Michigan Volunteer Fire Capacity Grants

The Michigan Volunteer Fire Capacity Grants program provides federal funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service under the Cooperative Forest Assistance Act of 1978 to help local fire departments acquire firefighting equipment for rural communities.

Eligibility is limited to fire departments that serve rural communities with populations of 10,000 or fewer and that encompass publicly-owned forested land within their protection boundary. Applications are prioritized based on several evaluation criteria, including the number of fire departments involved, number of communities served, service area population, number of formal written non-pay mutual aid agreements, annual operating budget, organizational type (paid vs. volunteer), participation in FHA Community Facilities loans or commercial loans, unusual fire hazards, type of water supply, and fire insurance classification. Applicants cannot be debarred or suspended from federal assistance programs.

Eligible projects include the acquisition of firefighting equipment and fire trucks that improve community and wildland fire response capacity. Grant funding covers 50 percent of approved project costs up to a maximum grant allocation of $4,999 per recipient.

Applications become available annually on May 1 and are emailed directly to fire departments via the State Fire Directory maintained by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Completed applications must be submitted to the local DNR Forest Resources Division Management Unit Office by June 30. Management Units score and prioritize applications before submitting them to the Division office for statewide prioritization and grant award announcements by December 1. Grantees purchase the approved equipment and submit proof-of-purchase documentation to receive reimbursement, with all projects required to be completed by July 1 of the following year.