Workforce Development Grants (Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program - COSWAP)

Workforce Development Grants (Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program - COSWAP) is sponsored by Colorado Department of Natural Resources (Colorado State Forest Service). This program supports wildfire risk reduction efforts in Colorado. Workforce Development Grants provide supported, entry-level hands-on experience and training opportunities for individuals interested in wildfire mitigation and forestry.

The Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program (COSWAP) is designed to support wildfire risk reduction efforts in Colorado to protect life, property, and infrastructure. COSWAP was created after the devastating 2020 fire season by the Colorado legislature through the bi-partisan supported SB21-258. After a successful grant cycle, the program was permanently funded in the 2023 legislative session.

While housed within the Department of Natural Resources, COSWAP was collaboratively designed by representatives from the Colorado State Forest Service and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control. This partnership helps ensure the program aligns with other state work and priorities. COSWAP supports wildfire risk reduction in Colorado through two programs: Workforce Development Grants and Landscape Resilience Investments.

The Workforce Development Grants provide supported, entry-level hands-on experience and training opportunities for individuals interested in wildfire mitigation and forestry. COSWAP’s Landscape Resilience Investments fund collaboratively developed and strategically focused landscape-scale fuels reduction projects. ### Workforce Development Grant The COSWAP Workforce Development Grant makes two types of awards: crew time and cash grants.

Crew time awards are granted to applicants to implement wildfire mitigation projects that protect life, property and infrastructure. Our crew time partners are the Department of Corrections’ State Wildland Inmate Fire Team (SWIFT) crews and Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) accredited conservation corps crews.

The advantage of crew time awards is that our partners are paid by COSWAP directly to reduce administrative burden on the grantee. Alternatively, grantees who wish to work with an independent conservation corps can request a cash grant to hire the corps directly. Workforce development crews are foremost focused on skill development and career exposure.

The objective of these partnerships is to develop the pipeline of individuals entering Colorado’s mitigation and forestry workforce; an added benefit is that mitigation work is completed for grantees. Managing mitigation projects can incur additional costs including project management, equipment rentals, and crew support, so applicants may also request a cash grant to cover these expenses.

Cash grants are also awarded to groups looking to receive mitigation training, as this is another important part of workforce development. * CYCA Accredited Conservation Corps * Independent Conservation Corps * Workforce Development Training ### CYCA Accredited Conservation Corps COSWAP partners with Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) accredited conservation corps to execute wildfire mitigation projects from 6-25 weeks in duration.

When working with a CYCA accredited conservation corps, a grantee will receive a crew time award and DNR will pay for the mitigation work directly. **Geographic scope:**strategic focus areas: Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative focal areas and Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, La Plata and Teller counties.

* Local governments including counties, municipalities, fire protection districts and other special districts * Public utilities with infrastructure or land ownership in areas of high wildfire risk * 501(c)(3) Non-profit organizations that promote fuel reduction projects, are engaged in prescribed fire projects, or natural resource management including wildfire councils and/or wildfire, watershed, or forest collaborative groups **Match:** No match required for crew time award; 25% match required for optional cash grant for project management expenses.

Tribal entities are exempt from the match requirement. ### Independent Conservation Corps COSWAP workforce development grants also support mitigation projects completed by independent (non-CYCA accredited) conservation corps. When working with an independent conservation corps, a grantee will receive a cash grant award of up to $200,000.

**Geographic scope:**strategic focus areas: Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative focal areas and Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, La Plata and Teller counties.

* Local governments including counties, municipalities, fire protection districts and other special districts * Public utilities with infrastructure or land ownership in areas of high wildfire risk * 501(c)(3) Non-profit organizations that promote fuel reduction projects, are engaged in prescribed fire projects, or natural resource management including wildfire councils and/or wildfire, watershed, or forest collaborative groups **Match:**Applicant must provide a 25% in-kind or cash match of the award amount.

Tribal entities are exempt from the match requirement. ### Department of Corrections (DOC) State Wildland Inmate Fire Teams (SWIFT) COSWAP partners with DOC SWIFT crews to execute wildfire mitigation projects from 6–25 weeks in duration. When working with a SWIFT crew, a grantee will receive a crew time award and DNR will pay for the mitigation work directly.

