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Community Resiliency Investment Program – Columbia Basin Wildfire Resiliency Initiative

Does your organization or community have a project idea that will build your community’s resilience to wildfire? The Community Resiliency Investment Program – Columbia Basin Wildfire Resiliency Initiative supports Basin communities to build capacity and strengthens wildfire resilience and wildfire risk reduction as it relates to the seven FireSmart™ disciplines.

The initiative is a partnership between the Province of BC and Columbia Basin Trust, developed with the BC Wildfire Service. The Trust is administering this program on behalf of the partners.

To be eligible for funding, projects must align with at least one of the broad categories described below:

  • activities related to the seven FireSmart disciplines working towards wildfire resiliency, including the establishment of Community FireSmart and Resiliency Committees under the FireSmart umbrella
  • fuel management demonstration and innovation projects on provincial Crown land and adjacent local government-owned land and/or First Nations land
  • planning for the application of cultural and prescribed fire on local government-owned land and/or First Nations land
  • capacity-building activities at the local level so that communities may become more empowered to manage wildfire interface risks and implement community-led solutions

Applicants must be located in Columbia Basin Trust’s region.

Eligible applicants include:

  • Registered non-profits from communities with identified wildfire risk reduction need
  • Legally incorporated society-run fire departments and brigades
  • First Nations
  • Post-secondary institutions
  • Local governments (municipalities or regional districts)
  1. Download and review the Program Guide.
  2. Review the Application Guide for direction and advice on how to complete the application form.
  3. Use the Worksheet to develop your application offline if you so choose.
  4. Review the Application Submission Checklist for recommendations on what to include alongside your completed application form.
  5. Prepare all your supporting documents for upload. You may upload up to six files through the online application form. To submit more than six documents or if your documents are cumulatively more than 3 MB, email them to wildfire@ourtrust.org.
  6. Complete the online application form.

If you have any questions about the application process, or would like to submit a paper application, contact the Trust at wildfire@ourtrust.org or 1.800.505.8998.

Eligible applicants are invited to join the Trust’s Wildfire Advisors and the BC Wildfire Service for an information session to learn more about this program on June 22, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 11:00 a.m. MT.

RSVP here.

Eligible applicants must submit an application for new projects by Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at 2:00 PM PT / 3:00 PM MT. Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted.

Yes! We encourage you to contact a Wildfire Advisor to discuss your project as you develop it and ensure it meets program requirements. Email us at wildfire@ourtrust.org to connect with an advisor.

Rural communities, unincorporated areas and First Nations communities may be eligible to receive more in-depth advisory and project development support. Contact wildfire@ourtrust.org or 1.800.505.8998 for more information.

These projects may not reflect our current funding priorities. If your organization is based outside the Basin, we will consider your project if it involves a significant partnership with a Basin community or organization.