CB Foundation seeks nominations for firefighter grants
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 hours, 28 minutes AGO
Firefighters battle the Railroad Fire near Beverly last summer. The Columbia Basin Foundation is seeking nominations for fire districts or departments that have gone above and beyond this year to receive $1,000 grants. Nominations close Nov. 1.
FILE PHOTO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | October 29, 2026 3:00 AM
EPHRATA — There’s still time to get some extra cash for your favorite firefighters.
The Columbia Basin Foundation is seeking nominations for $1,000 grants for local fire agencies, according to the Foundation’s website. Nominations close Sunday.
“We wanted to have a fall grant cycle that gave people an opportunity to nominate any Grant County or Adams County fire district or fire departments that have gone above and beyond the call of duty and … showcase what they do for the community,” said CBF Director Corinne Isaak.
Isaak wasn’t certain how many grants the Foundation would be able to give, but usually a fall grant cycle runs to about 10, she said. There could be more if additional money becomes available, she said.
Nominations don’t have to be for the whole district or department, Isaak said. If a community member wants to nominate an individual firefighter, EMT, volunteer, dispatcher or other person associated with those agencies, that’s fine too.
The nominations are made via an online form accessible from the Foundation’s website. Nominators are asked why the district or department deserves recognition, or in the case of an individual, a story about how they went above and beyond the call of duty. Nominators can also relate a moment when the team made a difference in an emergency, community event, training or other service.
Nominations have been open since Oct. 1, and some have already been received, but Isaak said she expects the majority of them are still to come.
“Most of the time people do it in the last week,” she said. “I’m assuming we’ll have quite a bit to review by the end of the week. A lot of times people have seen it on Facebook or something and then they go, ‘Oh, gosh, I’ve got to sit down and do that.’”
In past years, the Foundation has invited nominations for a nonprofit that deserved the $1,000; this year is the first time it’s been specifically for firefighters,” Isaak said.
“We’ve watched all the fires and how hard they’ve worked this year,” she said. “We felt like it would (show that) people in the community really appreciate the hard work they do, and we could award them and get them something they need for the department.”
For more information or to nominate an agency or individual, visit cbfcommunity.org/nominate2026.
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