**Geographic scope:**Within a three hour drive of Cañon City.

* Local governments including counties, municipalities, fire protection districts and other special districts * Public utilities with infrastructure or land ownership in areas of high wildfire risk * 501(c)(3) Non-profit organizations that promote fuel reduction projects, are engaged in prescribed fire projects, or natural resource management including wildfire councils and/or wildfire, watershed, or forest collaborative groups **Match:** No match required for crew time award; 25% match required for optional cash grant for project management expenses.

Tribal entities are exempt from the match requirement. ### Workforce Development Training COSWAP supports basic wildland fire, sawyer, and prescribed fire training opportunities, including: * S-130/S-190/L-180 Basic Firefighting and Wildland Fire Behavior * S-212 Wildland Fire Chain Saws * Prescribed Fire Training Exchange (TREX) If you have other mitigation training ideas please contact COSWAP.

Grantees will receive a cash grant award up to $100,000 for training.

**Geographic scope:**statewide * Local governments including counties, municipalities, fire protection districts and other special districts * Public utilities with infrastructure or land ownership in areas of high wildfire risk * 501(c)(3) Non-profit organizations that promote fuel reduction projects, are engaged in prescribed fire projects, or natural resource management including wildfire councils and/or wildfire, watershed, or forest collaborative groups **Match:** Applicant must provide a 25% in-kind or cash match of the award amount.

Tribal entities are exempt from the match requirement.

**Project name****Awardee****Award type****Original Award amount****Original Project value** Arapahoe Ranch Fuels Reduction Project Boulder Watershed Collective CYCA crew time 10 weeks$118,250 Bailey Evacuation Routes Mitigation Platte Canyon Fire Protection District Cash grant for mitigation 300,000$300,000 Basalt Shooting Range Hand Thinning Colorado Parks and Wildlife DOC-SWIFT crew time 6 weeks$64,536 Beaver Creek Colorado Parks and Wildlife DOC-SWIFT crew time 3 weeks$11,215 Bergen Peak SWA Fire Mitigation Colorado Parks and Wildlife CYCA crew time 6 weeks$71,050 Berrian Park Mitigation Project Evergreen Fire Protection District CYCA crew time 15 weeks$177,250 Big Elk Meadows Wildfire Mitigation Volunteer Fire Department of Big Elk Cash grant for mitigation$186,000$186,000 Big Thompson Community Wildfire Mitigation Expansion Big Thompson Watershed Coalition CYCA crew time 18 weeks$198,250 Black Mountain Fire Mitigation U.S. Forest Service DOC-SWIFT crew time 8 weeks$149,160 Bosque del Oso Colorado Parks and Wildlife DOC-SWIFT crew time 3 weeks$55,647 Button Rock Watershed Protection Project City of Longmont CYCA crew time 18 weeks$212,650 Cherry Creek State Park Colorado Parks and Wildlife DOC-SWIFT crew time 8 weeks$149,928 Cheyenne Mountain Gambel Oak Thinning Colorado Parks and Wildlife CYCA crew time 8 weeks$94,650 City of Pueblo Mitigation City of Pueblo DOC-SWIFT crew time 6 weeks$65,016 Crescent Meadows Project TEENS Inc Cash grant for independent corps$100,000$100,000 Cub Creek Brook Forest Road Roadside Mitigation Evergreen Fire Protection District CYCA crew time 14 weeks$165,450 Delta Fire Fuels Mitigation Delta County CYCA crew time 18 weeks$212,400 Dome Rock Colorado Parks and Wildlife DOC-SWIFT crew time 1 day$3,120 Droney Gulch Fuel Reduction Project State Land Board DOC-SWIFT crew time 6 weeks$65,016 Evergreen Fire Rescue 103 Roadside Mitigation (& Mastication)Evergreen Fire Protection District DOC-SWIFT crew time and cash grant 7 weeks$146,343 Game Trail and Trail West Shaded Fuelbreaks Colorado Firecamp CYCA crew time 25 weeks$295,000 Game Trail and Trail West Shaded Fuelbreaks - Training Colorado Firecamp Cash grant for training$72,208$72,208 GCWC Fuel Reduction Project Grand County Wildfire Council Cash grant for mitigation$409,000$409,000 Genesee Restoration and Roadside Thinning Genesee Foundation CYCA crew time 8 weeks$94,650 GMF Healthy Forest Project Town of Green Mountain Falls CYCA crew time 15 weeks$177,250 GMUG Prescribed Fire Preparation U.S. Forest Service CYCA crew time 7 weeks$82,850 Grand Valley WUI Colorado Parks and Wildlife DOC-SWIFT crew time 10 weeks$108,360 La Plata County Safe Routes La Plata County DOC-SWIFT crew time 10 weeks$186,258 Lake County Community WUI Project Lake County DOC-SWIFT crew time 25 weeks$463,725 Lory State Park- FH7 Extension and FH2 Maintenance Colorado Parks and Wildlife CYCA crew time 18 weeks$212,400 Maintaining Effective Treatments Jefferson Conservation District CYCA crew time 8 weeks$88,250 Maxwell Fuel Reduction State Land Board CYCA crew time 10 weeks$118,250 Mountain Zone – Hazardous Fuels Reduction U.S. Forest Service CYCA crew time 10 weeks$118,000 Mueller State Park- Cheeseman Ranch Area Colorado Parks and Wildlife CYCA crew time 6 weeks$70,800 NoCo TREX The Ember Alliance Cash grant for training$100,000$100,000 NoFloCo Fire Mitigation Posse Training Indian Creek Property Owners Association Cash grant for training$40,865$40,865 Pikes Peak State Wildlife Area Colorado Parks and Wildlife DOC-SWIFT crew time 3 weeks$31,932 Protecting Critical Infrastructure in Riparian WUI/ Grand Junction City of Grand Junction Cash grant for mitigation$185,000$185,000 Railroad Bridge Fuels Reduction & Habitat Improvement Project National Forest Foundation CYCA crew time 18 weeks$212,400 Reduce Fuel Load on La Plata River Fort Lewis College CYCA crew time 10 weeks$118,250 SCC at Edgemont La Plata County CYCA crew time 8 weeks$92,100 Top of Cheyenne Mountain Fuels Mitigation Colorado Parks and Wildlife Cash grant for mitigation$143,514$143,514 Vail Deer Underpass SWA Fuels Reduction & Habitat Treatment Colorado Parks and Wildlife DOC-SWIFT crew time 4 weeks$42,576 **Project name****Awardee****Award type****Award amount****Project value** Air Curtain Burner Training Larimer County Office of Emergency Management Cash grant for training$18,000$18,000.

