Wildfire Mitigation Grants & Subsidies
Active, upcoming, and recurring programs for San Diego East County homeowners — organized by tier.
This reference covers active, upcoming, and recurring wildfire mitigation grant and subsidy programs available to San Diego County homeowners. Programs are organized by geographic tier — local-first, then state, then federal.
Research current as of May 2026. Verify program status before use.
Quick Reference — All Programs
| Program | Tier | Status | Type | Income Req? | CWD Service Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Powerlink Grants | Local — East County SD | ● ACTIVE 2026 | Cash grant (reimbursement) | No | Defensible space, structure hardening, vents |
| FSCSDC — DSAP | Local — SD County | ● ACTIVE 2026 | No-cost contractor service | Yes (≤50% AMI) | Referral partner; leads pipeline |
| CA Wildfire Mitigation Program (CWMP) | State/Local Pilot | ● ACTIVE — Expanding | Full retrofit (state-arranged) | Yes (LMI) | Contractor partner; inspection input |
| CA Safe Homes Act (AB 888) | State | ● Portal ~Spring 2026 | Cash grant | Yes (LMI) | Zone Zero, roof hardening, all home hardening |
| CAL FIRE Prevention Grants | State → Local | FY 25-26 Awarded / Closed | Pass-through to orgs | No (org-level) | Subcontract to award recipients now; FY 26-27 cycle watch |
| IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home | State — Insurance | ● ACTIVE | Insurance discount pathway | No | Inspection, gap assessment, compliance work |
| CA FAIR Plan Hardening Discounts | State — Insurance | ● ACTIVE | Insurance premium discount | No | Inspection documentation + mitigation work |
| CDI Safer from Wildfires Program | State — Insurance | ● ACTIVE | Mandatory insurer discount | No | All hardening work = discount eligibility |
| FEMA HMGP (Post-Fire) + BRIC (Restored) | Federal → State | ● HMGP: post-declaration / BRIC: NOFO open to 7/23/26 | Pass-through grant | No | Alert FSC/RCD partners to BRIC NOFO; certified contractor in HMGP windows |
| SD River Conservancy / SD Fire Foundation | Regional | ● ACTIVE Annual | Pass-through to FSCs | No (org-level) | FSC partner for community work |
| SB 1084 Fire Safe Home Tax Credits | State | ◐ PENDING — In Committee May 2026 | Tax credit | No | All hardening + veg management; stacks with grants |
Local Programs
Programs specific to San Diego East County or the county at large.
Sunrise Powerlink Fire Mitigation Grants Program
● ACTIVE 2026Homeowners of parcels within the Sunrise Powerlink corridor (East County SD: Alpine, Lakeside, Jamul, Deerhorn Valley, Cuyamaca area). Check eligibility map at sunrisepowerlinkgrants.com.
Defensible space (veg clearance, Zone Zero), ember-resistant vents (Priority), structure hardening: roof, windows, skylights, exterior doors, eave enclosure, siding, deck replacement. Building permit required for structure hardening.
Reimbursement program — homeowner pays then gets reimbursed. Pre-approval recommended. Zone Zero and Vent grants are priority tracks. Parcel score drives selection priority.
Fire Safe Council of SD County — Defensible Space Assistance Program (DSAP)
● ACTIVE (limited service areas; verify eligibility by address)Very low income households (≤50% of San Diego County AMI). Physically unable to maintain defensible space. Must participate in Home Assessment Program first. Service area changes annually — check map at firesafesdcounty.org/programs.
Defensible space vegetation clearance (100-foot zone). Also offers no-cost Chipper Program for all qualifying residents (not income-limited).
New Compliance Assistance Program for non-DSAP service areas. Chipper Program is separate and broader — no income restriction, just fire-risk area.
California Wildfire Mitigation Program (CWMP) — San Diego Pilot
● ACTIVE (Expanding)Low-to-moderate income (LMI) homeowners in pilot communities. Current SD communities: Dulzura and Potrero (accepting applications now), Campo (coming soon — not yet open). Community eligibility changes as program expands — verify by address at wildfiremitigation.caloes.ca.gov. Must be legal homeowner. No citizenship requirement. Rental properties OK.
