Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of Wildland Fire (OWF) - Slip-On Tanker Units | D26AS00056

Opportunity Information: Apply for D26AS00056

The Department of the Interior, Office of Wildland Fire (OWF) is offering a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number D26AS00056) focused on improving local wildland firefighting readiness by helping communities purchase slip-on tanker units. The program is framed around a clear operational problem: wildfire seasons are getting longer and more severe as drought and sustained higher temperatures dry out fuels and extend the window when fires can ignite and spread. The opportunity description also highlights a compounding cycle where intense fires and drought can accelerate invasive species growth, and those invasive plants often burn more readily than native vegetation, increasing the likelihood and intensity of future fires. Taken together, these trends are contributing to more acres burned each year, fire activity in places that historically did not burn often, and a growing risk to communities, especially where development meets wildland areas.

Funding for this effort comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted in November 2021). The intent is practical and equipment-oriented: provide funding so eligible local governments can acquire slip-on tanker units that can be mounted onto appropriate vehicles to support wildland firefighting operations. These units typically expand a local department’s ability to deliver water or suppression resources in areas where larger apparatus may be limited by terrain, access, or distance, and they can be particularly valuable for initial attack and rapid response when conditions are volatile.

Eligibility is targeted and restrictive in a way that prioritizes smaller jurisdictions. Applicants must be U.S. local governments that provide fire protection and other emergency services, demonstrate a need for slip-on tankers to improve wildland firefighting readiness, and serve a location with a population of 50,000 or less. The eligible applicant types listed include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts, with an “other” category also referenced in the source data. The overall theme is that funding is meant to strengthen capability where resources may be limited but wildfire risk is increasing.

Administratively, the grant is managed through the Interior Business Center under the Department of the Interior. It is categorized under Disaster Prevention and Relief, with CFDA/Assistance Listing number 15.088. The maximum award amount is listed as $249,000 per award (award ceiling), and the program anticipates making around 150 awards, indicating a relatively broad distribution of funding across multiple communities rather than a small number of very large projects. The opportunity was created on 2026-01-22, and the original closing date is 2026-03-23, which sets the window for interested eligible entities to prepare and submit applications.

In short, this opportunity is an equipment acquisition grant designed to help smaller-population jurisdictions bolster frontline wildland fire response capability by purchasing slip-on tanker units, reflecting the reality of longer, more intense, and more geographically widespread wildfire activity. Further specifics on allowable costs, application requirements, selection criteria, and documentation are indicated as being available in the full announcement.

• The Interior Business Center in the disaster prevention and relief sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Department of the Interior (DOI), Office of Wildland Fire (OWF) - Slip-On Tanker Units" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.088.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-01-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-03-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $249,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 150 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Others.

Apply for D26AS00056

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