00 Berrian Park Mitigation Project - Phase 2 Evergreen Fire Protection District CYCA crew time 15 weeks$177,250. 00 Beulah Fire- Mountain Park Shaded Fuel Break Beulah Fire and Ambulance District DOC-SWIFT crew time 9 weeks$608,102. 00 Chainsaw Training Larimer County Office of Emergency Management Cash grant for training$73,535$73,535.

30 Cheyenne Mountain Gambel Oak Thinning - Phase 2 Colorado Parks and Wildlife CYCA crew time 8 weeks$94,650. 00 City of Colorado Springs - PRCS Department - Fire Mitigation City of Colorado Springs CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 21 weeks$317,175. 00 City of Pueblo Mitigation - Phase 2 City of Pueblo DOC-SWIFT crew time 16 weeks$891,240.

00 Crescent Meadows - Phase 2 Teens Inc.Cash grant for independent corps$200,000$200,000. 00 Cub Creek Roadside Mitigation - Phase 2 Evergreen Fire Protection District CYCA crew time 14 weeks$165,450. 00 CUSP Crew Training Coalition for the Upper South Platte Cash grant for training$7,126$7,126.

00 CUSP GMF Mitigation Coalition for the Upper South Platte DOC-SWIFT crew time and cash grant for project management 2 weeks$112,214. 00 Custer County Team Mitigation Custer County Cash grant for training$100,000$100,000. 00 Genesee Fire Protection District CWPP Implementation Genesee Fire Protection CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 8 weeks$109,875.

00 GMF Healthy Forest Project - Phase 2 Green Mountain Falls CYCA crew time 22 weeks$259,850. 00 Hilldale Pines Fuel Break Colorado Watershed Assembly CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 6 weeks$115,686. 00 Maxwell Fuels Reduction - Phase 2 State Land Board CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 13 weeks$157,000.

