8.F.
City Council Meeting - FINAL
- Meeting Date:
- 02/17/2026
- From:
- Neil Chapman, Wildland Fire Captain
TITLE:
Consideration and Approval of Grant Agreement: Approve the Grant Agreement with New Venture Fund to increase community capacity and awareness regarding wildfire resilience across both natural and built environments.
STAFF RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff recommends City Council approve a one-year agreement with the New Venture Fund in the amount of $249,578 and authorize the City Manager to execute the necessary documents.
Executive Summary:
Flagstaff is surrounded by peaks and canyons of the most sacred importance. Home to the largest continuous ponderosa pine forest in the world, this landscape and the indigenous communities have benefited from frequent fire for well over 15,000 years. Suppressing lightning ignitions and excluding cultural burning since the late 1800’s has drastically transitioned the arrangement of forest fuels and increased community wildfire risk across northern Arizona.
First responders, scientists, land managers, and community planners accept that fire suppression, exclusion of indigenous stewardship, and community planning that does not recognize wildfire risk reduction science have had disastrous consequences for ecosystems and the human communities that depend on them. Catastrophic wildfire is by far the most significant risk facing the City of Flagstaff.
The Flagstaff Fire Department seeks to reduce wildfire risk by implementing a comprehensive wildfire resilience program based on the pre-fire ecosystem and pre-fire community strategies of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's Wildfire Resilience Initiative. A foundational concept of this effort is the understanding that the health of the Flagstaff Community and the protection of watersheds and water infrastructure is linked to the health of the land.
A transformative, long-term, watershed and wildfire resilience program has roots in Flagstaff but requires additional capacity and access to new tools and networks. This grant agreement will build on Flagstaff’s ongoing forest health efforts and community resilience commitment. The Project will leverage multiple existing initiatives and partnerships to meet the evolving needs of the Flagstaff community by providing a higher level of service.
Objective 1. Improved ecosystem health and ecosystem services provisioning are supported through appropriate fire regimes based on historical intervals, range of variability, management goals and in consideration of future ecological condition through stewardship and management actions that prioritize ecosystem health.
Objective 2: Prioritized, implemented, and well maintained network of fuels reduction treatments to disrupt fire pathways and prevent wildfire from entering and spreading in the built environment.
Objective 3: Reduction of structure-to-structure conflagration in developed WUI communities.
The Colorado River Sustainability Campaign (CRSC) is a project that is fiscally sponsored by the New Venture Fund. The New Venture Fund (NVF) is an incorporated nonprofit that provides such services to several projects. The CRSC resides within it and is not separately incorporated. The CRSC operates with a unique mission and purpose, raises separate funds, and spends the money that is raised. NVF is the recipient of funds it raises separately. The NVF handles the CRSC accounting, compliance, payroll, contracting, and granting services. And because CRSC is a project residing at NVF, NVF legally holds CRSC contracts and grant agreements. When the CRSC contracts with someone, that contractor actually contracts with NVF. And when the CRSC makes a grant to a third party, the grant agreement is actually with the New Venture Fund.
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation funds the CRSC’s work on wildfire resilience in the Colorado River Basin and has since 2023. It has increased its support to the CRSC to allow for broader engagement in the basin, which includes the opportunity to support the work of the Flagstaff Fire Department. The CRSC has approximately 15 similar funding relationships related to wildfire in the basin.
First responders, scientists, land managers, and community planners accept that fire suppression, exclusion of indigenous stewardship, and community planning that does not recognize wildfire risk reduction science have had disastrous consequences for ecosystems and the human communities that depend on them. Catastrophic wildfire is by far the most significant risk facing the City of Flagstaff.
The Flagstaff Fire Department seeks to reduce wildfire risk by implementing a comprehensive wildfire resilience program based on the pre-fire ecosystem and pre-fire community strategies of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's Wildfire Resilience Initiative. A foundational concept of this effort is the understanding that the health of the Flagstaff Community and the protection of watersheds and water infrastructure is linked to the health of the land.
A transformative, long-term, watershed and wildfire resilience program has roots in Flagstaff but requires additional capacity and access to new tools and networks. This grant agreement will build on Flagstaff’s ongoing forest health efforts and community resilience commitment. The Project will leverage multiple existing initiatives and partnerships to meet the evolving needs of the Flagstaff community by providing a higher level of service.
Objective 1. Improved ecosystem health and ecosystem services provisioning are supported through appropriate fire regimes based on historical intervals, range of variability, management goals and in consideration of future ecological condition through stewardship and management actions that prioritize ecosystem health.
Objective 2: Prioritized, implemented, and well maintained network of fuels reduction treatments to disrupt fire pathways and prevent wildfire from entering and spreading in the built environment.
Objective 3: Reduction of structure-to-structure conflagration in developed WUI communities.
The Colorado River Sustainability Campaign (CRSC) is a project that is fiscally sponsored by the New Venture Fund. The New Venture Fund (NVF) is an incorporated nonprofit that provides such services to several projects. The CRSC resides within it and is not separately incorporated. The CRSC operates with a unique mission and purpose, raises separate funds, and spends the money that is raised. NVF is the recipient of funds it raises separately. The NVF handles the CRSC accounting, compliance, payroll, contracting, and granting services. And because CRSC is a project residing at NVF, NVF legally holds CRSC contracts and grant agreements. When the CRSC contracts with someone, that contractor actually contracts with NVF. And when the CRSC makes a grant to a third party, the grant agreement is actually with the New Venture Fund.
