2. Objectives
• Explain the importance of safe practices
as an eligibility requirement for obtaining a
grant.
• List the advantages of using community
organizations for funding opportunities.
• Name some of the companies that support
the fire service on the national level.
3. Objectives
• Explain the benefits gained by using
research and education grants for fire
fighter safety.
• Describe how a program seed grant can
benefit an organization.
• Discuss the benefits of using a SAFER
grant for volunteer recruitment.
4. Objectives
• Illustrate the importance of compiling a list
of organizations that are Fire Fighter Life
Safety Initiatives (FLSI) 16 registered.
• Explain the relationship between
developing effective grant requests and
grant priorities.
• Explain the influence of an effective grant
narrative in being awarded a grant.
5. Introduction
• Emergency services make do with what is
available.
• In 1975, NFPA began work on a standard
for SCBAs.
• In 2001, the AFG program offered fire
equipment grants.
6. Introduction
• Grants
– Form of financial assistance for a specific goal
– Not loans or financial aid
– Support operation of grantee’s organization
– Usually for one-time purchases
– Sometimes to further the cause of the grantor
7. Who Offers Grants? The
Grantors
• Federal government is a leading agency
to offer grants to fire departments.
• More than 1000 grants are available.
• State governments also offer grants.
9. Who Offers Grants? The
Grantors
• Community organizations
– Can be locally operated
• Homeowner’s association
• Chamber of commerce
• Women’s league
10. Who Offers Grants? The
Grantors
• Community organizations (cont’d)
– Local chapter of larger organization
• Lions Club International™
• Kiwanis International™
• Fraternal Order of Eagles™
• Rotary International™
12. Who Offers Grants? The
Grantors
• Businesses (cont’d)
– Three of largest national programs
• Fireman’s FundSM
• FM Global®
• State Farm®
13. Who Offers Grants? The
Grantors
• Foundations
– Nonprofit organizations established to:
• Fund specific needs
• Assist in certain areas
– Fire departments can create their own
nonprofit.
• Safety villages
14. Classifications of Grants
• Many grants further the cause of the
grantor
– AFG program
– Higher consideration if in line with cause
15. Classifications of Grants
• Grants available
– Operating
– Research and education
– Quick response
– Donor-advised
– Program seed
– Equipment
– Staffing
16. Classifications of Grants
• Operating grants
– Fund everyday costs (eg, salaries and heating
bills)
– If organization is not successful, money was
wasted.
• Funding for leadership, legal advice, human
resource management are good investments.
– Funding is sometimes based on achieving
specific goals or benchmarks.
17. Classifications of Grants
• Research and education grants
– Medical and technological worlds use for
cures and to solve industry-wide problems
– Large-scale projects normally awarded to
educational institutions or technological
companies
• Sustainability Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE) grants
• Calls for proposals
18. Classifications of Grants
• Research and education grants (cont’d)
– Western SARE identifies three components of
impacts and outcomes applicable to the fire
service:
• Identification
• Measurement
• Dissemination
20. Classifications of Grants
• Mini or quick-response grants
– Supply funds for immediate/unexpected
needs
– Easy to apply for
– Little or no wait
– Fund small programs
• Example: Bottle bombs
21. Classifications of Grants
• Donor-advised grants
– Foundations are required to fund specific
needs.
• Example: SIDS
– Matching a need to the right donor is key.
22. Classifications of Grants
• Program seed grants—Fire Prevention and
Safety (FP&S)
– FP&S grants are a component of AFG program.
• Fire prevention
• Research
– Fire prevention is popular.
• Cutting-edge and exciting programs
– Seed grants provide start-up costs.
– Programs “wean” the grantee into supporting
cost.
23. Classifications of Grants
• Equipment grants
– To convince the grantor to supply money,
grantee must demonstrate:
• A substantial need
• Proof the organization can manage and maintain
the equipment
– AFG Fire Station Construction Grants (SCG)
program
24. Classifications of Grants
• Staffing grants
– Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency
Response (SAFER) grants
– Standards of NFPA 1710 or 1720
– Similar to program seed grant, provides initial
funding
25. Choosing a Grant
• Several aspects to picking the best match
– Eligibility
– Grant priorities
– Sustainability
26. Choosing a Grant
• Eligibility of grant recipients
– Grantors require certifications or only allow
specific organizations.
• Federal grants/Data Universal Numbering System
(DUNS)
• System for Award Management (SAM) registration
• Initiative 10
• Fire Life Safety Initiative (FLSI) 16 registry
• Firefighting eligibility requirements
27. Choosing a Grant
• Grant priorities
– Regional agreements
– Environmental responsibility
– Specific end user or risk group
– A specific purpose
28. Choosing a Grant
• Grant priorities
(cont’d)
– AFG Guidance and
Application kit for 2010
lists priorities to award
funds for equipment.
• Replacement
equipment
• Additional equipment
• New equipment
Courtesy of Kenneth J. Winter Sr.
29. Choosing a Grant
• Sustainability
– For existing programs or new ones
– Everyone Goes Home (EGH) campaign
– Benefits of award for years to come
30. Components of a Grant
• Components of the grant application that
should be considered:
– Research and evaluation
– The narrative
– The budget
31. Components of a Grant
• Research and evaluation
– Questioning the methodology
• The research used to identify a need
• To evaluate effectiveness of completed program
– Quantitative versus qualitative research
32. Components of a Grant
• The narrative
– Section can be broken down into three
classifications that compare to levels of
effective fire attack:
• Significance (strategic level)
• Objectives (tactical level)
• Procedures (task level)
33. Components of a Grant
• The narrative (cont’d)
– Reasons to choose
one contractor over
another:
• Professional
appearance
• Qualifications
• Timelines
• Price
• Guarantee
Courtesy of Jeremy Szydlowski
34. Components of a Grant
• The narrative (cont’d)
– Make your application stand out from the
others
Courtesy of Arkansas Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils, Inc. Rural Fire Protection Program
35. Components of a Grant
• Budget
– All grant applications require a budget.
– Be sure budget meets requirements.
– Several parts should be addressed:
• Direct expenses
• In-kind contributions
• The total amount requested
36. Awarding of a Grant
• When you are awarded a grant, there are
three additional aspects to be aware of:
• Contract
– Time period
– Amount awarded
– In-kind contributions
– Program goals
– Reporting requirements
• Deadlines
• Reports
37. Conclusion
• One of the greatest opportunities for
improved fire fighter safety is the
substantial increase in the number of
grants available.
• With the introduction of federal grants for
equipment, personnel, and even fire
stations, opportunities have proliferated.
38. Conclusion
• Organizations can be passed over if they
do not understand how the grant process
works and how to increase their chances.
• Initiative 10 calls for the blending of grants
with fire fighter safety; once we establish
criteria, agencies can conform and ensure
the safety of our personnel.
39. Chapter Summary
• Grantors are organizations that offer grants;
they can be community organizations,
businesses, and foundations.
• Community organizations are sources for
financial assistance due to their purpose,
connections, and location.
• Grants are classified by type: operating,
research and education, quick response,
donor-advised, program seed, equipment,
staffing.
40. Chapter Summary
• When choosing a grant, note the eligibility
requirements, grant priorities, sustainability.
• Grant priorities may prioritize replacement
equipment over additional or new equipment.
• Many grants have common components that
include research and evaluation, the
narrative, and the budget.
41. Chapter Summary
• It is helpful to write the narrative in three
distinct classifications or levels: (1) strategic
(significance), (2) tactical (objectives), and (3)
task (procedures).
• When awarded a grant, organizations
normally require a contract, a deadline, and
reports.
