2024 BLM Community Fire Assistance Program and Application
Funding Guidelines
The Bureau of Land Management has allocated $90,000 for fuel reduction projects to protect communities and BLM land. Communities must be adjacent or within 1 mile to BLM Land, and preference will be given to projects that are community-based.
Purpose
Fuel Reduction grants are intended to assist communities with specific, short-term projects or activities related to reducing fuels and improving defensible space in Deschutes County. Projects will be direct agreements with the Deschutes County and the County will administer any service contract.
Eligibility
Applicants for Fuel Reduction grants must be working at a neighborhood or community scale (not individual properties) to reduce fire risks. Activities should result in reduction of fuels and/or improvement of defensible space around structures, ingress egress routes and fuel breaks Communities must be adjacent or within 1 mile to BLM Land.
Funding
The amount of funding available for projects in Calendar Year 2024 is $90,000. There are no established minimum or maximum amounts for grant requests, however awards are anticipated to range between $20,000-30,000 in contractual services and actual award amounts will be dependent on demand.
Application
Applicants must complete and submit one copy of the Deschutes County-BLM Community Fire Assistance Agreement electronic application. The most competitive applications will contribute some matching resources toward the project budget, either in cash, volunteer time or in goods and services; however, a match is not specifically required.
TIMELINES
The first round of applications will be accepted until March 31, 2024, and will be reviewed shortly thereafter. A site visit may be conducted as part of the review. Applicants will be notified of results Mid-April. Applications received after March 31 may be considered depending on available funding.
Evaluation
Upon receipt, Deschutes County staff will screen applications for completeness and several ranking factors. Incomplete applications may be returned to the applicant with a request for additional information. Factors that will be considered during the review process include, but may not limited to, whether the project is focused on defensible space within 100’ of structures, ingress/egress routes or shaded fuel breaks; and matching resources (cash or in-kind) provided to accomplish the project, whether the neighborhood or community has received funding in the last fiscal cycle.
Awards
All applicants will be notified of the funding decision. Because of project cost uncertainty with vendors, Projects will be ranked for priority. Awarded applicants will enter an agreement for fuel reduction contractual services. We anticipate 3-4 agreements for the 2024 calendar year.
Post-Award Requirements
Acknowledgment of Funding: If any public recognition is made related to the purpose for which the grant was received, such as in media announcements, marketing materials, advertising, or information campaigns, grant recipients must acknowledge support from the Deschutes County BLM Fire Assistance Program.
Final Report: Recipients may be required to assist with a brief written report upon completion of the grant funded project or activity that summarizes results and certifies that grant funds were used as intended.
Compliance: Grant recipients who do not comply with award requirements established by Deschutes County may be subject to repaying funds received and may become ineligible for future funding consideration.
For additional information about this BLM Community Fire Assistance Application, please contact,
Kevin Moriarty, County Forester at 541-322-7117 or forester@deschutes.org
