Defensible Space Project - Napa Communities Firewise Foundation

Thank you for your interest in the NCFF Model Defensible Space Program

If you have found your way to this site, we hope that means that you are interested in managing the vegetation around your home to make it safer in the event of wildfires. This program is available to Napa County residents in or near High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity zones. We are offering to reimburse residents for 50% of the cost of new qualifying defensible space projects, up to a maximum of $3,500 per property. Our funding is limited, so we will score projects on a set of objective criteria and notify the applicant as soon as a project is qualified. We hope to fund projects to be done before the 2023 fire season, so sign up soon. To learn more about this program, please see our FAQ.

Just answer the question below and click the SUBMIT button to get started.

Name(Required)

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Add me to your mailing list to stay up to date on wildfire preparation

Are you interested in applying for NCFF's Defensible Space Grant Funding for work on your property?(Required)

If you are not interested in our grant program but want to learn more about what you can do to help save your home from the effects of wildfires, we’ll take you to CAL FIRE’s Defensible Space Self-Assessment.

Yes, I would like to apply for funding

No, I would like to take the survey only

Is your property within Napa County?(Required)

Yes

This program is only available to properties located in Napa County.

Cost Share FAQ

Napa Communities Firewise Foundation (Napa Firewise), through grants from CalFire and the California Fire Safe Council, is providing financial assistance to residents of Napa County to prepare the property around their homes to better withstand wildfires. We have limited funding available, so please apply as soon as possible.

Who is eligible?
- Residents of Napa County living whose property is in or within 1 mile of the High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones under either the 2007 or the 2022 maps
Why does it apply only to properties in or close to the High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones
- Because those properties are at the greatest risk from wildfire, and reducing the risk to them, also reduces the risk to the surrounding community
What is the process to apply?
- Complete and submit the Self-Assessment Survey
- Once submitted, if you qualify, you will be contacted to schedule a complimentary professional assessment of your property
- Within a day or 2 after your assessment takes place you will receive an email with instructions to log into the Defensible Space Grant portal where you will find your report with prioritized recommendations for making your property safer from wildfire (check your spam folder a couple of days after the assessment, if you don’t see the email from Fire Aside, the software company who is hosting the portal)
- After reviewing your report, click on the Grants tab (at the top of the page) to select which recommendations you would like to do to improve your property, and click the ”Submit” button to submit your application for reimbursement funding
- Increase your chances of selection by getting your neighbors to apply with you on a joint project
- The NCFF team will review all Applications and choose the ones that we think will be the most beneficial for the safety of Napa County
Can I get reimbursed for work I’ve already done?
- No, this grant reimburses only for work that you pay to have done
What is the maximum reimbursement?
- Up to $3,500. The reimbursement provided by Napa Firewise is 50% of the qualifying invoices submitted by the resident up to a maximum of $3500. (If resident participated in this program earlier, resident may participate now and be reimbursed for invoices for new work up to a maximum of the difference between $3,500 and the amount resident received previously.)
What proof do I need to submit to get reimbursed?
- Receipts for work conducted by a qualified contractor and photos showing the completed work will be required for reimbursement.
How quickly will I get reimbursed?
- As soon as we get your documentation and have an opportunity to verify the work, we will begin to process your reimbursement payment. However, because this is funded by a grant, there is often a lag time between our approval of the payment and the availability of funds to actually issue the check.
Will all applications be funded?
- No, we do not have sufficient grant money to fund all applications that we anticipate, we will select projects based on objective criteria and ranking
How do you determine which applications to fund?
- Applications will be evaluated based on criteria including your location’s Fire Hazard Risk Zone, the type and density of surrounding vegetation, proximity to a High or Very High Fire Hazard Risk Zone, and income, age, or disability status.
Is there anything I can do to increase my chances of getting funded?
- Apply with your neighbors or encourage them to apply; we will give priority to otherwise eligible projects that cover multiple properties or a single neighborhood