California Fire Foundation
The California Fire Foundation (CFF) is a public charity based in Sacramento, California. Formed in 1987 by California Professional Firefighters, it provides assistance to fire victims, firefighters, and their families, and supports the communities they protect.
California Fire Foundation at a glance
In short: California Fire Foundation gave $1.5M across 88 grants in 2024 (avg $17K), mostly in California. 50% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $1,492,051
- -30.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 88
- -4.3% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $16,955
- -27.2% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $20,669,837
- -6.6% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 50% first-time grantees (44 of 88, 2024)
- Primary geography
- California (93% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to California Fire Foundation
- How to Apply
-
For grant opportunities with an application process, CFF directs applicants to submit through its grants portal. The 2026 General Grant does not require matching funds. The website lists current or upcoming opportunities, but the application details and dates vary by program.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1780 Creekside Oaks Drive, Sacramento, CA 95833
Phone: (916) 921-9111
Website: https://cafirefoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
6 open opportunities from California Fire Foundation
California Fire Foundation Community Grants
California Fire Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
California Fire Foundation FCTC Financial Awards
California Fire Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Rolling
California Statewide Wildfire Safety and Preparedness Funding
California Fire Foundation
Amount
Varies
Deadline
Deadline not published
Who California Fire Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Projectcamp ($75K). Together the top 10 received $438K.
Grant Size Distribution
555 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 539 grants of 555 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
CFF’s grant program serves California communities. In 2024, 93% of grant dollars went to recipients in California and 4% to recipients in Hawaii; the filing data lists the remaining 3% with no identified state. The 2024 grants included projects in multiple California communities, as well as a disaster-relief award in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 88 itemized grants.
Cities
Is California Fire Foundation open to new grantees?
50%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 44 of 88 grantees (50%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $16K; repeat grants $18K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 22% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2021 to 2024 (−19%). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $1.5M (2024) to $2.2M (2022). In 2024 it made 88 grants totaling $1.5M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Projectcamp Los Angeles, CA | Awareness | $75,000 |
| Northern Valley Catholic Social Ser Redding, CA | Wildfire Mitigaition | $65,000 |
| Hawaii Fire Fighters Association L Honolulu, HI | Disaster Releif | $57,166 |
| The Regents of the University of CA Santa Barbara, CA | Wildfire Mitigaition | $50,000 |
| Others | — | $48,124 |
| The California Latino Legislative C Sacramento, CA | EDUCATION&RESEARCH | $45,000 |
| Community Foundation of the North S Redding, CA | Wildfire Mitigation | $25,000 |
| El Dorado Community Foundation Placerville, CA | Wildfire Mitigation | $25,000 |
| North Coast Resource Conservation & Santa Rosa, CA | Wildfire Mitigaition | $25,000 |
| Trauma Intervention Program Foothil Prather, CA | Wildfire Mitigaition | $23,156 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $20,669,837 | $5,288,152 | $7,040,853 | $1,492,051 | 88 | $860,206 |
| 2023 | $22,135,588 | $5,085,617 | $6,766,881 | $2,143,037 | 92 | $631,513 |
| 2022 | $23,584,537 | $4,881,565 | $6,432,496 | $2,162,387 | 114 | $42,365 |
| 2021 | $25,027,196 | $6,496,275 | $4,963,571 | $1,847,940 | 114 | $151,221 |
| 2020 | $23,467,446 | $11,239,326 | $4,616,836 | $1,784,340 | 147 | $70,382 |
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
CFF’s stated mission includes assisting victims of fire, educating the public about fire safety and the effects of fire, recognizing firefighters, and honoring those killed in the line of duty. Its programs include the Firefighters On Your Side public education campaign, emergency support for families of fallen or injured firefighters, assistance for disaster survivors, and scholarships for children of fallen firefighters.
For outside grant seekers, CFF lists vegetation mitigation and fuels reduction; planning, public education, and community outreach; personal protective equipment; specialized firefighting equipment; first-responder training; and relief and recovery as focus areas. Its website says funding priority goes to projects grounded in and responsive to under-resourced communities in elevated disaster-risk areas.
