Resources
Grant Guidance
The process of preparing a grant application can be daunting and confusing but it doesn’t have to be that way if you plan accordingly.
GRANTS APPLICATION GUIDE
The following information will give the planning tools, guidelines, tips, and narrative outline you need to prepare and be successful in your grant preparation and submission.
Start with a Planning Check List:
TEAM – Build a small grant writing team. The more eyes and ears the better.
DATA – Assess and collect your local demographic profile
INVENTORY – Catalog your equipment specific to your grant proposal.
COSTS – Make sure to get estimates for all items you’re applying for. Ask the manufacturer direct and any reseller in your area.
ACCOUNTS & REGISTRATIONS – Make sure you online accounts are current prior to grant submission.
MOU’s – If you project is regional and includes other partners make sure to prepare and have signed Memorandum of Understanding’s.
PEERS – Have your team and others outside your team review your material.
GUIDELINES – Review grant guidelines once again.
NARRATIVES – Complete rough description for peer review and finalize.
APPLICATION – Complete application.
REVIEW – Finalize and review once again.
SUBMISSION – Submit application online.
IMPORTANCE OF DATA
Data collection should center around your departments annual risk assessments. Assessments will show specific statistical trends your department is experiencing and will be the foundation of your application.
Data Considerations:
- Has your population increased or decreased?
- Has the city’s infrastructure increased or decreased?
- Have your departments callouts increased or decreased?
- What is the departments portion of annual income based on property taxes? There are other data sets that may need to be included depending on other grant program specifications.
TIP: Opportunity Zones receive precedence for US AFG grants. If your department is located in an Opportunity Zone, Federal agencies can and will assign priority consideration. Check out Opportunity Zones and Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ’s) to know more.(US ONLY)
All data complied will be important for your grant submission and will help your financial need narrative tremendously. Make sure to include your departments current financial situation, annual budget, expenses and sources of revenue.
COST/BENEFIT – YOUR STORY
Here is an opportunity to tell the grant reviewers how the grant(s) received will benefit your department and community. Reviewers want to know what is currently happening in your community that warrants the application. They want to know the change that will occur when you receive the equipment and how your departments safety and community will be positively affected.
Explain in the narrative how the equipment will be used in training, in real life scenarios and how more efficient your team will operate using said equipment. If the equipment can assist in other ways, including interoperability and the sharing of data with other agencies in a disaster situation to accomplish better coordinated action, include those points as well.
US FEMA Prepardness Grant Programs
Assistance to Firefighters (AFG)
Amtrak – (IPR – Amtrak)
Operation Stonegarden (OPSG)
Port Security Grant Program (PSGP)
State Homeland Security Program (SHSP)
Tribal Homeland Security Grant Program (THSGP)
Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP)
Urban Areas Security Initiative Program (UASI)
Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)
Authorized Equipment List (AEL)
AEL#03SR-03-SCAM | Camera, Search
Void area video search camera and accessories for inspecting voids and confined spaces with limited physical access
The Authorized Equipment List (AEL) is a list of approved equipment types allowed under FEMA’s preparedness grant programs. The intended audience of this tool is emergency managers, first responders, and other homeland security professionals. The list consists of 21 equipment categories divided into categories, sub-categories and then individual equipment items. NOTE: There are no commercially available products listed; it only consists of equipment types.