grant review panel will be convened in each of the state forestry organization regions to review, score, and rank grant applications received within their respective state forestry organization regions

• USDA Forest Service (USFS) will organize a Tribal review panel to review, score, and rank the grant applications received from Tribes

• Normalization process

• Normalization is a process where raw scores undergo a statistical adjustment so that scores from different reviewers can be compared on a common scale.

Legislative Priorities

• Priority will be given to project proposals that:

• Are located in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, and/or

• Benefit a low-income community, and/or

• Are located in a community impacted by a severe disaster within the previous 10 years

• Supporting documentation or link to documentation must be provided

Funding

• Minimum and Maximum Funding Levels

• There is no minimum Federal funding limit for projects under

CWDG

• The maximum amount of Federal funding awarded to any one community or Tribal entity:

• $250,000 for creating or updating a Community Wildfire Protection Plan

• $10 million for a project described within a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP can be no more than 10 years old / 2014 or newer)

Funding (continued)

• Required Matching Funds:

• Proposals to develop or update a CWPP, required match is

10%

• Proposals to implement projects described in a CWPP, required match is 25%

• Underserved communities are eligible to request a match waiver

• Automatic match waiver eligibility for Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, Pacific Island Territories, and the USVI

Additional Process Elements

• Lead Agency or Organization:

• All applications must identify the lead agency or organization

• The lead agency may pass funds to other partners performing work as relevant

• Grant Timeframes: Projects must be completed within five (5) years

• Reporting:

• Quarterly Financial reports

• Annual Project Performance reports

• Performance report shall include a spatial data component

CWDG Application Eligibility

Applicant Eligibility

• Eligibility

• At-risk Community

• Two options listed in NOFOs to determine if community is an “at-risk community”

• The following entities are eligible to submit a project proposal for funding:

• Units of local governments representing communities located in an area at risk of wildfires

• Indian Tribes

• Alaska Native Corporations

• Non-profit organizations such as homeowner associations that assist communities

• State forestry agencies

• State and public institutions of higher education

• For-profit entities are not eligible to apply for a grant under this program.

Location of Projects

• Eligible applicants may apply for grant funding for a project proposal to be conducted on lands with the following ownership types, as long as the project proposal reduces wildfire risk to a community:

• Private lands

• Local government

• Homeowner associations

• State government

• Tribal/Alaska Native Corporation (includes Trust lands)

• Federal lands are not eligible for this funding opportunity, with the exception of federal Tribal trust lands

Project Types

• CWPP Development or Revision

• Implementation Projects

• Planning (Codes, smoke readiness, etc.)

• Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Education/Outreach

• Reduce Hazardous Fuels / Restore Fire-adapted Ecosystems See NOFO's for examples of Eligible and Ineligible project types

CWPP Development or Revision

Eligible Projects

• Creation of a CWPP or comparable plan, such as:

• wildfire section for a hazard mitigation plan

• Tribal CWPP

• Tribal Wildland Fire Prevention Plan

• Update of an existing plan, meaning existing plan must be over five (5) years old (2019 or older)

Ineligible Projects

• Creation and/or update of Forest Stewardship Plans

CWPP Development or Revision (continued)

CWPP or comparable plan must meet the three requirements in the Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA):

•Collaboratively developed

• Identifies and prioritizes areas for hazardous fuel reduction

•Recommends measures to reduce structural ignitability

Implementation Project Objectives

•Projects must advance objectives and priorities identified in a CWPP not more than 10 years old (2014 or newer)

•A project must be designed to achieve one or more of the following objectives:

• Assist a community with planning to address management of wildfire risk

• Assist a community with mitigation measures or actions to reduce wildfire risk

Eligible “Planning” Project Examples

• Contract support to assist a community with developing building codes, zoning ordinances, or land use planning

• Direct staff funding support to assist a community with developing building codes, zoning ordinances, or land use planning

• Tabletop or functional exercises to test effectiveness of community wildfire planning

• Plan and address public health and safety effects of smoke and mitigation from wildfire and projects that use prescribed fire (“Smoke Ready” efforts)

• Direct staff support for community wildfire mitigation leadership/coordination

• Training in the use of proven effective mitigation practices, such as the Forest Service’s mitigation best practices

