Volunteer Fire Department Fund

General Information

Purpose

The Volunteer Fire Department Fund was created to assist fire departments to purchase equipment and make capital expenditures.

(Established by NC General Statute 58-87-1)

Guidelines

Fire departments will match as follows:

  • Departments who receive less than or equal to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per year from municipal and/or county funding are not required to match the grant funding.
  • Departments receiving more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) but less than or equal to seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000) per year from municipal and/or county funding shall match one dollar ($1.00) for each three dollars ($3.00) of grant funds (3:1 match). 
  • Departments that receive more than seventy-five thousand ($75,000) per year from municipal and/or county funding shall match the grant on a dollar-for-dollar basis (50/50 match).

The size of a grant may not exceed thirty thousand dollars ($30,000).  

Eligibility Criteria

  • Fire Department is all volunteer, with the exception of six (6) paid positions.
  • Fire Department must enter the TOTAL number of hours paid to part-time employees in the LAST fiscal year.
    • To calculate the number of full-time equivalents, divide the total number of paid part-time hours by 1560 and add to the total number of full-time employees. 
  • Fire Department must report to NFIRS.
  • Fire Department must be recognized as rated/certified by the NC Department of Insurance.
Important Dates Key Information
January 2 (or first business day in January) All rated fire departments notified online application is available.
March 1 Online applications must be submitted to NC Department of Insurance.
May 15 Grant recipients are announced.
September 30 Invoices/proofs of payment due to NC Department of Insurance. Uploads can be done via OSFM24 online portal.

Equipment orders must not be made before the May 15 announcement date.

Effective April 17, 2018, invoice(s) and proof of payment must be uploaded via the OSFM24 online portal for review in place of mailing them to the Mail Service Center.

The Volunteer Fire Department Fund (Fire Grant) is administered through:
NC Department of Insurance
Office of State Fire Marshal
1202 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1202

Additional Information

Access Grant Application

Files

https://www.ncosfm.gov/fire-rescue/fire-rescue-grants-and-relief-funds/volunteer-fire-department-fund