Deadline For Volunteer Fire Assistance Program Grant is December 31st

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) is now accepting applications for grants for the Volunteer Fire Assistance Program.

Applications must be submitted electronically through DCNR’s grant website by 4 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 31. To expedite processing, only online applications will be accepted.

The maximum grant award in 2026 is $15,000 per fire company, with funding provided on a 50/50 cost-share basis — grants for any project during a fiscal year cannot exceed 50% of the actual expenditures of local, public, and private nonprofit organizations in the grant project. Eligible applicants include local firefighting forces in rural areas or communities with fewer than 10,000 residents. Funding can be used for training and equipment purchases directly related to fighting brush and forest fires. Recipients are selected based on vulnerability and adequacy of existing fire protection, with a focus on improving volunteer readiness and protecting lives and property in under-protected areas.

Priority will be placed on projects that include the purchase of wildfire suppression equipment and protective clothing. Grants may also be used to purchase mobile or portable radios; install dry hydrants; conduct wildfire prevention and mitigation work; train wildland firefighters; or convert vehicles into wildland fire engines.