Background
During the 2021 Oregon Legislative Session, OWEB received funding to provide grants to support natural resource recovery in areas impacted during the 2020 fire season. These grants are supported by General Funds and have an explicit Legislative intent, per House Bill 5006 (2021). Funding was provided to support on-the-ground implementation activities focusing on
upland and riparian replanting and floodplain restoration.
Grant Program Structure
The following fire areas are eligible for the OWEB 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grants:
- 242 Fire
- Almeda Fire
- Archie Creek Fire
- Beachie Creek Fire
- Brattain Fire
- Echo Mountain Complex Fire
- Holiday Farm Fire
- Indian Creek Fire
- Lionshead Fire
- Riverside Fire
- Slater Fire
- South Obenchain Fire
- Thielsen Fire
- White River Fire
(Note: Holiday Farm Fire area was not eligible for the initial round of the competitive grant offering, due to pass-through funding provided separately by the Oregon Legislature to Eugene Water and Electric Board for natural resources recovery.)
OWEB’s 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grants include two eligible categories of natural resources recovery:
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2020 Post-fire Upland and Riparian Replanting: Eligible activities include restoration of riparian and upland areas via replanting. Comprehensive replanting projects—including site preparation, planting, and plant stewardship—are eligible for this grant offering. Applications must demonstrate how proposed areas for natural resources recovery work have been identified and prioritized for restoration actions in assessments and/or analyses to address priority erosion and water quality concerns for drinking water supplies, source water areas, and important aquatic habitat.
See the OWEB 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program Guidance document below for more specifics about allowable activities.
-
2020 Post-fire Floodplain Restoration: Eligible activities include floodplain restoration and reconnection activities. Projects should be focused on implementation of floodplain restoration and reconnection projects. Applications must demonstrate how proposed areas for natural resources recovery work have been identified and prioritized for floodplain restoration and reconnection actions in assessments and/or analyses to re-establish hydrologic and ecological functions to address water-quality concerns and reduce post-fire flood risk. See the OWEB 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program Guidance document below for more specifics about allowable activities.
Eligible applicants include tribes, watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, not-for-profit organizations, schools, community colleges, state institutions of higher education, independent not-for-profit institutions of higher education, and political subdivisions of the state that are not state agencies. A state agency or federal agency may apply for funding only as a co-applicant with one of the other eligible entities.
Program Materials
The guidance documents and resources listed below have been developed to help OWEB’s post-fire natural resources recovery partners understand the requirements and processes for this grant program.
OWEB strongly encourages applicants to read the documents below prior to developing a grant application or contacting OWEB staff with questions about this grant program or eligibility.
OWEB 2020
Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program Overview and Guidance: This document outlines important information about grant program structure, provides guidance to potential applicants that will help determine if proposed projects are appropriate for the OWEB 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program, and outlines important considerations for this grant program.
OWEB
Guidance on Budgeting in Grants (GoBig) document for the 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program: This document supplements OWEB’s GoBig document for all grant programs. The items outlined in this supplement are specific to 2020 Post-Fire Recovery grants and different from other grant programs, primarily due to the General Fund source used to fund this program and the Legislative intent for these grants.
Recording of
OWEB 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grants overview webinar, November 15, 2021.
2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grants Frequently Asked Questions.
General Online Application Guidance for OWEB grants.
OWEB’s Guidance on Budgeting in Grants (GoBig) document.
Apply for a Grant
The Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program application cycles are timed as follows, with award decisions to be made within approximately 6 weeks following the application deadline:
- The first grant cycle opened in early November 2021 and closed at 5 p.m. on January 31, 2022.
- The second grant cycle opens on April 1, 2022, with a deadline of 5 p.m. on May 31, 2022. A third grant cycle will open in early August 2022 and close in late August 2022.
- The third grant cycle opens on August 1, 2022, with a deadline of 5 p.m. on August 31st, 2022.
- The fourth grant cycle opens on November 7, 2022, with a deadline of 5 p.m. on January 6th, 2023.
Determination about additional grant cycles will be made following the November 2022 cycle.