Grants
2023 FireSmart Community Funding & Supports
Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM)Description
FireSmart Community Funding & Supports The FireSmart Community Funding & Supports program provides funding to local governments and First Nations in BC to increase community resiliency by undertaking community-based FireSmartTM 1 planning and activities that reduce the community’s risk from wildfire. To date, 219 eligible applicants have received funding, including 100 First Nations and 119 local governments. The First Nations’ Emergency Services Society (FNESS), the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC) and the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) are working with the Ministry of Forests (Ministry) to deliver the FireSmart Community Funding & Supports program. New in 2023 - The program is structured to fund FireSmart activities in eligible communities throughout BC. Base funding is scaled to offer eligible applicants with lower risk of wildfire, generally demonstrated by Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Risk Class 4 and 5, to apply for up to $100,000 per application, and applicants with a higher risk of wildfire, generally demonstrated by WUI Risk Class 1 to 3, to apply for up to $200,000 per application. Information on determining risk is provided in Appendix 2.
Eligibility
All local governments (municipalities and regional districts) and First Nations (bands, Treaty First Nations, and Indigenous National Governments with authority for lands and resources) in BC are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants can submit one application per intake, including regional applications or participation as a partnering applicant in a regional application.
Funding
New in 2023
Base Funding:
Eligible applicants with a lower risk of wildfire, generally demonstrated by WUI Risk Class 4 and 5, can apply for 100% of the cost of eligible activities to a maximum of $100,000 per application. Eligible applicants with a higher risk of wildfire, generally demonstrated by WUI Risk Class 1, 2 and 3, can apply for 100% of the cost of eligible activities to a maximum of $200,000 per application. Information on determining risk is provided in Appendix 2.
Additional Funding
There are two opportunities to apply for additional funding:
1. Applications from regional districts may exceed the base funding maximum in order to fund FireSmart activities only in one or more electoral areas. Refer to Section 4 for more information.
2. Applications that include fuel management on Provincial Crown land within municipal boundaries, regional district parks or First Nations land and that include contiguous, logical treatment units that extend onto the Crown land base may exceed the base funding maximum for fuel management activities on Provincial Crown Land only provided that:
a. Fuel management activities are adjacent to community structures, and
b. Fuel management activities extend no further than one-kilometre from the structure density class greater than 6