Defensible space creation + full home hardening retrofits: roof, doors, vents, siding, and more. State arranges contractor.
Funded 75% FEMA HMGP / 25% state. FEMA BRIC program (which partially backed this) was discontinued in April 2025, but CWMP is continuing under HMGP.
State Programs
California-wide programs with direct relevance to SD East County homeowners. Several are newly enacted in 2026.
California Safe Homes Act (AB 888) — CA Safe Homes Grant Program
● LAW ACTIVE / Application Portal Spring 2026Low-to-moderate income homeowners in high wildfire risk areas (VHFHSZ/SRA). Cities, counties, and special districts also eligible for community-wide applications. Income thresholds TBD by CDI.
Fire-safe roofs (new or replacement), Zone Zero (0–5 foot) ember-resistant non-combustible improvements. Most impactful and costly home hardening measures.
Funded via Sustainable Insurance Account. Designed explicitly to address the insurance non-renewal crisis. Completing this work improves insurability.
CAL FIRE Wildfire Prevention Grants (FY 2025-26)
AWARDS MADE — New Applications ClosedNot direct-to-homeowner. Eligible entities: local government, non-profits, RCDs, tribes, fire safe councils. FY 2025-26 application window closed August 6, 2025. $62.7M in awards has been distributed to local projects. Next cycle anticipated FY 2026-27.
Hazardous fuels reduction, wildfire prevention planning, home/community hardening education, prescribed fire, vegetation management.
New Regional Wildfire and Landscape Resilience Grant Program under Prop 4 also active (Feb 2026 emergency regs) — separate opportunity, draft guidelines being finalized. Watch fire.ca.gov/grants.
Insurance Discount Programs & Federal Pass-Through
Not direct cash grants to homeowners, but financially significant — these programs reward completed home hardening work with meaningful insurance savings.
IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home Designation Program
● ACTIVE (Not a cash grant — insurance discount pathway)Any CA homeowner with detached single-family home ≤3 stories. DIY program — homeowner completes steps. County Fire staff helps with applications in eligible SD areas.
Base: Class A roof, 5-ft non-combustible zone, exterior prep, deck/porch/yard maintenance. Plus: adds gutter covers, enclosed eaves, non-combustible siding, upgraded doors/windows, outbuilding setback.
Dulzura, Campo, Potrero residents qualify for CWMP Home Hardening Initiative if they get the designation. FAIR Plan offers up to 13.8% discount for dwelling policies tied to hardening measures.
CA FAIR Plan Wildfire Hardening Discount Program
● ACTIVE (Insurance discount, not grant)FAIR Plan policyholders (Dwelling Fire or Commercial). No income limit.
Defensible space (0–5 ft non-combustible), combustibles removed under decks, ember-resistant vents, gutter covers, noncombustible siding, fire-resistant roof, upgraded windows/doors, eave enclosure.
Many SD County homeowners are on FAIR Plan due to insurer pullout. This program + Safer from Wildfires creates dual-discount stack.
CDI Safer from Wildfires Program — Mandatory Insurer Discounts
● ACTIVE (Mandatory insurer discounts)All CA homeowners with private market insurance. No income limit. Must complete qualifying hardening steps.
Zone 0 (0–5 ft), Zone 1 (5–30 ft defensible space), home hardening (roof, vents, eaves, siding, windows, decks). Matches IBHS WPH tiers.
Works in tandem with IBHS WPH designation. Stack both to maximize discount. AB 1 expanded and formalized the update cycle for these regulations — the underlying program predates AB 1.
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) — Post-Fire + BRIC (Restored)
● HMGP Active post-declaration │ BRIC Restored by Court OrderHMGP triggered by Presidential disaster declarations. BRIC: states, local governments, tribes — not homeowners directly. CWMP is partially funded by HMGP.
