2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Offering

OWEB now is accepting applications for 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grants. These grants are available for areas impacted by wildfires in 2020. At its October 2021 meeting, the OWEB Board approved receipt of $19.75 million in General Funds for 2020 post-fire recovery grants to be offered during the 2021-2023 biennium.

The deadline for the first grant cycle for the OWEB 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grants is 5 p.m. on January 31, 2022. Information about future grant cycles can be found on the webpage for this grant offering (see link above).

Eligible Fire Affected Areas

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 
• Indian Creek  
• Lionshead Fire  
• Riverside Fire  
• Slater Fire  
• South Obenchain Fire 
• Thielsen Fire 
• White River Fire 

(Note:  Holiday Farm Fire area currently is 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.)

Actions Eligible for Funding

OWEB’s 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grants include two eligible categories of natural resources recovery:

• 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. 
• 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.

Eligible Applicants

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.

Important Considerations for OWEB’s 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grants

Please review the OWEB 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program Overview and Guidance document. This document outlines important information about grant program structure and provides guidance to potential applicants that will help determine if proposed projects are appropriate for the OWEB 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program. Important considerations include, but are not limited to:

• Legislative funding for these grants was provided with the intent that the majority of the grant funding supports on-the-ground natural resources recovery and restoration actions. 
• OWEB strongly encourages local partners to coordinate activities in ways that leverage strengths of the partner organizations (including federally recognized Tribes) and maximizes efficiency and effectiveness of on-the-ground work.  
• Applicants must demonstrate capacity to plan and implement successful restoration actions at scale and over a relatively short timeframe (i.e., potentially as few as 15 months and as long as 3 years). 

Questions?

OWEB will hold an informational Zoom webinar about the 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grants on Monday, November 15 at 1 p.m.

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Pv2l-rI_QK2C039CRj5IeA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

During the webinar, OWEB staff will review the post-fire recovery grant program guidance and invite participants to submit questions via the chat function in Zoom. OWEB staff then will use this feedback to create additional program materials (e.g., a Frequently Asked Questions document).

If you have questions about applying to OWEB’s 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grant Program, visit the 2020 Post-Fire Recovery Grants webpage or contact Renee Davis at renee.davis@oregon.gov.

Thank you for your interest in watershed restoration following the 2020 wildfire season. 

Renee Davis, Deputy Director