The COVID-19 grants landscape is changing rapidly, and many agencies are struggling to keep up. In the May 8 webinar Ask the Experts: COVID-19 Grant Funding for Public Safety, grant experts Jerry Brant and Samantha Dorm provided insight and recommendations to help agencies secure grants for COVID-19 response. Watch here.
Similar to the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program application, there was a significant delay with the launch of the 2019 Fire Prevention & Safety grants (FP&S) application.
But the application period for the 2019 FP&S grant program is now open and will remain open until 5 p.m. EST on May 29, 2020.
The objectives of the FP&S grant program are for grantees to carry out fire prevention education and training, fire code enforcement, fire/arson investigation, firefighter safety and health programming, prevention efforts, and research and development.
Eligible activities and applicants
The application features two distinct activities:
- Fire Prevention and Safety
- Firefighter Safety Research and Development
Eligible applicants for the Fire Prevention and Safety activity are fire departments and national, regional, state, local, tribal and nonprofit organizations that are recognized for their experience and expertise in fire prevention and safety programs and activities. Both private and public nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for funding in this activity.
Eligible applicants for the Firefighter Safety Research and Development activity are national, state and local nonprofit organizations, federally recognized tribal and nonprofit organizations, such as academic institutions, public health, occupational health, and injury prevention institutions. Both private and public nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for funding in this activity. Fire departments are not eligible to apply for funding in the R&D Activity.
As with other FEMA grant programs, you must have a current System for Award Management (SAM) registration and a valid Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. If the applicant is noncompliant with this requirement at the time of the application submission deadline, then the application might not be considered for an award.
The submission of payment requests and amendments are also contingent on the information provided in the entity’s SAM.gov registration. It is imperative that all information in the application is correct, current and match the information in the SAM.gov registration. Please ensure that your organization’s name, address, DUNS number and employer identification number (EIN) are up to date in SAM.gov and that the DUNS number used in SAM.gov is the same number used to apply for all other FEMA grants.
New for 2019
The FP&S grants program has been part of the FEMA grant program for the past 15 years. This year, there are significant changes to the eligible items and activities under this grant. These changes include:
- Micro Grants are no longer available under the 2019 application
- FY 2019 applications must be submitted in FEMA GO system
- Wildfire Risk Reduction Programs are an eligible category this application period
- Woodchipper Programs are added to the list of eligible costs when part of a Wildfire Risk Reduction Program
- Several items have been added to the ineligible list, including inflatable houses, robotics, and props except for educational programs. The maximum amount for giveaways like plastic fire helmets, stickers, plastic badges, etc., is $2,500 for fire departments and $5,000 for regional grants. In addition, Fire Safety Trailers are not an eligible activity except if they are part of a regional project.
Scoring notes
Before applying, please check the project scoring information under the Fire Prevention activity. Several of the required narrative sections have different scoring values based on the applicant’s organization type. These sections assign different scoring values for nonprofit organizations and for fire departments. The scoring values are indicated in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
Internet information
Remember that FEMA GO is compatible with Internet Explorer (version 11 or higher), Firefox (version 73 or higher) or Chrome (version870 or higher). As we learned during the 2019 AFG application process, applicants who attempt to use other browsers may encounter problems.
Looking ahead
If your schedule doesn’t allow you to apply at the current time, we understand that 2020 FP&S applications will be coming out in late fall of this year.
Good luck with your application!