• Direct staff support to assist in creation of a local or regional mitigation partnership

Ineligible “Planning” Project Examples

• GIS and database systems unless in support of a CWPP, wildfire risk reduction planning or fuels mitigation initiative or project

• Creation and/or update of Forest Stewardship Plans

• Economic development projects

• Small business start-up funding

• Research and development projects

Eligible “Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Education/Outreach” Project Examples

• Firewise USA© or similar programs outreach to communities and property owners

• Fire education presentations such as Project Learning Tree

• Property inspections and/or assessments

• Training to conduct property inspections and/or assessments

• Implementation of WUI Structure / Parcel / Community Fire Hazard Mitigation Methodology (HMM) for community hazard reduction

• Training for Traditional Ecological Knowledge of fire, Cultural Burning, Identification and protection of culturally significant plants, sacred site protection

Ineligible “Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Education/Outreach” Project Example

• Printing of paper-based materials without an organized outreach/education program

Eligible “Hazardous Fuels Reduction / Fire-adapted Ecosystems Restoration” Project Examples

• Defensible space around homes, businesses, and other structures

• Development, creation, and/or maintenance of fuel breaks and fire breaks, including shaded fuel breaks

• Fuels reduction beyond defensible space adjacent to at-risk communities

• Removal of standing woody vegetation by cutting, piling and burning

• Removal of standing woody vegetation by cutting and chipping

Project Examples (continued)

• Removal of standing woody vegetation using a mechanical mulcher or masticator type equipment mounted on mobile equipment

• Reduction of hazardous fuels through the application of prescribed fire

• Vegetation management (pruning, mowing, chemical treatment, grazing), including rights-of-ways for roads

• Maintenance of fuels projects. Up to two (2) maintenance treatments allowed per project during the grant term

Project Examples (continued)

• Monitoring components of projects for effectiveness (must have established baseline)

• Prescribed fire training, including training on smoke management associated with prescribed fires

• Design and installation of dry hydrants and cisterns

• Purchase of equipment for brush/fuel disposal, such as air curtain burner/trench burner (be aware of permitting requirements for these devices, which are an eligible cost)

Project Examples (continued)

• Purchase of mechanical equipment that meets, or does not exceed, the following requirements:

• Brush/woodchippers that are towable or mountable to a skid steer, compact track loader or tractor with a maximum chipping capacity of no more than 15 inches

• Self-propelled forestry mulchers up to a maximum 200 horsepower

• Forestry mulcher attachments designed for skid steers, compact track loaders, excavators or crawler dozers

• Heavy duty brush mowers that can be utilized for maintaining road rights-of-ways and fire breaks

• Trailers necessary to transport equipment that is determined eligible in this section, including box-type trailers to store and transport prescribed fire equipment

Project Examples (continued)

• Purchase of the following equipment and supplies to support the use of prescribed fire:

• Personal protection equipment, including fire shelters and N95 filtering face respirators

• Drip torches

• Wildland hand tools

• Backpack blowers

• Chainsaws

• Portable wildfire pumps

• Wildland hose

• Portable folding water tanks

• Cache of air filtration units for use by at-risk individuals in the public

Ineligible “Hazardous Fuels Reduction /

Project Examples

• Capital improvements including construction/infrastructure (building remodel, bridges, road construction, water system development). Dry hydrants are eligible for funding.

• Home hardening, including but not limited to:

• Roof upgrades or replacements

• Fire resistant siding

• Metal gutters and vents

• Fire suppression training (unless course is a requirement for prescribed fire qualifications)

• Fire suppression equipment and apparatus

• Drones

Multiple Community Applications

• Separate Projects in separate Communities:

• A separate narrative form and included budget will need to be filled out for each community for purposes of determining eligibility, prioritization, and ranking of the separate projects

• Single Project in multiple communities:

• For an application consisting of a single project that spans multiple communities, the project can be applied for and described within the same application and narrative form

Other Considerations

•If there is an implementation project that is not covered in a CWPP, such as developing a smoke ready program for your community, consider updating your CWPP this year and applying for a grant for that project next year. The examples listed previously may help you recognize any gaps in your existing CWPP.

