2026 Volunteer Fire Assistance Grant - KY Division of Forestry
The Kentucky Division of Forestry will be accepting grant applications for the 2026 Volunteer Fire Assistance (VFA) Grant Program beginning March 1, 2026. The objective of the program is to improve the capability and effectiveness of Kentucky’s rural volunteer fire departments to protect lives and property. They accomplish this through organizing, training, and equipping local firefighters for fire protection in rural areas, including communities of 10,000 persons or less.
Grants will be awarded, ranging from a minimum of $1,000.00 to a maximum of $5,000.00 and will be administered through a 50/50 reimbursement system. Volunteer fire departments will carry out grant projects and submit invoices to the Kentucky Division of Forestry that document total program cost. The Kentucky Division of Forestry reimburses 50 percent of the total project cost to the Grantee.
Eligible items that are available for purchase with grant funds include training materials, pumps, hoses, tanks, small fire suppression equipment, wildland personal protective equipment (PPE) such as Nomex® fire shelters, gloves, lights, etc. Additional details on the types of projects along with application forms and proposal instructions are available in the grant information package.
The fire department and Division of Forestry must sign a Memorandum of Agreement and receive an official project start letter before any project begins. The fire department would then be required to adhere to the project approved in its application.
Grant proposals must be emailed to KDFGrants.VFA@Ky.gov and must be received by 4:30 P.M. EDT on April 30, 2026. No faxed or mailed applications will be accepted.
If you have any questions, please contact Rural Fire Technical Advisor William H. Duncan, at (502)-782-3931 or KDFGrants.VFA@Ky.gov.