00 Mueller State Park Cheeseman Ranch Area - Phase 2 Colorado Parks and Wildlife CYCA crew time 8 weeks$94,650. 00 North Central Boulder Lefthand Fire Protection District CYCA crew time 9 weeks$106,450. 00 North St.

Vrain Watershed Protection Project City of Longmont CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 15 weeks$185,725. 00 Regional Intermediate Sawyer Training Mile High Youth Corps Cash grant for training$49,826$49,825. 60 Rocky Mountain District Rx Prep Colorado BLM Rocky Mountain District Fire DOC-SWIFT crew time 13 weeks$359,775.

00 Sawyer/S-212 Evaluator Capacity Building Colorado Firecamp Cash grant for training$99,250$99,250. 00 Town of Estes Park Wildfire Mitigation Estes Valley Fire Protection District CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 8 weeks$102,900. 00 Training the Volunteer Mitigation Workforce and Mitigation Specialist Training Fire Adapted Colorado Cash grant for training$53,280$53,280.

00 Twin Sisters State Trust Land State Land Board CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 6 weeks$74,650. 00 Wildfire Mitigation Training for Private Landowners The Ember Alliance Cash grant for training$26,000$26,000. 48 Windy Gap Wildfire Mitigation Coalition for the Poudre River Watershed CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 22 weeks$342,216.

00 WRV Fire Mitigation Capacity Building Wildland Restoration Volunteers Cash grant for training$92,335$92,335. 14 Youth Corp Forest Health Management Jefferson County Open Space Cash grant for independent corps$60,000$60,000.

00 **Project name****Awardee****Award type****Award amount****Project value** Beulah Fire - Mountain Park Shaded Fuel Break - Phase 2 Beulah Fire Protection & Ambulance District DOC-SWIFT crew time 9 weeks$608,102. 00 City of Pueblo Mitigation - Phase 3 City of Pueblo DOC-SWIFT crew time and cash grant for project management 15 weeks$859,602.

00 Colorado State University Mountain Campus Mitigation CSU Mountain Campus CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 6 weeks$98,755. 92 CUSP Crew Training Coalition for the Upper South Platte Cash grant for training$18,076. 08$18,076.

08 Firecamp Community Forestry Colorado Firecamp CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 25 weeks$393,391. 41 Genesee Fire Protection District CWPP Implementation - Phase 2 Genesee Fire Rescue CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 6 weeks$101,564. 42 Lake County Community WUI - Phase 2 Lake County DOC-SWIFT crew time and cash grant for project management 14 weeks$839,193.

00 Los Pinos State Trust Land Colorado State Land Board CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 8 weeks$124,502. 56 RMYC & CO National Guard Fire Fuels Mitigation Partnership Rocky Mountain Youth Corps CYCA crew time 10 weeks$144,565. 70 RMYC & CO National Guard Training Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Cash grant for training$11,757.

68$11,757. 68 RMYC Chainsaw Training Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Cash grant for training$30,000. 00$30,000.

00 SCC Collaborative Fire Crew Training Southwest Conservation Corps Cash grant for training$80,499. 95$80,499. 95 SCC Four Corners Crew Leader Training Southwest Conservation Corps Cash grant for training$48,173.

37$48,173. 37 SCC Los Valles Crew Leader Training Southwest Conservation Corps Cash grant for training$36,496. 46$36,496.

46 Twin Sisters State Trust Land - Phase 2 Colorado State Land Board CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 8 weeks$120,497. 56 **Project name****Awardee****Award type****Award amount****Project value** Arroyo Chico II Fuel Break Four Mile Fire Protection District CYCA crew time 10 weeks$152,775. 00 Berrian & O'Fallon Fire Mitigation Denver Mountain Parks CYCA crew time 24 weeks$366,275.

00 Black Forest Section 16 Colorado State Land Board CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 8 weeks$134,795. 00 Carter Lake Colorado State Land Board CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 16 weeks$268,355. 00 City of Colorado Springs Fire Mitigation - Phase 2 City of Colorado Springs CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 15 weeks$255,300.