•You can apply for an implementation grant for projects already identified in your CWPP, and apply for a CWPP update grant separately (if assistance is needed), in the same year.

CWDG Application Components

Submitting Applications

• Notice of Funding Opportunities are posted on grants.gov:

• Tribes NOFO: USDA-FS-2024-CWDG-TRIBES

• Southern NOFO: USDA-FS-2024-CWDG-SGSF

• Northeast/Midwest NOFO: USDA-FS-2024-CWDG-NEMW

• West NOFO: USDA-FS-2024-CWDG-CWSF

• Applications will be submitted through cwdg.forestrygrants.org

• Reach out to your point of contact listed in the NOFOs for an application link

• The cwdg.forestrygrants.org does not accept uploads for any supporting documentation: instead send attachments to CWDG inbox: SM.FS.usfs_cwdg@usda.gov

• Tribal entities may submit applications via any NOFO

• Both CWPP and Project Implementation use the same application (but have separate scoring rubrics) mailto:SM.FS.usfs_cwdg@usda.gov

GIS Coordinates

• Please include enough coordinates/description to be able to represent the general area of the impact of the project for which you are applying

• For point-based projects, please include a reference point and description

• For fuel treatments, please include enough coordinates to ascertain a general boundary of the area being treated. If unsure of boundaries, please include a reference point and the planned acreage to be treated under the description

• For CWPP development, please include a description of the planning area and type (municipality boundary, fire response district, township, etc.)

GIS Coordinates: Ref. Point Name:

Lat/Long:

Description:

Area Name:

Boundary Lat/Longs:

Description:

Scoring Criteria and Prioritization Factors (cont.)

• Six of the Scoring Criteria involve a 0-10 scoring range

• Project Description (0-10 points)

• Budget (0-10 points)

• Accomplishments (0-10 points)

• Collaboration (10 points)

• Landscape Impacts (0-10 points)

• Project Sustainability (0-10 points)

• Three of the Scoring Criteria are legislative mandates and are “all or nothing” scores

• Low Income Community (10 points or 0 points)

• Affected by a Severe Disaster (10 points or 0 points)

• High or Very High Wildfire Hazard Potential (20 points or 0 points)

Scoring Criteria and Prioritization Scoring Rubric

• Two separate scoring rubrics

• Project Implementation

• CWPP development or revision

• Each rubric explains expectations for maximizing score

• NOFOs contain both rubrics

• Carefully reading NOFO and scoring rubric will help you score higher on your application

Project Description (10 points)

• Clearly define the scope of the project, what the project proposes to accomplish, why it is important, and how it supports the Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and relevant State Forest Action Plan (or equivalent Tribal plan).

• Provide a comprehensive but succinct overview of the proposed project that includes basic details of who is doing what, where, and why this is important.

• Explain how the project is described in a CWPP (or acceptable alternative as described in the NOFO).

• Specify if benefits to traditionally underserved or marginalized audiences are a component of the work.

Applicant Budget (10 points)

• Clearly explain how the budget will be spent by line item, sources of match, and how expenditures are applicable and relevant to the goals and objectives of the project.

• The budget narrative must describe how the grant funds will be spent with specific detail for each grant expenditure.

• It must describe how expenditures are applicable and relevant to the goals and objectives of the project.

• A project proposal must also show how the applicant will meet matching requirements or qualify for a waiver. If qualified for a waiver, you do not need to show funding in the match column.

Accomplishments (10 points)

• A proposal must clearly define how a project will be accomplished, timelines and milestones, as well as measures and metrics

• Examples include:

a. How the selected objectives will lead to measurable outcomes for community wildfire risk reduction

b. How the applicant will measure progress towards those outcomes (such as, acres treated to reduce hazardous fuels, change in fire regime)

c. The proposed metrics for measuring progress, which must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely

Accomplishments - Measurable Outcomes

• A sample Measurable Outcomes table is available in the application pdf form to guide applicants on the types of accomplishments to describe in the accomplishments narrative

• For projects selected for funding, reporting accomplishments will be required for the annual performance reports

• You may also list additional specific measurable results that show how the Federal investment will lead to outcomes on the landscape

