Report: Wildfire grant program largely meeting goals, but some communities need a hand

Boise State Public Radio News | By Murphy Woodhouse

Published June 22, 2023 at 9:05 AM MDT

A firefighter keeps an eye on a May prescribed fire in Colorado

In the first of five expected rounds of grant applications, the federal government awarded nearly $180 million to communities across the country to fund projects to reduce wildfire risk. Montana-based Headwaters Economics evaluated how well that first round met the goals of prioritizing high-risk, low-income and disaster-impacted communities. The short answer is pretty well, but there’s still room for improvement, especially when it comes to poorer communities with limited local government staff.

In the first of five expected rounds of grant applications, the federal government awarded nearly $180 million to communities across the country to fund projects to reduce wildfire risk. Montana-based Headwaters Economics evaluated how well that first round met the goals of prioritizing high-risk, low-income and disaster-impacted communities. The short answer is pretty well, but there’s still room for improvement, especially when it comes to poorer communities with limited local government staff.