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation funds the CRSC’s work on wildfire resilience in the Colorado River Basin and has since 2023. It has increased its support to the CRSC to allow for broader engagement in the basin, which includes the opportunity to support the work of the Flagstaff Fire Department. The CRSC has approximately 15 similar funding relationships related to wildfire in the basin.
Financial Impact:
Project Name: Flagstaff Fire Department Wildfire Resilience Initiative
Cost: $249,578
Account Number Budgeted: 214-1-170-6397-0-xxxx
FY Budgeted Amount: $341,700
Grant Funded: $249,578
Funding Source: New Venture Fund
Cost: $249,578
Account Number Budgeted: 214-1-170-6397-0-xxxx
FY Budgeted Amount: $341,700
Grant Funded: $249,578
Funding Source: New Venture Fund
Policy Impact:
Funding supports current WFM programs, improves access to new risk modeling technology, and improves community-wide planning efforts.
Previous Council Decision or Community Discussion:
This agreement continues the wildland fire resilience partnership with the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation that was initiated via a grant agreement that was approved by Council on May 21st, 2024.
Options and Alternatives to Recommended Action:
The City Council has the option not to approve this agreement.
This will delay implementation and could result in the potential loss of funding commitments.
The current Wildland Fire Management level of service would be negatively impacted as a current full-time position is funded via this long-term grant partnership.
This will delay implementation and could result in the potential loss of funding commitments.
The current Wildland Fire Management level of service would be negatively impacted as a current full-time position is funded via this long-term grant partnership.
Connection to PBB Priorities and Objectives:
Priority Based Budget Key Community Priorities and Objectives:
- High Performing Governance: Implement innovative local government programs
- Safe and Healthy Community: Ensure built environment is safe through the use of consistent standards, rules and regulations, & land use practices
- Environmental Stewardship: Promote, protect & enhance a healthy, sustainable environment & its natural resources
- Environmental Stewardship: Strengthen Flagstaff's resilience to climate change impacts on built, natural, economic, health, & social systems
Connection to Regional Plan:
Environmental Planning & Conservation -- Vision for the Future: In 2013, the long-term health and viability of our natural resource environment is maintained through strategic planning for resource conservation and protection.
Policy E&C.3.3 -- Invest in forest health and watershed protection measures.
Policy E&C.6.1 -- Encourage public awareness that the region's ponderosa pine forest is a fire dependent ecosystem and strive to restore more natural and sustainable forest composition, structure, and processes.
Policy E&C.6.3 -- Promote protection, conservation, and ecological restoration of the region's diverse ecosystem type and associated animals.
Policy E&C.6.6 -- Support collaborative efforts for forest health initiatives or practices, such as the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), to support healthy forests and protect our water system.
Policy E&C.10.2 -- Protect, conserve, and when possible, enhance and restore wildlife habitat on public land.
Policy E&C.3.3 -- Invest in forest health and watershed protection measures.
Policy E&C.6.1 -- Encourage public awareness that the region's ponderosa pine forest is a fire dependent ecosystem and strive to restore more natural and sustainable forest composition, structure, and processes.
Policy E&C.6.3 -- Promote protection, conservation, and ecological restoration of the region's diverse ecosystem type and associated animals.
Policy E&C.6.6 -- Support collaborative efforts for forest health initiatives or practices, such as the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI), to support healthy forests and protect our water system.
Policy E&C.10.2 -- Protect, conserve, and when possible, enhance and restore wildlife habitat on public land.
Connection to Carbon Neutrality Plan:
Carbon Neutrality Plan:
HF-1: Protect existing forests, resources, and meaningful open spaces
HF-2: Restore and maintain the natural fire-adapted structure and pattern of the forests of the greater Flagstaff region through collaboration with partners.
HF-3: Educate the public on forest health and wildfire risk reduction.
HF-1: Protect existing forests, resources, and meaningful open spaces
HF-2: Restore and maintain the natural fire-adapted structure and pattern of the forests of the greater Flagstaff region through collaboration with partners.
HF-3: Educate the public on forest health and wildfire risk reduction.
Connection to 10-Year Housing Plan:
3.2 Encourage neighborhoods, housing types, and building practices that increase health
Connection to Division Specific Plan:
Connection to FFD 2025 - 2028 Strategic Plan:
PERSONNEL AND PROCESS DEVELOPMENT
• Work to continuously improve communication
• Advance Community Risk Reduction measures
FUNDING
• Increase personnel
SERVICE LEVEL
• Increase firefighting staffing
• Increase outreach positions
• Reduce risks through Prevention and Wildfire Management efforts
PERSONNEL AND PROCESS DEVELOPMENT
• Work to continuously improve communication
• Advance Community Risk Reduction measures
FUNDING
• Increase personnel
SERVICE LEVEL
• Increase firefighting staffing
• Increase outreach positions
• Reduce risks through Prevention and Wildfire Management efforts