• In the accomplishments narrative section, describe less quantifiable return on investments

Collaboration (10 points)

• The application should clearly define collaborative elements including support from partners, agencies, landowners, and communities

• A project proposal must identify partners that will be actively engaged in carrying out the project and add value to project planning and implementation, with a description of each partner’s role

• Collaboration may be qualitative in nature, and the contribution of a partner may be more than the number of partners

Landscape Impacts (10 points)

The application should clearly define:

• The scale of the project including relationships with past, present, or future projects that, when combined, offer more benefits than when taken individually

• The overall landscape that the project influences, in addition to the defined project area, should be clearly described, as well as the land ownerships within the area

• Specify areas targeted for planning or mitigation

• Clearly describe each proposed activity and include details on where they will be occurring

• Include the approximate number of structures that will benefit from the proposed action

Project Sustainability (10 points)

• The application should clearly define how or if the project will sustain itself after the grant period is over

• Any steps or plans that will be carried out to continue the project benefits beyond the life of the grant should be described, which may include monitoring, as well as who or what organizations will be responsible

Low-Income Community(10 points)

• The application should clearly demonstrate and document whether the project benefits a low-income community, as defined.

Affected by a Severe Disaster (10 points)

This is now a two-part question;

o First: Yes/No question asking if there was a disaster o Second: explain how the disaster impacted that community’s fire risk and/or hazard

The application must answer both components of Severe Disaster question to get 10 points:

• Does the project benefit a community that has been impacted by a severe disaster within the previous ten (10) years (must answer yes to get points)

• Clearly explain how the severe disaster increased wildfire risk and/or hazard and was of a scale and scope to have had landscape impacts. (must provide this explanation to get points)

• Simply listing a disaster will not suffice, you must explain how this disaster has impacted the community’s wildfire risk and hazard (not all disasters will qualify for points if it cannot be shown they have influenced the community’s risk or hazard)

Examples of Severe Disaster

• Examples of how a Severe Disaster may impact an area resulting in increased risk or hazard associated with wildfire:

• Ice storm, windstorm, hurricane, or similar event causing severe vegetation damage resulting in accumulation of dead and downed fuels, leading to increased risk associated with wildfire.

• Flood, landslide, or other event damage impacting transportation infrastructure, resulting in restricted egress, longer evacuation times for communities.

• Past wildfires contributing to conditions which result in more rapid and/or more intense fire behavior:

• Increased grass and light fuel loading leading to increased rates of spread.

• Species change to invasives with increased fire behavior.

• Increased dead / heavy fuel loading due to heavy mortality in previous fires leading to higher intensity fires.

• Past wildfire damage to wildfire response infrastructure, such as communication networks, fire detection systems, air quality monitoring systems.

• Past wildfires reducing watershed capacity (through soil impermeability, lack of cover for snow holding, etc), increasing potential for drought related effects resulting in increased fire risk / fire behavior.

• Forest health related issues, such as insect outbreaks or disease, leading to increased risk of high severity wildfire.

Area of Wildfire Hazard Potential (20 points)

• The application should clearly demonstrate and document whether the project is located in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential as defined by a local, state, Tribal, regional, or national wildfire hazard potential assessment

What Factors Influence High Scores

Detailed narratives including the following:

• How project will impact community immediately

• How project will impact community long term

• Plan for how funds will be spent

• Examples of prior incidents that the project would have been applicable

• Timeline / Project Plan looking forward

• Described how agency will partner with others

• Uses examples of prior and current partnerships

What Factors Influence Low Scores

• Lack of detail in descriptions

• Short narratives

• Does not define where money will be spent

• Does not use examples when listing accomplishments / collaboration

• Lacking clear plan for sustainability

• Does not include examples of landscape impacts and how the project will change the effects

CWDG Application and Portal Information cwdg.forestrygrants.org

CWDG Application Process

• Contact your state/island/territory point of contact

• Request an application link

• Must have UEI# and active sam.gov registration

• For project implementations, you must provide a CWPP

Application Link

Admin Section and Applicant Section

Is the applicant an Alaskan Native Corporation or an Indian Tribe?