00 Coal Creek Fuels Reduction Jefferson Conservation District CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 8 weeks$147,553. 00 Community Roadside Thinning Colorado Firecamp CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 25 weeks$393,900. 00 Cross Boundary Wildfire Resilience in La Plata County National Forest Foundation CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 25 weeks$408,035.

00 Genesee Fire Protection District CWPP Implementation - Phase 3 Genesee Fire Rescue CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 6 weeks$114,161. 90 Prospect Mountain Infrastructure Protection Estes Valley Fire Protection District CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 8 weeks$135,275. 00 RMYC & CO National Guard Fire Fuels Mitigation - Phase 2 Rocky Mountain Youth Corps CYCA crew time 10 weeks$152,500.

00 South Shore Fuels Mitigation City of Longmont CYCA crew time and cash grant for project management 15 weeks$237,779. 00 City of Pueblo Mitigation - Phase 4 City of Pueblo DOC-SWIFT crew time 12 weeks$734,220. 00 Florence Mountain Park Fuels Reduction City of Florence DOC-SWIFT crew time and cash grant for project management 13 weeks$746,789.

00 Frisco WUI US Forest Service DOC-SWIFT crew time and cash grant for project management 7 weeks$448,640. 00 Lake County Community WUI - Phase 3 Arkansas River Watershed Coalition DOC-SWIFT crew time and cash grant for project management 16 weeks$989,780. 00 Pinon Ridge Estates & County Road Thinning South Arkansas Fire Protection District DOC-SWIFT crew time 12 weeks$709,216.

00 Crescent Meadows - Phase 3 Teens Inc Cash grant for independent corps$199,558. 00$199,558. 00 Forest Health Management - Phase 2 Jefferson County Parks & Open Space Cash grant for independent corps$100,000.

00$100,000. 00 Firecamp Community Forestry Colorado Firecamp Cash grant for training$60,000. 00$60,000.

00 Hotchkiss Fire S212 Hotchkiss Fire District Cash grant for training$12,375. 00$12,375. 00 NOCO TREX 2.

0 The Ember Alliance Cash grant for training$100,000. 00$100,000. 00 Redwing Ranch TREX Fire Adapted Colorado Cash grant for training$99,710.

00$99,710. 00 RMYC & CO National Guard Training - Phase 2 Rocky Mountain Youth Corps Cash grant for training$20,814. 64$20,814.

64 Roaring Fork Valley S212 Resilience Force Cash grant for training$48,393. 40$48,393. 40 #### Pile Burning in Lake County Lake County worked with the Department of Corrections' SWIFT crews on fuels reduction and pile creation just outside of Leadville, which paved the way for the first ever pile burning event in Lake County in December 2024.

Read the full story on Pile Burning #### Youth Corps Contribute to Workforce Development ## Landscape Resilience Investment The Landscape Resilience Investment program focuses on cross-boundary fuels reduction projects that have the greatest potential to protect lives, property, and infrastructure. These investments fund targeted mitigation projects in COSWAP’s strategic focus areas.

The projects selected for funding are collaboratively developed to meet the greatest needs of the area and create connectivity across a landscape to reduce wildfire impacts to communities. These projects treat hundreds of acres over the course of their three year award. DNR partners with the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute (CFRI) to monitor the effectiveness of the Landscape Resilience Investment projects.

Learn more about the Effectiveness Monitoring Plan on CFRI’s website.

**Project name****Awardee****Award amount** COSWAP1 Florida Watershed Mitigation Grant La Plata County$978,032 El Paso County Forest Health and Resilience Project Colorado State Forest Service (El Paso County)$500,000 Jefferson County Wildfire Safe Elk Creek Fire Protection District (Jefferson County)$1,000,000 Lake County CWPP Fuels Reduction Project RMRI Upper Arkansas- Lake County$500,000 Phase 1: St.

Vrain Forest Health Partnership Project Boulder County$1,000,000 Pole Hill / Waltonia Larimer County$1,000,000 RMRI Southwest Colorado - Northwest Mancos Priority Zone RMRI Southwest Colorado- Mancos Conservation District$1,000,000 Teller County Forest Health and Resilience Project Colorado State Forest Service (Teller County)$1,000,000 Upper Arkansas Thrives - Landscape Level Resilience in Chaffee County RMRI Upper Arkansas- Chaffee County$500,000 Upper South Platte Landscape Resilience RMRI Upper South Platte- Jefferson Conservation District$1,000,000 **Project name****Awardee****Award amount** Boulder Creek and St.

