Starting in fiscal year 2026 to 2027, $6 million over three years has been allocated by the WildFireSat mission to support Canadian wildland fire agencies and emergency management organizations in enhancing their use of WildFireSat data products.
Funding opportunity - OPEN
Objectives of the WildFireSat Remote Sensing Capacity for Use in Wildland Fire Management (WFS-RSC) program include:
- increasing education in the use of Earth observation (EO) satellite wildland fire products
- increasing expertise in the use and interpretation of EO satellite wildland fire products within wildland fire and emergency management organizations
- increasing alignment and compatibility of information management technology to access and use EO satellite wildland fire products
- increasing organizational capacity to use WildFireSat products
The WFS-RSC program will provide up to 75% funding of the overall cost of approved projects.
Eligibility
- Provincial and Territorial wildland fire management agencies
- Indigenous wildland fire management, stewardship and emergency management entities
- the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC)
- the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC)
Eligible expenditures
Funds may be used for expenses related to meeting the program’s objectives and necessary for implementing and conducting approved projects. Expenditures can include:
- salaries, benefits and stipends
- professional and contracting services, including printing and translation services
- training, working groups and professional development costs including facility rental, and costs to develop training
- informatics and information technology and systems, including software and hardware
- data collection services, including processing, analysis, and management
- GST, PST or HST, net of any tax rebate to which the recipient is entitled
Ineligible expenditures
Capital costs for the construction of buildings or the purchase of land or buildings are not eligible.
Application process
Beginning October 1, 2025, the WFS-RSC program will accept applications on an ongoing basis.
Applications may be submitted at any time during the year.
Review and decision process
Applications will be reviewed regularly throughout the year. At each review point, all applications received since the previous review will be assessed.
Funding availability
Funding will be distributed across the program’s three years to ensure fairness and balance. As a result, some projects may be approved with a scheduled start date in a future program year. Applicants will be informed of their project’s approved start date when funding is decided.
Evaluation criteria
Assessments of proposals will include:
- the extent to which the project aligns with program objectives
- achievable timelines and milestones
- a budget with reasonable cost estimates to achieve project objectives and deliverables
Contact us
Email wildfireprograms-programmesdefeuxdeforet@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca if you have questions, comments, want to receive program updates or to be considered for the directed call for applications.