Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant

Additional Details

Fire departments are required to equally match (50/50) the amount of the grant award. As an example, a fire department is required to spend up to $5,000 on the purchase of approved firefighting equipment in order to be reimbursed an equal grant amount up to $2,500.

Eligible Applicants

Additional Requirements

Eligibility Criteria A single fire department serving a rural area or rural community with a population of 10,000 or less is eligible (latest census). Area fire departments (fire districts, townships, etc.) may serve an aggregate population of greater than 10,000 as long as the service area of the fire department includes a rural area or rural community having a population of 10,000 or less. The VFA funding must be used to benefit the rural population. A single county or town with a population of over 10,000 that is served by two or more fire districts operating entirely within the bounds of the county or town may qualify as long as the service area of a given fire department includes a rural area or rural community or the population of the fire department's jurisdiction is 10,000 or less. The VFA funding must be used for the rural area. A single community with a population greater than 10,000 and having a single fire department with one or more fire stations may qualify. The fire department must have a service area that includes a rural area or community that does not exceed 10,000 populations. The VFA funding must be used only for the benefit of the rural population. Similarly, a single community with a population greater than 10,000 that also provides fire protection to an adjoining rural community of 10,000 or less population by contract may also be eligible provided the VFA funding is used entirely to support the rural community. A single community fire department serving a population greater than 10,000 and not providing protection to a rural area or to a rural community is not eligible for VFA financial assistance.

Geographic Eligibility

All