Vrain Watershed Fuels Reduction Project Boulder County$1,000,000 Chaffee County Cross Boundary Resilience Project RMRI Upper Arkansas- Chaffee County$500,000 El Paso County Forest Maintenance and Fuels Mitigation Project El Paso County$1,000,000 Jackson Creek-Barber Creek Forest Restoration and Watershed Protection Douglas County$1,000,000 Jefferson County Wildfire Safe Elk Creek Fire Protection District (Jefferson County)$1,000,000 La Plata County CWPP Priority Projects and Landscapes Mancos Conservation District (La Plata County)$1,000,000 Lake County Cross Boundary Resilience Project RMRI Upper Arkansas- Lake County$500,000 North Cherokee Park/Cedar Park Larimer County$1,100,000 RMRI Southwest Colorado- Mancos-Dolores Priority Area RMRI Southwest Colorado- Mancos Conservation District$1,000,000 Teller County/Woodland Park Fire Mitigation Teller County$1,000,000 Upper South Platte Landscape Resilience 3 RMRI Upper South Platte- Jefferson Conservation District$1,000,000 ### Landscape Resilience Investment - Special Releases The Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program has partnered with the Colorado Water Conservation Board's Wildfire Ready Watersheds program for a special release of the Landscape Resilience Investment.

Through this special release, awardees implement wildfire risk reduction projects that protect critical water infrastructure within high priority watersheds.

All recipients of the Landscape Resilience Investment special release are also developing a Wildfire Ready Action Plan to assess the potential impacts of wildfire on community infrastructure, and advance a framework for their community to plan and implement mitigation strategies to minimize these impacts before wildfires do occur. COSWAP's special release leverages a vital partnership to integrate both forest and watershed health.

**Project name****Awardee****Award amount** Bear River Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project Upper Yampa Water Conservancy District$991,000 Upper South Platte Landscape Resilience 2 Jefferson Conservation District$991,000 **Project name****Awardee****Award amount** Fraser River Canyon Fuels Project Grand Fire Protection District$1,000,000 House Creek Watershed Mancos Conservation District$950,000 Tram Hill Infrastructure Fuels Reduction City of Boulder$900,000 Michigan Ditch Fire Mitigation Fort Collins Utilities$1,000,000 Wildfire Risk Reduction in Glenwood Springs City of Glenwood Springs$1,000,000 In alignment with the Department of Natural Resource’s strategic priority to enhance Tribal engagement, COSWAP makes special awards for wildfire mitigation on Tribal lands in Colorado.

These projects align with COSWAP’s core values of reducing wildfire risk to life, property and infrastructure while working with the unique needs of Tribal partners. **Project name****Awardee****Award amount** Cherry Creek Ranch Fuels Reduction & Bark Beetle Sanitation/Salvage and Adams Ranch Fuels Reduction Colorado State Forest Service$425,000.

00 ## COSWAP Project Locations **Accommodation Statement**: The State of Colorado is committed to providing equitable access to our services to all Coloradans. Please contact Lauren Beecher (lauren. beecher@state.

co. us or 720-682-8330) for personalized accessibility assistance using this page, which includes links the map below. We will contact you directly within three business days.

Visit our accessibility webpage for more information and services, including AIRA, our free service for blind and low-vision users. **Please note:** This contact is unable to assist with general questions related to COSWAP services or funding.

The strategic focus areas are one of the components developed by the partnership between the Department of Natural Resources, Colorado State Forest Service, and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control. They represent areas in Colorado where there is a greater population density living within high wildfire risk and areas with regional capacity to make meaningful strategic investments.

The strategic focus areas include Boulder, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, La Plata and Teller counties plus Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative focal areas. To learn more about the process of identifying strategic focus areas visit the SB21-258 Rapid Fuels Reduction Assessment Team and strategic focus areas White Paper.

