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Interior makes up to $20 million available for local wildfire response

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funding

Interior has made up to $20 million available for the third round of the Slip-on Tanker Pilot Program to strengthen local governments' wildfire response capacity.

Source summary
The Department of the Interior announced up to $20 million in funding through the Slip-on Tanker Pilot Program to help small, remote local governments purchase slip-on tanker units that convert trucks and utility vehicles into wildland fire engines. Eligible applicants serve communities with populations of 50,000 or less and must be in areas rated moderate to high wildfire risk by the Wildfire Risk to Communities tool. Grants will range from $10,000 to $249,000, and applications are due on grants.gov by March 23, 2026. The announcement ties into Interior’s broader effort to establish the U.S. Wildland Fire Service and follows an earlier $5 million award to local agencies.
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Latest fact check

The Department of the Interior press release dated Feb. 2, 2026 states “Up to $20 million is available during this third round of funding” for the Slip-on Tanker Pilot Program. The program’s Round 3 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) published on the federal grants site (attachment) provides the specific Round 3 announcement and grant details, confirming the amount is for Round 3. Verdict: True — official DOI materials and the Round 3 NOFO show up to $20 million was made available for the third round of the Slip-on Tanker Pilot Program to strengthen local wildfire response.

Sources

Timeline

  1. Update · Feb 02, 2026, 11:21 PMTrue
    The Department of the Interior press release dated Feb. 2, 2026 states “Up to $20 million is available during this third round of funding” for the Slip-on Tanker Pilot Program. The program’s Round 3 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) published on the federal grants site (attachment) provides the specific Round 3 announcement and grant details, confirming the amount is for Round 3. Verdict: True — official DOI materials and the Round 3 NOFO show up to $20 million was made available for the third round of the Slip-on Tanker Pilot Program to strengthen local wildfire response.
  2. Original article · Feb 02, 2026
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