UEI# and Sam.gov Expiration Date

Project Information

Brief Project Overview and Purpose

Grant Component Type

Include an Eligible CWPP or Equivalent Plan

At-Risk Community

Roofing Code/ Ordinance

Grant Waiver

Project Description

Applicant Budget

Project Budget Explanation

Accomplishments

Collaboration

Landscape Impacts

Project Sustainability

Low-Income Community

Severe Disaster Impact: Part 1

Severe Disaster Impact: Part 2

Wildfire Hazard Potential

Review & Submit

Any Additional Attachments?

• CWPPs (or equivalent plan) and any additional documents should be sent to the CWDG Forest Service email at SM.FS.usfs_cwdg@usda.gov

• If sending attachments, please include the State/Island/Tribe, project name, and applicant information mailto:SM.FS.usfs_cwdg@usda.gov

Grants & Agreements

Grants & Agreements

• Budget details

• Cost share/match

• Equipment

• Buy American

• Davis-Bacon wages for construction

• Roads

• Subawards – requirements and reporting

• Sam.gov and risk

• Performance and financial reporting

• G&A specific questions can go to CWDG inbox:

sm.fs.usfs_cwdg@usda.gov mailto:sm.fs.usfs_cwdg@usda.gov

Wildfire Risk to Communities CWDG Tool

CWDG Tool

An easy-to-use, online dashboard provides data to include in your CWDG application.

www.wildfirerisk.org/cwdg-tool

Immediate information about eligibility status

Populates key criteria (wildfire risk, low-income, and severe disaster declarations)

Cost-share waiver eligibility

GIS coordinates

Copy and paste options to easily populate your application http://www.wildfirerisk.org/cwdg

CWDG Tool

Updates from Prior Rounds

• Updated FAQs

• New “What’s new for Round 3” oUpdated wildfire risk data oUpdated low-income data and modified threshold oUpdated severe natural disaster data oWRC CWDG Tool video: CWDG Tool Intro video https://vimeo.com/848821634

CWDG Tool Video

National Tools

• CWDG Tool: https://wildfirerisk.org/cwdg-tool

• Council of Environmental Quality Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool:

https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/#3/33.47/-97.5

• Updated and approved tools will be posted on CWDG website: Community Wildfire Defense Grant Program | US Forest Service (usda.gov)

• FAQ's

• Samples of high/low scoring questions

• Webinar Recordings

• CWDG Email inbox: sm.fs.usfs_cwdg@usda.gov https://wildfirerisk.org/cwdg-tool https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/#3/33.47/-97.5 https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants mailto:sm.fs.usfs_cwdg@usda.gov

• Grant Accomplishment Reporting Portal (GARP) is the gateway to accomplishments reporting modules (ARMs).

• CWDG Accomplishments Reporting Module (“CWDG ARM”) will release in January 2025

• Will support annual performance reporting and grant monitoring.

• Will combine individual CWDG project reports into a single

Performance Report to meet federal grant reporting requirements

• Includes quantitative metrics, import of mapped treatments, CWPP boundaries, and narrative accomplishment details.

• USFS Regional staff administering CWDG grants, State forestry organizations with ‘Fully Opt-in’ status for CWDG, and community-level CWDG grantees will have access to the module.

• CWDG Program Managers will share access to community-level grantees to complete their annual performance report.

• Annual accomplishments for the 2024 calendar year will be entered starting January 2025.

• CWDG Accomplishment Reporting Newsletter

CWDG Accomplishment Reporting https://garphub.org/ mailto:https://garphub.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/GARP-Newsletter-Spotlight-on-CWDG.pdf https://garphub.org/

• Three Applicant Webinars:

• December 2

• December 4

• December 6

• Office Hours (1st Session Dec 18)

• Bi-weekly Office Hours schedule for January & February (see

CWDG webpage)

• Application period closes February 28 at 11:59pm eastern time

• Application CWDG Verification

• CWDG Adjudication

• Review and Scoring

• Statistical Normalization and Analysis

• QC Period

• Briefings of Awardee List

• Round 3 Award Announcement (summer 2025)

Proposed Timeline of CWDG Round 3 https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants/cwdg

Questions?