04/29/2026
Tag any volunteer firefighters you know!!
State Farm® and the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) are proud to team up for the Good Neighbor Firefighter Safety Program to help resource-constrained volunteer fire departments secure needed equipment. In 2026, State Farm will continue its $1.5 million commitment, providing 150 volunteer fire departments with $10,000 grants to enhance safety, effectiveness, and operational readiness.
The program launched in 2024 and expanded in 2025 in response to overwhelming need across the volunteer fire service. Ongoing support from State Farm ensures more departments can access the critical resources they rely on. To date, 250 departments have received $2.5 million, allowing them to better protect their teams and the people they serve.
State Farm will also again provide one-year NVFC memberships to the first 2,000 eligible applicants to give them access to the full range of NVFC benefits.
Criteria
To be eligible for the grant, departments must meet the following criteria:
This grant must be used for eligible fire department equipment.
Department must be over 50% volunteer; paid on-call is considered volunteer.
Department must serve a population of 25,000 or less.
Department must be located in the U.S. and legally organized under state law.
Revenue for the department’s most recently completed fiscal year must not have exceeded $250,000.
Department must demonstrate a need for the grant by indicating what the funds will be used for and articulating the impact this grant will have on the department and community.
Department must be willing to share a department photo or video and publicize the grant award. The NVFC will provide sample promotional tools and templates to help.
Department must report back within four months on how the grant funds were used.
Only one application will be accepted per department; any subsequent applications received for that department will be ineligible.
Previous recipients are ineligible to apply.
Application
The 2026 application period will be open from Monday, May 4 at 12:00pm (noon) Eastern to Thursday, May 7 at 12:00pm (noon) Eastern. To prepare, review the available resources, which include application guidance, a list of eligible equipment, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
Selection
After the application period ends, a panel selected by the NVFC will review the applications. A total of 150 departments will be chosen to receive a $10,000 grant. To support volunteer fire departments across the nation, at least one recipient will be selected from each state with 10 or more eligible applications. The selection process is nondiscriminatory.
https://www.nvfc.org/good-neighbor-firefighter-safety-program/