Wildfire retrofitting, home hardening, defensible space, vegetation management, community resilience infrastructure. BRIC under new rules focuses on construction-ready projects and building code adoption — less planning/technical assistance than prior cycles.
BRIC was terminated April 2025, court declared termination unlawful Dec 2025, enforcement order March 6, 2026, $1B NOFO released March 25, 2026. Program continues under court mandate with new constraints. HMGP Post-Fire remains the more structurally stable federal path. Status subject to rapid federal change — verify NOFO status before applying.
San Diego River Conservancy / SD Regional Fire Foundation Grants
● ACTIVE (Pass-through to Fire Safe Councils)Fire Safe Councils in the San Diego River Watershed. Homeowners benefit indirectly via FSC programs (chipping, defensible space).
FSC operations, chipper equipment, community defensible space events.
Alpine/Viejas FSC and Potrero & Tecate FSC are active in East County.
Pending Legislation — Watch List
Pending legislation in the 2025-26 CA session that could open new funding streams for homeowners.
Note: SB 326 (Wildfire Mitigation Strategic Planning Act) was vetoed by Gov. Newsom October 2025; veto sustained March 2, 2026 — removed from this list.
SB 1084 — California Fire Safe Home Tax Credits Act
◐ PENDING — In Senate Revenue & Taxation CommitteeWould apply to homeowners completing qualifying home hardening and vegetation management on properties in designated fire hazard severity zones. Income thresholds not specified in current version — credit amount varies by zone tier.
Qualified home hardening (per CA Building Code Chapter 7A standards) and qualified vegetation management on FHSZ-designated properties.
Third in a series of similar bills (SB 944 in 2019-20, SB 952 in 2023-24, SB 269 in 2025-26 failed Feb 2026). SB 1084 is the current active vehicle. Watch leginfo.legislature.ca.gov for progress.
Home Hardening Work — Funding & Insurance Benefits
How common home hardening improvements connect to available grant funding and insurance discount programs.
| Home Hardening Work | Grant Funding Available | Insurance Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Zone Zero (0–5 ft) non-combustible work | AB 888 (Safe Homes), Sunrise Powerlink | FAIR Plan discount, CDI Safer from Wildfires, IBHS WPH Base |
| Defensible Space (5–30 ft) | Sunrise Powerlink, CWMP, DSAP, Chipper Programs | IBHS WPH Base/Plus, CDI Safer from Wildfires |
| Defensible Space (30–100 ft) | Sunrise Powerlink, CWMP, DSAP | CDI Safer from Wildfires Zone 1 |
| Ember-resistant vent installation | Sunrise Powerlink (Priority Vent), CWMP | FAIR Plan Structure Discount |
| Roof replacement (Class A) | AB 888 (Safe Homes), CWMP | IBHS WPH Base, FAIR Plan, CDI Safer from Wildfires |
| Siding replacement (non-combustible) | Sunrise Powerlink, AB 888, CWMP | IBHS WPH Plus, FAIR Plan Structure Discount |
| Window/door upgrade (tempered, dual-pane) | Sunrise Powerlink, CWMP | IBHS WPH Plus, FAIR Plan Structure Discount |
| Eave enclosure / gutter covers | Sunrise Powerlink, CWMP | IBHS WPH Plus, FAIR Plan |
| Deck replacement (fire-resistant) | Sunrise Powerlink, CWMP | IBHS WPH Plus |
| Wildfire risk inspection / assessment | CWMP intake, IBHS WPH application | Required for most discount programs |
| Vegetation management / brush mitigation | DSAP, Chipper Programs, CAL FIRE grants (via FSC award recipients), SB 1084 (pending) | CDI Safer from Wildfires Zone 1/2 |
CWD Services
Cal Wildfire Defense helps San Diego County homeowners assess, prioritize, and execute the hardening work these programs fund.
Ready to Access Grant Funding?
A free Property Fire Risk Walk or Structure Hardening Assessment starts the documentation that grant programs and insurance discount pathways require.