CFF’s 2026 General Grant opportunity identifies fire departments, firefighter associations, nonprofit organizations, and tribal entities serving California communities as eligible applicants. Other groups may apply in partnership with an eligible entity, including through fiscal agency. Examples of grantee organizations include Project:Camp, whose mission is to provide care for children and relief for families affected by natural disasters, and Building Resilient Communities, which says it provides resources and education to help disadvantaged and vulnerable communities prepare for and overcome disasters.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, CFF reported 88 grants totaling $1,492,051. Grant amounts ranged from $6,010 to $75,000, with a median of $15,000. Among the largest awards were $75,000 to Project:Camp for awareness, $65,000 to Northern Valley Catholic Social Services for wildfire mitigation, $57,166 to Hawaii Fire Fighters Association for disaster relief, and $50,000 to the Regents of the University of California at Santa Barbara for wildfire mitigation.
CFF’s website describes a 2026 General Grant opportunity with $1 million in total funding to be distributed quarterly and typical awards of up to $25,000, with exceptions considered case by case. The listed application windows for 2026 run through September 30; those windows have passed as of October 2, 2026. The website also lists a California Rises 2025 Disaster Relief & Recovery Grant for projects in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. That is a 2025 opportunity, not a current cycle. The Daniel A. Terry Scholarship is for children of fallen California firefighters and pays individual recipients $3,000 per year, renewable for up to four years; its September 1, 2026 deadline has passed.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Brian Rice as president and Rick Martinez as executive director. It also lists Kara Haynes, director of community relations; Joslyn Beile, deputy director; Mike Lopez, treasurer; and directors Charles Martinez, Rex Pritchard, Tim Edwards, Freddy Escobar, and Dave Gillotte.
California Fire Foundation is led by Brian Rice, President on every filing since 2020; 6 of 15 officers listed in 2024 are compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Brian Rice
President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Charles Martinez
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$2K (2022) → $2K (2024)
Darrell Roberts
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$2K (2022) → $0 (2024)
Freddy Escobar
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$140 (2022) → $0 (2024)
Jair Juarez
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$4K (2022) → $0 (2024)
Rex Pritchard
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$235 (2021) → $1K (2024)
Tim Edwards
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
$470 (2023) → $470 (2024)
Joslyn Beile
Dep Director of P
On filings since 2023
45 hrs/week
$104K (2023) → $118K (2024)
Daniel A. Terry
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dave Gillotte
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Vince Wells
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Trevor Jamison
Director
New on the 2024 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mike Lopez
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
$190 (2020) → $0 (2024)
Rick Martinez
Executive Di
On filings since 2020
45 hrs/week
$130K (2020) → $163K (2024)
Kara Haynes
Dd of Committee R
New on the 2024 filing
45 hrs/week
$113K (2024)
Former officers (3)
- Former: Chris Mahon (2020) — Director
- Former: Michael Massone (2020) — Director
- Former: Tim Strack (2020) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $163K, to Rick Martinez (Executive Di). 6 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about California Fire Foundation
How much does California Fire Foundation give each year?
California Fire Foundation gave $1.5M across 88 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. In 2023 it gave $2.1M across 92 grants.
What is California Fire Foundation's typical grant size?
California Fire Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $15,000, and its average grant was $16,955, across 88 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from California Fire Foundation that year got $16K on average.
Where does California Fire Foundation give grants?
California Fire Foundation gives mostly in California: 93% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Redding, CA (4 grants), Sacramento, CA (4 grants), Santa Rosa, CA (3 grants) and Quincy, CA (3 grants).
Does California Fire Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 86 grants with a stated purpose on California Fire Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Wildfire Mitigaition" (44 grants), "Wildfire Mitigation" (20 grants) and "Fire Education" (5 grants).
Who are California Fire Foundation's largest grantees?
California Fire Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Projectcamp ($75,000), Northern Valley Catholic Social Ser ($65,000) and Hawaii Fire Fighters Association L ($57,166), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990. Together they received 13% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is California Fire Foundation?
California Fire Foundation reported $20.7M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $5.3M.
What does California Fire Foundation fund?
CFF’s stated mission includes assisting victims of fire, educating the public about fire safety and the effects of fire, recognizing firefighters, and honoring those killed in the line of duty. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from California Fire Foundation?
For grant opportunities with an application process, CFF directs applicants to submit through its grants portal. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is California Fire Foundation's EIN?
California Fire Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 68-0118991. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 29, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 18, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 8, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 13, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in California Fire Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). California Fire Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/california-fire-foundation-morg_03dc49525fbd4c3e8021adb34fd569c0
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_680118991_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{California Fire Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/california-fire-foundation-morg_03dc49525fbd4c3e8021adb34fd569c0},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from California Fire Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
California Fire Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?