Community Resiliency Investment grant criteria expanded

Courtesy of the Government of BC:

In response to feedback from Indigenous communities and local governments, the Province continues to improve the criteria for Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) program grants.

These grants fund eligible wildfire risk reduction projects in the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports category.

The primary goal of the CRI program is to reduce wildfire risks and wildfire impacts in B.C. communities. Indigenous communities and local governments can use CRI grants to undertake wildfire risk reduction and fire prevention activities, including those on public, reserve and private land.

“Reducing wildfire threats is a crucial part of the BC Wildfire Service’s mandate,” said the Hon. Doug Donaldson, BC's Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. “The Community Resiliency Investment program is committed to continuous improvement and has made its funding criteria more flexible and more responsive to community needs.”

Changes to the program’s criteria and eligible activities for the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports category will be in effect for the 2021 application intake and include the following (see backgrounder for additional changes):

• Regional districts may now submit a single application for eligible, collaborative FireSmart projects that include multiple electoral areas. The maximum base funding (i.e., $50,000 or $150,000, depending on the demonstrated wildfire risk) may be increased by up to $50,000 for each electoral area included in the application.
• The grant amount for eligible applicants facing a lower wildfire risk has been increased from a maximum of $25,000 to a maximum of $50,000. 
• The new Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan supplemental instruction guide and template are now available to help communities assess wildfire risks and guide their risk reduction activities. The new template is a result of a comprehensive review of the government’s approach to community wildfire resiliency planning, conducted by the BC FireSmart Committee and the BC Wildfire Service.

The Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) administers the $60-million Firesmart Community Funding and Supports category of the Community Resiliency Investment program. UBCM processes grant applications in partnership with the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, and the First Nations’ Emergency Services Society of B.C.

The application intake for the FireSmart Community Funding and Supports category is open and runs until Oct. 9, 2020. Program materials and information about how to apply are available on UBCM's website: www.ubcm.ca/cri

Backgrounder on this announcement can be read here