Grants & Funding

Texas A&M Forest Service / USDA Forest Service

Mechanical Fuel Reduction (MFR) Grant

The MFR Grant is a competitive cost-share reimbursement grant for private Texas landowners. Funded through the USDA Forest Service, it reduces the risk of home loss to wildfire through mechanical fuel reduction: creating defensible space around homes and structures, and installing fuel breaks. Landowners in eligible counties in Central, South, West and Northwest Texas may apply. Eligible counties can change each year, so check the Texas A&M Forest Service eligibility map.

Landowners are reimbursed for actual costs up to these limits. Because it is a cost-share program, funds may not cover 100% of project costs.

Treatment Requirements

• Priority goes to projects that create defensible space within 0 to 100 feet of a home or structure. Treatments may extend up to 300 feet in all directions.
• Each treatment must be at least 66 feet wide.
• All debris, including dead woody material, cut limbs and brush, must be removed from the property or mechanically reduced to mulch or chips.
• Remaining mature native Texas trees must have their lower branches limbed up or reduced to limit ladder fuels.
• Burning of any kind is not allowed and will disqualify the project.
• All treatments are subject to a post-inspection.

Contractor Rules

• All work must be done by a contractor the landowner hires. The contractor cannot be affiliated with the landowner, and the landowner cannot do the work.
• Each application covers one treatment type. Landowners may submit multiple applications for different project locations or treatment types, but treatment areas cannot overlap.

How It Works

1. 1Apply online during the Texas A&M Forest Service application window. Applications are accepted online only. The 2026 window ran June 1 through July 14; the next window opens June 1, 2027.
2. 2Include a map of the project area on aerial imagery showing the property boundary, the treatment location and dimensions, and the landowner's name, plus contractor information and a cost estimate. Photos of the landscape and vegetation may also be submitted.
3. 3Applications are scored on wildfire mitigation factors, including Firewise USA site designation, problematic fuel types, burn probability, number of homes protected, creation of defensible space and alignment with Community Wildfire Protection Plans. Approval is not guaranteed.
4. 4If approved, sign and return the W-9 and Terms and Conditions form included with the approval letter.
5. 5Texas A&M Forest Service schedules a pre-inspection. Work may not begin until the pre-inspection is complete, and any work done before it is not eligible for reimbursement.
6. 6The contractor completes the work by the program deadline (end of April 2027 for the current cycle). If not all acreage is finished, the completed acreage can still be reimbursed. No extensions are granted.
7. 7A post-inspection verifies the acreage and dimensions.
8. 8Submit receipts and invoices for reimbursement. Invoices must show the project address and county, a description of the work, the acreage completed, and the balance paid in full. Direct deposit typically takes 3 to 4 weeks; mailed checks 4 to 6 weeks.

Program details verified against Texas A&M Forest Service, October 2026. Dates and eligible counties change each cycle.