Did you know that the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority offers two grants opportunities to help residents with expenses related to the creation of defensible space and home hardening? ⁠ One grant is to reimburse home hardening improvements, and other is to reimburse defensible space work. A Defensible Space creates a buffer between a structure and the vegetation that surround it. Home Hardening addresses the most vulnerable components of a structure with building materials and installation techniques that increase resistance to heat, flames, and embers that accompany wildfires. 

Winter is the perfect time to start preparing for fire season around your home. When there is a wild fire, embers can travel from a mile away and can get into the smallest places of your home to easily start a fire. ⁠ ⁠Learn more about these grant opportunities below.

Defensible Space Grant Program Guidelines:
During FY 2021-22, $250,000 in grant funds are available to eligible applicants for parcels in the MWPA jurisdiction, to help offset the cost of creating defensible space, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Once the required documents, including receipts and photos, are submitted for review, residents may receive between $100 (minimum) and $1000 (maximum). There is no match requirement.

Eligibility for the Defensible Space Grant:
MWPA has adopted the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Office of Access and Functional Needs definition for the purposes of determining grant eligibility.

Anyone (or household member) who identifies with at least one of the following groups is eligible to apply:
Chronic conditions or injuries
Limited English proficiency
Older adults (60+)
Transportation disadvantaged (i.e., dependent on public transit)
Physical, developmental or intellectual disabilities
Pregnant women
Children under the age of 18
Low income household, where your combined gross income must be equal to or lower than the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) limits used to determine eligibility for assisted housing programs, calculated on number of people in the household:
1 Person: $97,600
2 People: $111,550
3 People: $125,500
4 People or more: $139,400

Required documentation to apply for the MWPA Defensible Space Grant:
A completed and signed W-9 form
All receipts for work related to the creation of defensible space on your land parcel, as outlined in your last Defensible Space and Home Hardening Evaluation report.
The purchase of equipment and materials is not an eligible expense
Receipts must be for a minimum of $100. Applications for less than $100 will not be accepted.
Receipts should contain items relevant to the project only. Tax will be excluded from the total grant amount if non-related items are purchased.

Receipts must include:
Applicants’ name
Address of the property
Contractor or vendor information
Date and description of the work completed
Proof of payment (such as a copy of a deposited check, credit card statement, Venmo or PayPal printout, or cash receipt).
Photos of the work that has been completed. The reviewer will compare them to photos in your fire inspection report, and use them to assess the requested amount and the receipts.
Applicants who self-identify as low-income households will need to provide a filed 2020 tax form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ
Applicant will be required to sign the MWPA grants program agreement.

Home Hardening Grant Program Guidelines:
During the 2021-22 fiscal year, $250,000 in grant funds are available for land parcels in the MWPA jurisdiction to help offset the cost of home hardening. Grants will be awarded to eligible residents on a first-come, first-serve basis, upon review of the required documentation. The minimum annual award is $100 and the maximum is $500 per year. This grant requires a 50% match from the resident. This means that the applicant must show receipt(s) for between $200 to $1000 to receive between $100 to $500 in home hardening grant funds.  

Eligibility for the Home Hardening Grant:
Anyone can apply without restriction.

Required documentation to apply for the MWPA Home Hardening grant :
A completed and signed W-9.
All receipts for work related to hardening your home, as outlined in your last Defensible Space and Home Hardening Evaluation report.
The purchase of equipment is not an eligible expense. Only the purchase of materials that will be affixed to the structure may be submitted for reimbursement.
Receipts must be for a minimum of $100. Applications for less than $100 will not be accepted.
Receipts should contain items relevant to the project only. Tax will be excluded from the total grant amount if non-related items are purchased.

Receipts must include:
Applicant’s name
Address of the property
Contractor or vendor information
Date and description of the work completed
Proof of payment  (such as a copy of a deposited check, credit card statement, Venmo or PayPal printout, or cash receipt).
Photos of the work that has been completed. The reviewer will compare them to photos in your Defensible Space & Home Hardening Evaluation report, and use them to assess the requested amount and the receipts.
Applicants will be required to sign the MWPA grants program agreement.

Visit www.marinwildfire.org/resident-info/resident-grants for more information.