2025-2026 Forest Restoration & Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program

The Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program (FRWRM) is administered by the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) and was established in 2017 through Senate Bill 17-050. This legislation consolidated the previous Colorado Forest Restoration Grant Program and the Wildfire Risk Reduction Grant Program. In 2021, the Colorado General Assembly expanded the program’s scope and funding. The FRWRM program is a competitive, cost-share grant supporting community-level actions to reduce wildfire risk to people, property, and infrastructure in Colorado’s wildland-urban interface (WUI) while promoting forest health, restoration, and utilization of woody material for forest products and biomass energy. The program offers two project types: Fuels and Forest Health projects, and Capacity Building projects. Fuels and Forest Health projects focus on reducing wildfire risk through activities such as defensible space creation, mechanical thinning, prescribed fire, slash disposal, competition reduction among trees, invasive species control, and replanting in deforested areas. Capacity Building projects aim to enhance local ability to plan and implement fuels and forest health projects, such as through equipment acquisition, outreach, project prioritization, prescription development, and increased staffing. All projects must be located within Colorado, benefit more than one property, and be ready to begin work within the first year after award. Eligible applicants include local community groups, local governments, public or private utilities, state agencies, nonprofit groups, and individual property owners working with an eligible entity. Applicants must serve or designate a fiscal agent registered with the IRS, ensure participating landowners agree to program requirements, and comply with environmental laws and Colorado Forestry Best Management Practices. Projects involving federal lands must meet continuity and acreage limits. Applicants must coordinate with county officials and include letters of support. Additional program preferences include partnerships with youth or veterans’ groups, protection of water supplies, leveraged financial resources, and alignment with local wildfire risk reduction measures. Approximately $7,040,000 is available for the 2025–2026 cycle, with up to $2 million allocated for Capacity Building projects. Funding requests require a minimum 1:1 match (50%), reduced to 25% for projects in areas of fewer economic resources. Eligible match contributions can be cash or in-kind, including volunteer labor valued at $38.74 per hour in 2026. Applicants must confirm match and participating landowners before applying. Award recipients will be reimbursed for actual costs after CSFS inspection, documentation, and reporting requirements are met. Revenue or cost offsets must be disclosed. The 2025–2026 timeline is as follows: Request for Applications release on August 1, 2025; application deadline October 9, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. MDT; anticipated pre-award date February 11, 2026; final award and project start March 31, 2026; project completion deadline March 31, 2030. Applications must be submitted electronically to the local CSFS Field Office as a zipped file containing the application and all required documents. Hard copies will not be accepted. The Technical Advisory Panel scores applications and recommends funding to the State Forester, who makes final award decisions. Supporting resources include mapping instructions, technical guidelines, and connections to relevant programs and associations.