The Hazard Fuels Reduction Grant Program (HFR), administered by the Idaho Department of Lands and funded by the USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry branch, is designed to support fire risk mitigation efforts on non-federal, non-industrial forest lands in Idaho. Its primary objective is to reduce the risk and severity of wildfires by treating or reducing hazardous fuels. This program is closely aligned with the Western States Fire Managers grant program but has key differences including a federal project adjacency requirement and unique restrictions on educational components.
The HFR grant program requires that all funded projects be located within 1.5 miles of a federal project that shares similar fire mitigation objectives. Additionally, any proposed education components must be tied directly to the specific project area and cannot be general outreach or fire awareness programs. A major advantage of this program is that it does not require matching funds, although leveraging external funding sources is strongly encouraged to strengthen applications.
Eligible applicants include state, county, and local government agencies, nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, federally recognized Tribes, and educational institutions. Individual private landowners are not permitted to apply directly. Projects must also be identified in a County Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP), Hazard Mitigation Plan, or similar document, and coordination with the local CWPP authority is mandatory.
The grant cycle opens annually in the Fall or Winter, with a submission deadline typically in late Winter or early Spring. For FY25, the program was announced in January 2025, and applications were due via email by March 7, 2025. Interested applicants were encouraged to attend an informational webinar and are required to submit a proposal packet consisting of a signed acknowledgement form, a project proposal form, and a budget development guide.
Contact for the program is Isabella Pritchard, the Grants Project Coordinator at IDL. Awarded projects are expected to be notified by October or November following submission, and grant agreements are executed shortly thereafter. While the program is currently closed, it operates on an annual cycle and is expected to reopen in Winter 2026.
Projects that meet the federal adjacency requirement and demonstrate clear alignment with a CWPP are more likely to be competitive.
