Grants and Funding FAQ's

Q. What Grants are there for fire departments and what are they for?

A. There are a handful of grants specifically aimed at fire departments and many more that fire departments can apply for. Here’s a few of the most popular specifically for fire purposes, look further through the FAQs for others.

Utah Fire Department Assistance Grants

http://forestry.utah.gov/grants/grants.php

The purpose of the Fire Department Assistance Grant program is to provide technical and financial assistance to the fire departments of Utah to improve their ability to safely and effectively provide fire protection and manage hazardous material incidents. Its primary objective is to assist communities in organizing, training and equipping fire departments.

FIRE Act Grants

http://www.fema.gov/firegrants

FEMA administers three current Fire-specific grants: The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) primarily funds apparatus, training and equipment for FDs and EMS. Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER) funds employment of firefighters and also supports recruitment and retention of volunteers including incentives that may include cash payments. Fire Prevention and Safety Grants (FP&S) can fund code enforcement, public education and arson programs.

FEMA has numerous other grants that fire organizations may be eligible for. Mostly these are tied to State homeland security and emergency management programs. Your best bet is to talk to your regional emergency manager about current opportunities. http://www.fema.gov/government/grant/index.shtm

Q. We keep applying for FEMA grants and keep getting turned down. We don’t get much feedback and we feel like it’s not worth applying. What can we do?

A. The rejection letter has some information about why you lost out but these are often vague. An early rejection means you probably messed something up filling out the forms and did not make the electronic screening. A later rejection means you didn’t score well enough with the peer review panels. The most common reason grants are rejected is that key points have been missed in the grant narrative. Every funder has specific elements that they are looking for in an application. These are found in guidance documents that the funders publish. Review those guidelines and compare to what you wrote. There is probably a gap between what they’re asking for and what you submitted. Government grant applications are scored by very defined criteria and you have to score near the top to get funded.

To learn the art of grant writing you should probably take a class. At the very least, if a grant has an on-line tutorial, do it!

Q. Where can I find a grant writing class?

A. UFRA occasionally offers grantwriting classes at fire schools. or you can ask your regional UFRA representative to schedule one for your area or e-mail steve.lutz@uvu.edu.

Some time ago I attended a 2 day seminar sponsored by Unified Fire Authority and done by a private company called Grant Writing USA and while I don’t normally endorse private offerings, their course was excellent and well worth the money. Their website is: http://GrantWritingUSA.com.

There are numerous other sources out there for training. Another source is the Utah Non-Profits Assn. http://www.utahnonprofits.org/ Your community or association may already be a member of UNA.

Q. What is a DUNS Number and why do I need one?

A. All Federal grants require that the applicant organization has a DUNS Number to apply. This is a unique nine-digit number issued by Dunn & Bradstreet. You local government probably already has one. Go to http://www.dnb.com/get-a-duns-number.html to get one or find out what yours is.

Q. Our firehouse is hopelessly outdated and doesn’t meet our needs. Where can we find grants or loans to remodel or replace it?

A. Two good sources in Utah are:

Q. Where can I find out what grants are out there and how to apply?

A. There are a lot of good websites out there with grant information. Here’s some links that will be helpful. UFRA updates this section when we find out about others, so if you find one we don’t have, please send it to steve.lutz@uvu.edu.

Grant and Funding Information:

Insurance Companies:

Q. On the internet I found out about Volunteer Fire Assistance and Rural Fire Assistance Grants, how do I apply?

A. In Utah, it could hardly be easier. These grants and the UFRA Grant have a combined application that is administered by Utah Forestry, Fire & State Lands as the Utah Fire Department Assistance Grant Program. Go to: http://forestry.utah.gov/grants/grants.php

Q. How successful have Utah FDs been at getting Assistance to Firefighter Grants from FEMA?

A. Utah has been a bit below the national average for the number and percentage of grants. This is partly because fewer Utah departments have applied. Here’s a table of successful Utah applicants as of 10/15/10.

2010 AFG Grants in Utah

Department Location Purpose Amount Use Awarded
 
Elmo Fire Department Elmo, UT Operations and Safety $60,895.00 Equipment ($24,100); Personal Protective Equipment ($32,000) 1/29/2010 - Round 1
 
Hurricane Fire & Rescue Hurricane, UT Operations and Safety $70,200.00 Personal Protective Equipment ($73,894) 1/29/2010 - Round 1
 
North Fork Fire Department Provo, UT Operations and Safety $51,258.00 Equipment ($48,355) 1/29/2010 - Round 1
 
Oak City Volunteer Fire Department Oak City, UT Operations and Safety $8,550.00 Equipment ($9,000) 1/29/2010 - Round 1
 
Roy Fire and Rescue Dept. Roy, UT Operations and Safety $43,884.00 N/A 1/29/2010 - Round 1
 
Garland Fire Department Garland, UT Operations and Safety $103,530.00 Equipment ($49,800); Personal Protective Equipment ($55,929) 2/5/2010 - Round 2
 
Ogden City Fire Dept. Ogden, UT Operations and Safety $677,264.00 Equipment ($846,579) 2/5/2010 - Round 2
 
Price City Fire Department Price, UT Operations and Safety $17,100.00 Equipment ($18,000) 2/5/2010 - Round 2
 
Provo Fire & Rescue Provo, UT Operations and Safety $132,934.00 Equipment ($166,167) 2/5/2010 - Round 2
 
Richmond Fire & Rescue Richmond, UT Operations and Safety $14,560.00 Equipment ($8,076); Personal Protective Equipment ($2,950) 2/5/2010 - Round 2
 
Cache County Fire District Logan, UT Operations and Safety $280,989.00 Equipment ($312,210) 2/19/2010 - Round 4
 
Nephi Fire Department Nephi, UT Operations and Safety $39,519.00 Equipment ($41,598) 2/19/2010 - Round 4
 
Sunnyside City Fire Dept. Sunnyside, UT Operations and Safety $29,034.00 Equipment ($1,698); Personal Protective Equipment ($28,864) 3/5/2010 - Round 5
 
Clinton City Fire Dept. Clinton, UT Operations and Safety $349,751.00 Equipment ($434,308) 3/12/2010 - Round 6
 
Panguitch City Fire Dept. Panguitch, UT Operations and Safety $12,398.00 N/A 3/12/2010 - Round 6
 
Clarkston Fire and Rescue Department Clarkston, UT Operations and Safety $33,390.00 Equipment ($4,858); Personal Protective Equipment ($30,289) 4/16/2010 - Round 11
 
Salt Lake City Fire Dept. Salt Lake City, UT Operations and Safety $133,000.00 Modify Facilities ($166,250) 4/16/2010 - Round 11
 
Fielding Fire Department Fielding, UT Operations and Safety $37,136.00 Personal Protective Equipment ($35,190); Training ($3,900) 4/30/2010 - Round 13
 
Uintah Fire Department Uintah, UT Operations and Safety $32,085.00 Equipment ($27,643); Training ($6,130) 4/30/2010 - Round 13
 
So Summit Fire Protection Dist. Oakley, UT Vehicle Acquisition $168,249.00 Vehicle Acquisition ($176,934) 5/14/2010 - Round 15