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GRANT WRITING

In 2001, the US Congress appropriated $100 million and directed FEMA/USFA to develop the first Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, which limited applications for FY 2001 to grants in six priority categories:

1. Fire Prevention

2. Firefighting Equipment

3. Personal Protective Equipment

4. Training

5. Firefighting Vehicles

6. Wellness and Fitness;

Local fire departments downloaded applications from the Internet and/or received them by mail, filled out paper applications, and mailed them to FEMA/USFA.  The Agency received 31,295 grant applications from 18,915 fire departments totaling $2.99 billion in requests.  Between July 23 and September 30, 2001, FEMA/USFA awarded 1,886 grants to local fire departments and fire service organizations worth $96,586,668.

The program now accepts electronic submissions under four initiatives: Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG), Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER), Fire Prevention & Safety (FP&S), and Fire Station Construction (FSC) programs.  AFG continues to award one-year grants directly to fire departments for the tools and resources to protect public health and safety.  The program is more competitive than ever.  Some facts to consider:

• In 2008, AFG received 19,791 requests that totaled just over $3 billion dollars. Throughout 2009, about one out of eight applications received full or partial funding totaling $187 million, and for every sixteen dollars that was requested, just one dollar was awarded.
• Approximately 36% of all 2008 round requests were for acquisition of vehicles.  Of those 7,133 requests, only 205 were successful. 
• In addition, one in six of the 12,658 requests submitted under the operations and safety category were successful.  Although awards totaled $146,190,483, requests exceeded $1.2 billion.

Because awards are based on a demonstration of need with emphasis on population and geographic distribution, the most successful applicants are realistic in their expectations.  We recommend that fire fighting organizations prepare the need statement section well in advance of the four-week application period.  TVGA grant specialists will work with you to increase your chances of obtaining an award by including information that distinguishes your fire company and clearly describes your needs, circumstances, and past successes.    It’s never too early to prepare a quality and professional looking application that will rise to the top!

Look for us at the Northern Adirondack Code Officials Conference in Lake Placid, NY on March 1-4th, the Southern Tier Central Annual Leadership Conference in Corning, New York on April 15th and in the Southern Tier West Annual Local Government Conference in Houghton, New York on May 5th.  These conferences offer outstanding opportunities to learn more about local government, get the training you need, and network with your peers.  Find out more about these great events at www.planning@northelba.org, www.southerntierwest.org and www.stcplanning.org.  Stop by our exhibit and talk with us or attend one of our sessions on Environmental Review or Grantsmanship.  You will be glad you did!

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