RALEIGH — North Carolina opened a $65 million second round of the Helene Local Government Capital Grant Program for local governments, federally recognized tribes located on trust lands, and volunteer fire departments seeking to repair storm-damaged infrastructure not covered by FEMA Public Assistance.
The 2026 state budget law appropriated the money to the Office of State Budget and Management. Up to $30 million may be used for qualifying volunteer fire departments, which were added to the program for this round.
OSBM says eligible local governments and federally recognized tribes located on trust lands must be in Hurricane Helene FEMA-designated areas and apply for capital projects to repair, renovate or replace infrastructure damaged by the storm. The projects must be ineligible for FEMA Public Assistance reimbursement.
The agency will prioritize eligible recipients with populations of 250,000 or fewer and applications for catastrophically damaged unincorporated areas. Statutory caps limit local-government awards to $5,737,500 per recipient, $22,950,000 per county and, in some cases, $5,737,500 per ZIP code.
Volunteer fire departments must be in a designated area, have Helene damage involving site preparation, a fire station or land for relocation, and hold prior certification from the Office of the State Fire Marshal. They may receive up to $5,737,500 and are not counted against the county cap.
Applications are due Nov. 23. OSBM says applications will be evaluated after the deadline rather than on a rolling basis. The governor’s announcement opens a funded application process; it does not identify recipients or completed awards.
The business consequence will depend on which projects are selected. The program creates a financing path for public-infrastructure repair across western North Carolina, but no contractor, construction schedule or local award is established until OSBM completes its review.