SB21-258 RFRA White Paper ## Frequently Asked Questions COSWAP’s Workforce Development Grant will open in early September 2025. All application materials are found on the COSWAP website. Applicants should review the Request for Applications (RFA) before filling out the application.

The RFA includes important information on eligibility, timeline, and process. Applications can be submitted via email to COSWAP@state. co.

us. Hard copies will not be accepted. The deadline to submit an application to the 2025 COSWAP Workforce Development Grant is November 3, 2025.

You should receive an email confirmation of your submission within 1 week. Participation in COSWAP’s Landscape Resilience Investment is by invitation only. DNR coordinates directly with potential applicants to administer the Landscape Resilience Investment program.

COSWAP funds can be spent on all land ownership types. All projects must be focused on reducing wildfire risk to life, property and critical infrastructure. SWIFT and conservation corps projects must be appropriate for hand crew work.

This includes, but is not limited to, forest thinning, fuelbreaks, chipping, biomass removal, and pile or broadcast burning. Individual defensible space projects are not eligible. The Landscape Resilience Investment program focuses on cross-boundary hazardous fuel reduction projects, including prescribed fire and planning efforts, that create project connectivity across a landscape to reduce wildfire impacts to communities.

The Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Executive Director’s Office is the primary manager of the Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program. Per statute, the Colorado State Forest Service, Division of Fire Prevention and Control and DNR work collaboratively on program design.

SB21-258 called for the U.S. Forest Service to send a National Incident Management Organization (NIMO) Team to Colorado to perform a comprehensive risk analysis to identify the most strategic locations in the state for investments in fuels reduction. Due to the active 2020 fire season a NIMO Team was not available, however Region 2 of the U.S. Forest Service made its fire and fuels experts available.

Subject matter experts from the U.S. Forest Service, Colorado State Forest Service, Division of Fire Prevention and Control, Bureau of Land Management, National Parks Service, and the Colorado Forest Restoration Institute at Colorado State University formed the Rapid Fuels Reduction Assessment (RFRA) team to perform the comprehensive risk analysis.

Over the summer and fall of 2021 a core team analyzed federal and state risk assessments to determine the most strategic areas for fuels reduction work to guide investment. There are many funding sources available for wildfire mitigation efforts, including planning, implementation and capacity building.

The Forest Restoration & Wildfire Risk Mitigation (FRWRM) grant program administered by the Colorado State Forest Service provides cash for fuels reduction and forest health projects as well as capacity building. FRWRM is a great option for those who have priority projects that must be completed in their entirety and expeditiously within 3 years.

The Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) administered by the US Forest Service provides funding for wildfire planning efforts and wildfire mitigation projects. CWDG is a national program that prioritizes at-risk communities in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low-income, or have been impacted by a severe disaster that affects the risk of wildfire.

CWDG can grant up to $250,000 for the creation or updating of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan or up to $10 million for a project described within a Community Wildfire Protection Plan less than 10 years old. The COSWAP workforce development grant uniquely supports the growth of the forestry and mitigation workforce through its focus on youth corps, SWIFT and trainings.

COSWAP workforce development crew time awards are great grants for organizations that want to support either young adults or incarcerated men. The key to a successful workforce grant is selecting the correct project for the crew. Youth corps crews bring enthusiasm and learning to the site; they work well on less technical projects or as a supplement to contractor or staff work.

The SWIFT crews are large, often 18-28 men; these crews are quite efficient and can tackle larger and more complex projects. In all COSWAP cases, project completion is not guaranteed. Instead, successful grantees submit ambitious scopes of work with the understanding that the crews will complete as much as possible in the allotted time.

In addition to its workforce development benefit, COSWAP is also unique in its low administrative burden. With a crew time award, COSWAP pays the workforce development partners directly. Crew time awards also have no match requirement which makes for simple reporting.

Only cash awards have a match requirement. There are many funding options available. Visit this compilation of funding for a list of programs available in Colorado.

COSWAP is open to funding trainings outside of the ones listed on this page. Please reach out to the administrator (courtney. young@state.

co. us) with questions on eligibility. The Colorado Strategic Wildfire Action Program is designed and implemented collaboratively between partners identified in SB21-258.

Representatives from the Colorado State Forest Service and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control work with program staff within the Department of Natural Resources to make decisions on program priorities, methods and implementation.