How to Prepare for the Next SC Safe Home Grant Window

The window is short

SC Safe Home does not take applications year-round. SCDOI says rounds open twice a year, and its June 2026 report to the legislature notes that high demand "often exhausts available funding within days" of the portal opening. In 2026 the portal opened on February 10 and again on July 13.

The homeowners who get funded are usually the ones who were ready before the round opened.

What the money went to last year

According to the June 2026 SCDOI program report, fiscal 2025–26 funded 899 grants worth about $6.18 million. Of those, 733 were Resilient Mitigation grants for FORTIFIED roofs — about $5.56 million. FORTIFIED roofs are where most of the program's money goes.

Six things to do before the next round

1. Confirm you qualify

Your home must be in one of the 11 eligible counties, your primary residence, a freestanding single-family home, insured for at least its fair market value, never previously funded, and free of prior damage or storm claim payouts. Read the full rules.

2. Gather your documents

Your most recent IRS Form 1040, your homeowners insurance declarations page and your county property-tax assessment. Scan them now so uploading takes minutes, not days. Don't schedule a wind inspection — that comes after approval.

3. Get a FORTIFIED estimate

You will need a retrofit estimate with your application. Ask a roofer who participates in SC Safe Home and is listed as a FORTIFIED Wise roofing contractor to price a roof that meets both standards — including deck repairs, a sealed roof deck, edge details and roof-to-wall connections.

4. Line up your evaluator

The Resilient award depends on an IBHS FORTIFIED designation, and that depends on an independent evaluator documenting the roof during installation. Booking one early means no scheduling scramble once your award arrives. We place homeowners with licensed, certified and insured FORTIFIED evaluators — get matched.

5. Sign up for official alerts

SCDOI runs a reopening alert list. Signing up is not an application and doesn't reserve money, but it means you hear the moment a round opens.

6. Budget for your share

The award is a ceiling. Households above 80% of area median income receive a matching grant, and any cost above the award is yours. Ask your agent what your insurer credits for a FORTIFIED roof, and see the state tax credits for the part you pay.

When the round opens

Apply on the first day, through SCDOI's portal only. Then wait: no work starts until the program's inspection and your written award. Read why that order matters.