Helene Disaster Recovery Grants
HB 1012 Disaster Recovery Grant Application Period Now Open
The North Carolina General Assembly has authorized an additional $18 million in funding through House Bill 1012 / Session Law 2025-26 to support fire departments and rescue squads affected by Hurricane Helene and to strengthen wildfire response efforts.
This second round of Disaster Recovery Grants provides a flat $50,000 award to eligible departments or squads that apply by the deadline.
Program Eligibility
Grants are available to departments that met the following criteria:
- Located in the following counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Clay, Cleveland, Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey
- Unlike Round 1, eligibility is not limited by department size or nonprofit status. All departments and rescue squads in the listed counties are eligible.
What Can the Funds Be Used For?
Grant funds may be used for one or more of the following:
- Repair or replace equipment damaged by Hurricane Helene
- Repair or replace facilities damaged by Hurricane Helene
- Enhance wildfire response and preparedness
*If your department or squad receives other funding (FEMA, insurance, etc.) for the same expenses, you must notify OSFM and may be required to return overlapping funds.
How to Apply
- Fire departments that applied in Round 1 do not need to reapply unless contacted by OSFM for additional information.
- All rescue squads and any fire departments that did not apply in Round 1 must submit a new application.
Applications and required materials are available through the link below.
All submissions must include a notarized attestation form signed by your department’s governing authority (e.g., mayor, town manager, board president).
*If your department applied during the first round of funding, OSFM may contact you to request additional details to consider your original application for this new funding. No action is needed unless contacted directly.
| Important Dates | Key Information |
|---|---|
| July 11, 2025 | Application Period Opens |
| August 2, 2025 (Midnight) | Deadline to Apply |
| By August 15, 2025 | Grant Awards and Disbursement |
For questions about documentation or deadlines, please contact please contact Jennifer Gates at Jennifer.Gates@ncdoi.gov or by phone 919-935-8091.
Access Online Grant Application for Round 2
Additional Information
Last updated: July 8, 2025
1. How many departments applied for the Disaster Relief Grant in Round 1?
294 departments were eligible to apply in Round 1. Out of those, 206 submitted applications, resulting in 201 submissions after consolidating duplicates.
2. How much funding was requested vs. available in Round 1?
Departments requested nearly $44 million in total, while the available funding for Round 1 was $10 million.
3. When did award notifications begin going out?
Initial award and status letters began going out on June 30, 2025. However, because of changes resulting from the enactment of S.L. 2025-26, the process is still ongoing.
4. Why haven’t all departments received their award letters yet?
Some departments included items outside of the funding guidelines. These departments have been asked to submit revised budgets or itemized lists to bring their requests into compliance.
Additionally, departments requesting vehicles were asked to provide fleet inventories and vehicle specifications to further evaluate eligibility and need.
5. Are all departments still under consideration?
Yes. All departments that submitted applications are still under review. As revised information is received and dollars are freed up from ineligible items, additional awards are being made to departments next in line.
6. What is the difference between Round 1 and Round 2 funding?
- Round 1 was funded under S.L. 2025-2 (HB 47) and included 28 counties.
- Round 2, under S.L. 2025-26 (HB 1012):
- Includes 25 Counties
- Removed 5 counties from Round 1: Catawba, Gaston, Lincoln, Surry and Yadkin
- Added 2 counties: Graham and Cherokee
- Included 36 Rescue Squads within the eligible counties
Round 2 provides an additional $18 million in funding, with grants capped at $50,000 per department or rescue squad.
7. Will all eligible departments receive funding?
The goal is for all departments that applied and meet eligibility criteria to receive some level of funding. Awards are being made based on priority needs, eligibility, and the availability of funds.
8. Where can I find the official House Bills and program language?
9. When will the full list of grant recipients be published?
A complete list of all applicants, awards, and funding amounts will be posted to the OSFM website once all award determinations and notifications for both rounds are finalized.
