MT Wildland Urban Interface Community Fire Assistance | L19AS00020

Opportunity Information: Apply for L19AS00020

The MT Wildland Urban Interface Community Fire Assistance opportunity is a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) cooperative agreement program designed to help Montana communities reduce the risk and impacts of catastrophic wildfire where homes and infrastructure meet or mix with wildlands (the Wildland Urban Interface, or WUI). It sits under the broader National Fire Plan, created in 2001 to support communities considered at high risk from severe wildfires, and it also aligns with Department of the Interior direction in Secretarial Order 3372, which emphasizes active land management to better protect people, communities, watersheds, wildlife habitat, and to support recovery of fire-damaged landscapes. The central idea is to combine on-the-ground fuels work with community planning, education, and long-term upkeep so that communities become more fire-adapted and landscapes become more resilient.

The grant focuses heavily on hazardous fuels reduction, meaning projects that lower the amount or arrangement of burnable vegetation and other fuels that can drive intense fire behavior. The program allows fuels reduction using multiple approaches, including mechanical treatments (such as thinning or mowing), prescribed fire, chemical methods, biological methods, and other appropriate techniques. These activities can occur on federal land or on adjacent nonfederal land when the work helps mitigate wildfire threats to communities and natural resources in high-risk areas. In addition to vegetation work, the program supports structural and landscape modifications intended to create survivable space, essentially improving the area around structures so firefighters can operate more safely and so homes are less likely to ignite.

A major portion of the opportunity is about building local capacity rather than only funding one-time treatments. Applicants can propose community programs that strengthen local wildfire preparedness through mitigation and prevention activities, fire education, training, and community action plans. This can include developing or supporting planning and zoning ordinances that improve wildfire safety, and running public education efforts that promote practical steps like managing combustible vegetation, preventing structural ignition (for example, addressing ember entry points and flammable materials near buildings), and creating and maintaining defensible or survivable space around homes and neighborhoods.

The program also explicitly supports community wildfire risk assessment and planning. Eligible projects may document local wildfire threats, develop or maintain a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) that identifies actions needed to reduce risk, and define the monitoring and maintenance requirements necessary for long-term protection. This emphasis signals that BLM is looking for projects that show a clear understanding of local risk and a realistic path to sustaining benefits over time, not just short-term reductions in fuels.

Another strategic goal is strengthening community capability in ways that can expand local and small business employment opportunities. Projects may recruit eligible participants, provide business development training, and supply practical resources such as transportation, tools, supplies, and equipment. Funding can also help create or support employment opportunities that use local supplies and services, tying wildfire risk reduction to workforce development and local economic activity where feasible.

Long-term monitoring and maintenance is treated as a core requirement rather than an afterthought. Proposals are expected to include both short- and long-term plans for monitoring and maintaining hazardous fuels reduction work, community fire education and training efforts, and broader community action programs. This reflects the reality that fuels grow back, community turnover happens, and preparedness can fade without consistent reinforcement. The program is structured to encourage applicants to build maintenance into the project design so that risk reduction gains persist.

All projects submitted under this opportunity must clearly state how they benefit the public. The program also notes key governing authorities and guidance that may shape project design and compliance, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and related BLM guidance (BLM Handbook 1790-1). In addition, it references BLM Instruction Memorandum IM-2018-008 concerning Good Neighbor Authority (GNA). Under GNA, only state governments, counties, and Indian Tribes are eligible, and those projects come with special requirements and restrictions. The notice highlights that GNA can authorize sole-source partnerships with eligible entities and allow subcontracting under the partner’s procedures, which can affect how project work is structured and procured.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, using a cooperative agreement instrument (meaning BLM expects a more substantial level of federal involvement than a typical grant). The opportunity number is L19AS00020, listed under CFDA 15.228, within the Natural Resources activity category. The posted award ceiling is $2,000,000, with an expectation of around 20 awards. Eligibility is described as unrestricted (open to any type of entity), although the text clarifies special limitations for GNA-related work. The application window ran from April 24, 2019 to June 22, 2019, with two due dates: a first round due May 23, 2019 and a second round due June 22, 2019, both at 4:30 PM Eastern Time.

• The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management in the natural resources sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "MT Wildland Urban Interface Community Fire Assistance" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.228.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 24, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 22, 2019 Open from April 24, 2019 - June 22, 2019, 430 PM EST Round One - Applications Due May 23, 2019, 430 PM EST Round Two - Applications Due June 22, 2019, 430 PM EST. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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