FAQ for the CWDG Data Dashboard
The Community Wildfire Defense Grant (CWDG) Data Dashboard is designed to help communities complete grant proposals and to help reviewers score applications. The Frequently Asked Questions below can help answer questions about the Dashboard. For more information about the CWDG program, please visit the U.S. Forest Service CWDG website.
Where do the data in the Dashboard come from?
The data in the Dashboard are from publicly available, federal sources, including Wildfire Risk to Communities, the U.S. Census Bureau, and FEMA. The complete report on data sources and methodology is available here.
Data in the Dashboard were updated in November 2024 to coincide with the CWDG Round 3 Notice of Funding Opportunity. Read more about what’s new in the Dashboard for Round 3 below. Data shown in the Dashboard for Round 3 of CWDG funding does not guarantee eligibility for future funding rounds. Data sources and methodology may change for future funding rounds.
How do I use the Dashboard?
This video explains how to use the CWDG Dashboard.
What data do I use if my application includes more than one jurisdiction?
If your application includes multiple communities or counties, include data for all of them in your application. If any jurisdiction qualifies in the data criteria, your entire application will qualify.
What if my community is not listed in the tool?
If you cannot find your community in the Dashboard, it may be because it isn’t a designated “place” in the U.S. Census. The Dashboard does not include data for county subdivisions or townships. If your community is not in the Dashboard, you can search the parent county (or counties) and use data for that location instead. If you are searching for a community in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, you’ll need to use other data sources (see below).
Where can I find data for Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands?
Data for Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands are not yet available in the Dashboard. Alternative sources are described below.
Wildfire risk. There are no national wildfire risk datasets that include Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands, but you can qualify using local risk data. Include a link or citation in your application.
Low-income. Search your community or county at the Census website. Search for your community and then click on “income and poverty” listed in the right sidebar. You’ll see the median household income listed on the right. If it is less than $74,997 (which is 80% of the lower bound of the national median household income), your community is considered “low-income.” Include a link to the Census website in your application.
Severe Natural Disasters. Use local or regional data to demonstrate the impacts of severe natural disasters, or search for your community at FEMA’s Declared Disasters website. In your application, explain how previous disasters impact wildfire risk. Include a link to the source you use in your application.
Cost-Share Waiver. If your community qualifies as “low-income” per the instructions above, you are eligible to apply for a cost-share waiver.
Can I download a spreadsheet with the data?
Yes. Two data spreadsheets are available for download:
(1) a spreadsheet with wildfire risk variables for all U.S. communities, counties, and tribal areas; and
(2) a spreadsheet with potentially high-ranking locations. This dataset shows whether communities, counties, and tribal areas meet the criteria for wildfire risk, low-income, and disadvantaged; their Rural Capacity Index; and whether they applied for and received funding in Round 1.
What’s new in the Dashboard for Round 3?
In November 2024, the U.S. Forest Service published a new Notice of Funding Opportunity for Round 3 of CWDG. Applications are due March 14, 2025. Changes to the Dashboard for Round 3 include:
- Updated wildfire risk data. The CWDG Dashboard will provide the highest qualifying wildfire risk variable from the most recent version of Wildfire Risk to Communities (i.e., Version 2 published in 2024). However, if a location was eligible under the previous Version 1 (published in 2020) but does not meet the threshold in Version 2, the Version 1 score will be shown and can be used for Round 3. Applicants can also choose to use local or state wildfire risk data instead of data from Wildfire Risk to Communities.
- Updated low-income data and modified threshold. The CWDG Dashboard provides the most recent income data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2022). “Low-income” is defined as having a median household income less than 80% of the state’s or nation’s median household income, whichever is higher. For Round 3, median household income is based on the lower bound of the Census Bureau’s reported 90% confidence interval, which provides a range to help account for uncertainty in survey data. Places with low population or low response rates will see a wider range in the median household income estimates.
- Updated severe natural disaster data. The CWDG Dashboard provides the most recent ten years of FEMA disaster declarations for each searched location.
- Updated criteria for cost-share waiver eligibility. For Round 3, the CWDG tool will use only the low-income criteria (as described above) for cost-share waiver eligibility. This change was implemented in February 2025, partway through the Round 3 application period. The Forest Service will conduct outreach to applicants that have either submitted or have already started CWDG applications.
Data shown in the Dashboard for Round 3 of CWDG funding does not guarantee eligibility for future funding rounds. Data sources and methodology may change for future funding rounds.
Release Notes
February 2025
In February 2025, the CWDG Dashboard was updated to use only low-income criteria for cost-share waiver eligibility.
November 2024
In November 2024, the CWDG Dashboard was updated to coincide with the third Notice of Funding Opportunity for CWDG. Changes included:
Updated wildfire risk data from the most recent release of Wildfire Risk to Communities (version 2, published in 2024). However, version 1 data was still displayed and available for communities that lost eligibility.
Updated low-income data and modifiied threshold from the most recent American Community Survey from the US. Census Bureau (2022). Median household income was changed to be based on the lower bound of the Census Bureau’s reported 90% confidence interval, instead of the midpoint.
Updated severe natural disaster data, showing the most recent ten years of FEMA disaster declarations for each searched location.
Updated list of communities, counties, and tribal areas to align with the most recent American Community Survey from the US. Census Bureau (2022).
June 2023
The CWDG Dashboard was created and launched in June 2023 to coincide with the second Notice of Funding Opportunity for CWDG grants, with applications due October 31, 2023. The Dashboard included wildfire risk data from Wildfire Risk to Communities Version 1, published in 2020; low-income data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 and 2021 American Community Survey; and severe natural disaster data from FEMA.