How Frontera walks clients through the grant application process to reduce headaches and maximize funding.
Applications for CRI Wildfire Funding Opening Soon
The 2024 intake for UBCM's Community Resiliency Investment (CRI) is set to open on October 1st, 2023. The program was announced by the provincial government in 2018 to help reduce risk of wildfires and mitigate their impacts on BC communities.
The FireSmart Community Funding & Supports (FCFS) program is the first stream of CRI, designed to provide wildfire funding to local governments and First Nations in BC to increase community resiliency by undertaking community-based FireSmart planning and activities.
How Frontera Helps Get Wildfire Funding for Your Community
The CRI application process can be complex, time consuming and hard to understand. At Frontera, we have multiple years of experience navigating the paperwork and bureaucracy.
We also maintain long-standing relationships with the British Columbia Wildfire Service (BCWS) and the First Nations' Emergency Services Society (FNESS), both of which are involved in reviewing wildfire funding applications for CRI.
Navigating the CRI Wildfire Funding Process with Frontera
Here's how we help your community through the application process from start to finish:
Determine your community's risk class and eligibility The higher your community's risk class, the more money you're eligible to receive. When applicable, Frontera will advocate for a community to be considered in a higher risk class, and therefore be eligible for more funding. We always fight for our clients to get as much support as possible.
Mapping services CRI requires PDF maps and KML files of community AOI (area of interest) and hectares of eligible WUI (wildland urban interface). Our experienced GIS team is adept at following guidelines to put everything together quickly and efficiently.
Background & supporting documents We put together all the required supporting documents, such as previous CWRP/CWPP, FMPs to support treatment, FireSmart plans or assessments, etc.
Work with your community Frontera works with your community to determine the best activities to apply for based on your risk and any past wildfire/FireSmart work. We develop budgets for all line items, including more complex budgets such as hiring a FireSmart coordinator and critical infrastructure mitigation work.
Manage correspondence All applications must be developed in collaboration with BCWS (for local governments) or FNESS (for First Nations). We take the lead on all relevant correspondence, reviews and revisions by proactively reaching out to the appropriate organization for advice and revisions. This can involve lengthy email chains, phone calls, etc.
Ongoing revisions We carry out any and all required revisions and continue correspondence with UBCM until the application is approved. If needed, we go to bat for our clients to advocate for a better funding outcome.
Post-approval meetings Once approved, we are happy to support the community by attending post-approval meetings. We're experienced at providing ongoing support and education to multiple levels of your community.
Final reporting When CRI final reporting is due, we're happy to continue assisting your community to ensure all your documents are submitted.
Get Started With Frontera
Our experienced staff is ready to take the lead and ensure your community receives the maximum funding it is eligible for. Due to the intensive nature of the work, this year we'll be taking on clients in phases in order to meet demand while continuing to deliver the highest quality service.
Submit our brief contact form to secure your spot and book a free consultation meeting with our team. We'll review your community's risk class and funding eligibility, determine remaining risks or concerns, and provide recommendations about which grant activities to pursue.
To date, we've helped BC communities in need receive over $2 million in grant funding. We're here to help your community receive the support it needs to help reduce its risk from wildfire in the years ahead.
Frontera Forest Solutions is a forestry consultancy located in North Vancouver, British Columbia. With clients all around Western Canada, Frontera specializes in helping communities develop wildfire resiliency though innovative forest management an urban forestry, grant writing and training and curriculum development.
To explore how we can work with your community, reach out here.