Community Foundation Boulder County established the 2020 Fires Relief Fund in October 2020 to benefit those impacted by the fires. More than 1,700 donors responded.
Community Foundation Boulder County has awarded $874K in grants from the 2020 Fires Relief Fund for direct assistance, mental health vouchers, nonprofit organizations and fire protection districts impacted by the Cal-Wood and Lefthand Canyon Fires. Grants went to nonprofit organizations and municipal and county entities to support immediate relief needs and longer-term recovery, prevention and preparedness needs.
The fund has been fully expended and closed as of July 28, 2021. Grants went to the following organizations, across the following categories of need:
EMERGENCY RESPONSE NEEDS
Direct assistance, mental health and nonprofit organizations
Boulder County Housing & Human Services $56,451.50
For Reimbursement for emergency direct assistance to fires-impacted county residents.
Center for Disaster Philanthropy/United Policy Holders $30,000.00
For ensuring Boulder county property owners whose homes were destroyed have one year of access to United Policy Holders' Road to Recovery Support.
Jewish Family Service Wildfire Mental Health Program (WMHP) $67,500.00
For access to up to five individual or family therapy sessions for fires-impacted county residents.*
Lefthand Watershed Center $10,000.00
Match for grant from Colorado Water Conservation Board for planning grant.
American Red Cross $25,000.00
For costs incurred serving evacuated Boulder county residents.
Boulder Emergency Squad $400.00
For Costs incurred supporting fire fighters, fire response & serving evacuated residents.
Cal-Wood Education Center $81,747.00
For losses due to fire and costs incurred supporting fire fighters.
Colorado Horse Rescue. $3,375.00
For costs incurred during equine evacuation and helping other county residents get horses to safety, and supporting horses of evacuees.
Emergency Family Assistance $9,848.00
For costs incurred responding to needs of evacuated and displaced county residents.
Longmont Humane Society $14,630.00
For costs incurred responding to needs of evacuated and displaced county pet owners.
Four Mile Protection District $1,848.10
For costs incurred during mutual response to Cal-wood & Lefthand fires.
Lefthand FPD $106,000.00
For costs incurred during mutual response and un-budgeted losses due to destroyed property.
Sugarloaf Fire Protection District $2,701.00
For costs incurred during mutual response to Cal-wood & Lefthand fires.
RESTORATION
Includes aerial mulching on steep slopes, removing and mulching trees so there is mulch to be dropped from helicopters, decompaction of soil, seeding and additional tree mulching and mulch placement, removal of dangerous trees, volunteer management, buying and placing supplies like straw bales, waddles, seed, trees; research coordination, plot monitoring, reporting and evaluation, tree planting, weed suppression; landowner outreach, stakeholder coordination, and community education.
Lefthand Watershed Center Fire Recovery $264,180.00
The scope of their proposed efforts covers the burn area untreated by other agencies and includes private and public land. This is the funding for the first six months of restoration work in high severity burn areas that are not covered by the County’s aerial mulching - essential to stabilize the soil before the rains start and provide them momentum while they wait for the larger sums from government agencies and other partners to be awarded. The funds will be used for: supplies, monitoring, consultants, coordination in first 6 months of recovery work for entire burn area.
Cal-Wood Education Center $20,000.00
Allows them to count on this position being filled for 1 year and to continue fundraising.
Team Rubicon- Boulder County $10,820.00
TR Boulder has agreed to perform tree removal in the Mountain Ridge and North Foothills neighborhoods that burned. Specifically, they will support the Lefthand Fire Protection District and Boulder County flood mitigation/watershed protection activities by removing, limbing and staging 8” trees in the two neighborhoods. The grant will cover 2 complete saw kits for clearing, limbing & staging trees in Mountain Ridge & North Foothills communities; will stay in Boulder County for use in the county.
MITIGATION
New collaborations occurring in Boulder County are providing hope for new approaches to mitigation. First, in 2020 many governmental (federal, state, county, and local entities), fire districts and relevant nonprofits signed an MOU to promote increased collaboration with the goal of healthier more resilient forests. In addition, the current watershed protection organizations – Lefthand Watershed Center and Boulder Watershed Collective (formerly Fourmile Watershed Coalition)—are collaborating across agencies and stakeholders to leverage funds and agency activities to tackle mitigation on a larger scale. They are also focusing on community outreach and education to build broad community support for mitigation treatments.
Boulder Watershed Collective $22,496.00
For the Weaver mitigation project in Sugaloaf FPD, and community outreach.
Four Mile Fire Protection District $27,497.00
For landscape scale wildfire mitigation and forest restoration project treating 101 acres immediately west of Gold Hill.
Gold Hill Town Meeting, Inc. $29,422.00
For fuel reduction on low-income, elderly, and disabled properties adjacent to the major fire mitigation program being implemented by Boulder Watershed Collective.
PREPAREDNESS
Includes equipment and gear that would help fire protection districts and nonprofits respond faster and more safely or effectively in the future.
For the purchase of wild land firefighting gear.
Boulder Emergency Squad $7,500.00
For the purchase of personal protective equipment as well as necessary tools for volunteer firefighters.
Four Mile Fire Protection District $5,610.00
For the purchase of wildfire suppression gear and equipment to complement existing gear cache and fully outfit seasonal wild land tee of 10 paid firefighters.
Gold Hill Fire Protection District $12,000.00
For the purchase of a Ranger UTV to support transport of tools and debris from difficult to access sites for fire mitigation.
Nederland Fire Protection District $8,730.00
For the purchase of four Bendix-King field programmable hand-held radios.
Sugar Loaf Fire Protection District $8,900.00
For seven sets of wild land gear to equip incoming class of new firefighters.
IMPACTED COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Lefthand Fire Protection District $40,612.80
For the treatment of acres in the conservation easements adjacent to the North Foothills Ranch and Mountain Ridge subdivisions.
GRAND TOTAL: $874,168.40
* The Wildfire Mental Health Program (WMHP) was created to be a mental health resource to those impacted by the Cal-Wood and Lefthand Canyon wildfires. With additional funds from the COVID-19 Response Fund, WMHP has been renamed Boulder County Crisis Counseling and eligibility criteria has been expanded to also include anyone impacted in any way by the pandemic.
Register for mental health services
Providers' registration for the Wildfire Mental Health Program