Opportunity Information: Apply for DOI GRANTS 011504 009
Apply for DOI GRANTS 011504 009
- The Fish and Wildlife Service in the disaster prevention and relief sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rural Fire Assistance (RFA)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.228 National Fire Plan Wildland Urban Interface Community Fire Assistance.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 21, 2009 and posted on May 21, 2009.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 12, 2009. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $20,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Must have past or current agreement with Department of the Interior. Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education. State government. County government. City or Township governments.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Rural Fire Assistance (RFA) grant opportunity is a Department of the Interior (DOI) continuation grant program intended to strengthen rural fire protection and wildfire readiness, especially in areas where communities meet wildlands. In practical terms, it is designed to help rural fire departments and their partners reduce wildfire risk, improve response capability, and better protect residents and infrastructure in the wildland-urban interface (often called the WUI), where homes and businesses are close to forest, brush, or grassland fuels. The program also emphasizes cooperative fire protection where local departments play a meaningful role in safeguarding nearby federal lands.
To fit the core purpose of the program, applicants generally need to be involved in protecting rural WUI communities, demonstrate that they provide substantial cooperative support for protecting federal lands, and be recognized as cooperators with DOI-managed lands. That cooperator relationship is typically established through cooperative agreements with DOI agencies (or through equivalent arrangements routed through a state, tribal, or similar governmental entity). Another key eligibility condition is community size: the program is targeted to jurisdictions serving populations under 10,000. The announcement notes that additional eligibility guidance is available through the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) website at http://www.nifc.gov/rfa, which is where applicants would confirm the finer points and any program-specific definitions.
The opportunity is administered under DOI GRANTS 011504 009, titled Rural Fire Assistance (RFA). It is categorized as a continuation opportunity and uses a grant as the funding instrument. The funded activity aligns with Disaster Prevention and Relief, and it is listed under CFDA 15.228, National Fire Plan, Wildland Urban Interface Community Fire Assistance. Cost sharing or matching is not required, which means applicants are not obligated to provide a financial match as a condition of award, though programs like this sometimes still allow leveraging other resources or in-kind support depending on the project.
Funding levels are relatively modest and geared toward targeted improvements rather than large capital projects. The maximum award (award ceiling) is listed as $20,000, with an award floor of $0, indicating there is no stated minimum grant size. The posting date and creation date are both May 21, 2009, and the closing date is June 12, 2009 (both the original and current closing dates are the same in the source). Because the opportunity is presented as a continuation item, it may be part of a recurring program cycle where similar funding rounds appear periodically, but applicants would rely on the specific year’s announcement for final deadlines and requirements.
Eligible applicants include entities described as "Others" with additional clarification provided in the eligibility text. Specifically, eligibility includes organizations and governments that meet the program conditions and have a past or current agreement with the Department of the Interior. The eligible applicant types listed include nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), as well as state governments, county governments, and city or township governments. While the program description focuses heavily on rural fire departments and cooperative fire protection, the eligibility list suggests that the applying organization might be the fire department itself where allowed, or a sponsoring/partner governmental unit or qualifying nonprofit that can apply on behalf of rural fire protection efforts, depending on how the local department is legally organized and how the DOI cooperative relationship is documented.
Two DOI agencies are named in connection with the opportunity: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service, reflecting the DOI land management context in which many rural fire departments operate and coordinate. The announcement also provides an additional information link described as the Department of the Interior’s Rural Fire Assistance Program. For direct assistance, the contact listed is Michael Smith, Fire Management Specialist and Fish and Wildlife Service RFA coordinator, reachable by phone at 208-387-5831, with the note that applicants having trouble accessing the full announcement electronically can contact him.
Overall, this grant is best understood as a small, focused source of federal support for rural communities that face wildfire exposure and that actively coordinate with DOI land units. It prioritizes places where local fire resources are closely tied to federal-land fire protection needs, and it channels funding to help those local partners improve readiness, prevention, and WUI community protection without imposing a formal match requirement.
Rural Fire Assistance (RFA) Grant - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Rural Fire Assistance (RFA) grant program?
The Rural Fire Assistance (RFA) program is a Department of the Interior (DOI) continuation grant program intended to strengthen rural fire protection and wildfire readiness. It is especially focused on the wildland-urban interface (WUI), where homes and businesses are close to forest, brush, or grassland fuels, and where wildfire risk can be high.