10. When can we expect checks to be issued?
We anticipate checks will begin to be issued around August 2025. This timeline is dependent on departments submitting any outstanding documentation and receiving final approval. In addition, if your department has never received funding from OSFM or from the State of NC you will need to submit an NC sub W-9 to OSFMAdmin@ncdoi.gov.
11. Why isn’t OSFM’s regular grant management system being used for the Disaster Relief Grant Program?
OSFM’s grant management system was not designed to handle emergency or special-purpose funding programs like this Disaster Relief Grant Program, especially when legislation authorizing the funding is enacted mid-cycle with unique eligibility requirements. As we have seen in other relief efforts – such as the COVID relief programs – implementing new program criteria within the existing system can be time- and resource-intensive, causing delays in application processing and award disbursements.
To ensure timely and accurate disbursement, OSFM has opted to manage this program outside the traditional grant portal using a manual scoring and tracking system, which allows for faster review, better flexibility, and real-time adjustment as departments revise requests or as legislative changes occur (e.g., rescue squads and fire departments in additional counties becoming eligible to apply for the second round of grant funding provided in S.L. 2025-26).
A complete report containing a summary of applications received, awards disbursed, and the scoring sheet used to determine awards will be made published on OSFM’s website once the grant cycle is finalized.
12. Who can I contact with further questions?
Please contact Jennifer Gates at Jennifer.gates@ncdoi.gov or by phone 919-935-8091 for any questions related to your department’s application or next steps.
Jennifer Gates is managing the grant review and award process for all departments and rescue squads across both House Bills, so please be patient if you don’t receive an immediate call back. Due to the high volume of inquiries, we recommend sending an email with your specific questions so she can prepare the information you need and respond as efficiently as possible.
APPLICATION PERIOD CLOSED
The 2025 Disaster Recovery Grants, made possible by the North Carolina General Assembly through the Disaster Recovery Act of 2025, provided $10 million in funding to support small and volunteer fire departments impacted by Hurricane Helene.
This one-time grant program was administered by the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) and offered eligible departments up to $500,000 to:
- Cover expenses directly related to Hurricane Helene
- Purchase essential equipment
- Make capital improvements to strengthen disaster preparedness
Program Eligibility
Grants were available to departments that met the following criteria:
- Located in counties designated under the President’s major disaster declaration
- Operated as a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) nonprofit or served a population under 12,000 based on OSFM's most recent 9S inspection
All funds awarded through this program must be encumbered or spent by December 31, 2025, and departments are required to submit proper documentation. Any grant funds that overlap with FEMA or insurance reimbursements must be reported and may need to be repaid.
| Important Dates | Key Information |
|---|---|
| April 21 - May 30, 2025 | Application Window |
| By June 30, 2025 | Award Notification and Disbursement |
If your department received funding and has questions about documentation or deadlines, please contact please contact Jennifer Gates at Jennifer.Gates@ncdoi.gov or by Phone 919-935-8091.
*The application period for Round 1 of the 2025 Disaster Recovery Grant Program is now closed. We are currently in the review and evaluation phase. Thank you to all departments who applied and for your continued service to your communities.
Key Program Stats:
- 28 counties submitted applications
- 201 fire departments applied
- Total funding available: $10 million
- Total amount requested: $54.5 million+
- Equipment: $38 million
- Capital Improvements: $14.9 million
- Expenses from Hurricane Helene: $815,000
Review Process:
- OSFM is reviewing all applications and assigning priority rankings (1st, 2nd, and 3rd) by county to help guide award decisions.
- A color-coded system is being used to align county applications with OSFM and FEMA disaster impact assessments.
- Special equipment requests, including air packs, drones, and cardiac monitors, are being flagged and tracked separately.
- Applications are being evaluated based on location, budget, population served, and disaster impact.
- A comprehensive scoring sheet is being finalized and will be shared with stakeholders once formulas and calculations are confirmed.
We appreciate the overwhelming response from fire departments across the state and remain committed to a fair and transparent review process.