2021 Post-Fire Recovery Grants

Note: all funding for the 2021 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program has been allocated.

Background

During the 2022 Oregon Legislative Session, OWEB received funding to provide grants to support natural resource recovery in areas impacted during the 2021 fire season. These grants are supported by General Funds and support on-the-ground implementation activities including soil stabilization and erosion control, detection and treatment for invasive species, reseeding and replanting, instream habitat restoration, and culvert repair or replacement. The total program allocation for these grants is $5,000,000.

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.

The legislative intent for these grants prioritizes work on non-federal lands (e.g., private, state, and tribal lands). County lands are eligible for this funding. On a case-by-case basis and in coordination with work on prioritized non-federal lands, use of a very modest portion of funds on federal lands may be considered as part of an all-lands approach to address priority post-fire recovery concerns. However, applicants must contact OWEB to discuss this topic prior to submitting a grant application.

Grant Program Structure

The following fire areas are eligible for the OWEB 2021 Post-Fire Recovery Grants:

• Big Meadow Fire
• Black Butte Fire
• Bootleg Fire
• Cougar Peak Fire Fire
• Devils Knob Complex Fire
• Elbow Creek Fire
• Grandview Fire
• Joseph Canyon Fire
• Patton Meadow Fire
• Rattlesnake Fire
• Rough Patch Complex Fire
• S-503 Fire
• Skyline Ridge Fire Complex
• Wrentham Market Fire

(Note: in areas where multiple eligible fires are adjacent to each other, applicants may apply for work to occur in more than one fire footprint.)

OWEB’s 2021 Post-Fire Recovery Grants prioritize on-the-ground restoration efforts for natural resources recovery. Late-stage project design and permitting are eligible if they are proposed as part of an implementation project, however, are not eligible as stand-alone activities. 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 soil burn severity, vegetation mortality, erosion risk, habitat complexity, or fish passage barriers, to name a few. Examples of assessments and analyses with this information include federal, tribal, and local assessments that document the 2021 post-fire impacts. Applicants are encouraged to consult OWEB staff prior to submitting applications to ensure adherence to eligibility criteria and discuss budget considerations.

The funding source for these grants is General Funds provided during the 2022 Legislative Session. These funds typically have a 2-year lifespan. While OWEB will request authority from the Oregon Legislature to extend the lifespan for these funds, all funding must be obligated during the 2021-23 biennium (i.e., before June 30, 2023).

See the OWEB 2021 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program Guidance document below for more specific information about allowable activities and program criteria.

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 2021 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 2021 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program, and outlines important considerations for this grant program.

OWEB Guidance on Budgeting in Grants (GoBig) document for the 2021 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 2021 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.

General Online Application Guidance for OWEB grants
OWEB’s Guidance on Budgeting in Grants (GoBig) document

A recorded webinar was held to review the Post-fire Recovery Grant Program Guidance and answer questions about the program.
2021 Post-Fire Recovery Grants FAQ sheet with questions from the webinar.

Apply for a Grant

The 2021 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 on September 1, 2022, and closed at 5 pm on October 20, 2022.
• The second grant cycle opened on January 13, 2023, with a deadline of 5 pm on February 17, 2023.

Determination of future grant cycles will be made following the close of the current offering.