What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The program is designed to help rural fire departments and their partners reduce wildfire risk, improve response capability, and better protect residents and infrastructure in WUI communities. It also emphasizes cooperative fire protection where local departments play a meaningful role in safeguarding nearby federal lands.
What types of communities does the program prioritize?
The RFA program targets rural jurisdictions serving populations under 10,000 and places emphasis on communities in the WUI (areas where development meets wildland fuels).
What is meant by the "wildland-urban interface (WUI)" in this program?
In this context, the WUI refers to areas where homes and businesses are located close to vegetative fuels such as forests, brush, or grasslands. These settings are often associated with elevated wildfire exposure and response challenges.
Who is generally expected to apply for RFA funding?
Applicants generally need to be involved in protecting rural WUI communities, demonstrate substantial cooperative support for protecting federal lands, and be recognized as cooperators with DOI-managed lands. While the description strongly centers on rural fire departments, eligible applicants may also include sponsoring or partner entities that meet the eligibility conditions and can apply on behalf of rural fire protection efforts (depending on how the local department is legally organized and how DOI cooperation is documented).
What does it mean to be a "cooperator" with DOI-managed lands?
A cooperator relationship is typically established through cooperative agreements with DOI agencies or through equivalent arrangements routed through a state, tribal, or similar governmental entity. The program expects applicants to be recognized as cooperators and to provide meaningful cooperative support for protecting federal lands.
Is there a population limit for eligibility?
Yes. The opportunity is targeted to jurisdictions serving populations under 10,000.
Where can applicants find additional eligibility guidance?
Additional eligibility guidance is referenced as being available through the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) website at http://www.nifc.gov/rfa. Applicants are expected to confirm finer points and any program-specific definitions there.
What federal department administers this opportunity?
This is a Department of the Interior (DOI) grant opportunity administered under DOI GRANTS 011504 009, titled Rural Fire Assistance (RFA).
Is this a new grant competition or a continuation opportunity?
The opportunity is categorized as a continuation opportunity.
What type of funding instrument is used?
The funding instrument listed for this opportunity is a grant.
What is the CFDA number and program title associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 15.228, National Fire Plan, Wildland Urban Interface Community Fire Assistance.
What activity category does this funding align with?
The funded activity aligns with Disaster Prevention and Relief.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. Cost sharing or matching is not required as a condition of award.
How much funding can an applicant request?
The award ceiling (maximum award) is listed as $20,000.
Is there a minimum award amount?
The award floor is listed as $0, which indicates no stated minimum grant size.
When was this opportunity posted?
The posting date is May 21, 2009. The creation date is also listed as May 21, 2009.
What is the application deadline?
The closing date is June 12, 2009 (the original and current closing dates are the same in the source information).
Which types of applicants are eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include entities described as "Others" (with further clarification provided in the eligibility text). The eligible applicant types listed include:
- Nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education)
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
Eligibility also includes organizations and governments that meet the program conditions and have a past or current agreement with the Department of the Interior.
Does a nonprofit have to be a 501(c)(3) to be eligible?
The eligible applicant types explicitly include nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status, and the listing excludes institutions of higher education.
Do applicants need an existing relationship or agreement with DOI?
Yes. The eligibility description indicates that eligible applicants include organizations and governments that meet the program conditions and have a past or current agreement with the Department of the Interior, typically through cooperative agreements or equivalent arrangements.
Which DOI agencies are named in connection with the opportunity?
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service are named in connection with the opportunity.
Is there an official program page for additional information?
The announcement references an additional information link described as the Department of the Interior's Rural Fire Assistance Program, and it also points applicants to the NIFC website at http://www.nifc.gov/rfa for eligibility guidance.
Who is the listed point of contact for this opportunity?
The contact listed is Michael Smith, Fire Management Specialist and Fish and Wildlife Service RFA coordinator.
How can applicants contact the program for help?
Applicants can contact Michael Smith by phone at 208-387-5831. The announcement notes that applicants having trouble accessing the full announcement electronically can contact him.
What is the opportunity best suited for, based on the funding size?
Based on the listed award ceiling of $20,000, the program is positioned as a relatively modest source of support geared toward targeted improvements rather than large capital projects, with an emphasis on readiness, prevention, response capability, and WUI community protection tied to cooperative federal-land fire protection needs.
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