California Awards $19.5 Million for Multi-benefit Wildfire Resilience Projects Across the State

California state boards and conservancies are continuing to distribute funding in all reaches of the state to protect communities and promote wildfire and landscape resilience. 

June 5, 2026 – Sierra Nevada Conservancy Awards $4.5 Million in Wildfire Resilience and Recreation Grants: The Sierra Nevada Conservancy approved nearly $1.5 million to new early action wildfire-resilience projects and just over $3 million projects to help boost recreation and tourism in the Sierra-Cascade. 

• • In Nevada County, the city of Grass Valley was awarded $720,000 to treat approximately 240 acres of forested land in Wolf Creek, Boston Ravine, and other locations in the southernmost portion of the town.
  • The Mariposa County Fire Safe Council was awarded $756,179 to reduce fuels on 192 acres in the southwest region of Mariposa County near the communities of Ahwahnee, Nipinnawasee, and Ponderosa Basin.
  • $3,153,998 in funding from the Sustainable Recreation, Tourism, and Equitable Outdoor Access Directed Grant Program will help with planning and implementing of work to improve and restore trails and facilities in Butte, Kern, Mono, Nevada, Placer, Tehama, and Trinity counties.

June 2, 2026 – Rivers and Mountains Conservancy Awards $7 Million to Wildfire Resilience Projects in the LA Area: The San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC) Governing Board awarded over $12 million across four projects. These projects will increase wildfire resilience in some of the highest need areas within the RMC’s territory ahead of wildfire season, provide safe-healthy passage, and increase biodiversity across South Bay Cities. The projects include: 

• • $3,520,000 to the National Forest Foundation for San Gabriel Mountains Wildfire Resilience Project which will implement hazardous fuel reduction on priority sites across the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. 
  • $1,600,000 to the South Bay Council of Governments for the South Bay Biodiversity Plan and Demonstration project which will deliver actionable biodiversity recommendations for local governments and educate residents, while advancing co-benefits such as water conservation, stormwater capture, heat mitigation, and habitat restoration. 
  • $2,238,000 to the Catalina Island Conservancy for Pre-Fire Intervention and Nature-Based Solutions Project to reduce wildfire risk and create buffer zones on Catalina Island.

May 28, 2026 – CA Wildlife Conservation Board Approves $8 Million for a Multi-Benefit Project in Alpine County: The Wildland Conservation Board (WCB) awarded an $8 million grant to Western Rivers Conservancy and Alpine County to acquire 1,688 acres near Markleeville to increase wildfire resilience, protect wet meadows, springs, riparian habitat, mixed conifer forest and sage-steppe in the Eastern Sierra. Alpine County will manage the property for conservation, including continued grazing to help reduce fuel loads and support wildfire resilience, and year-round public access, including hiking, fishing, hunting and winter recreation.