The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) wants to help you, local fire and EMS services providers, be prepared to apply for the next round of grants through the Assistance to Firefighter Grant (AFG), Fire Prevention and Safety Grants (FP&S), and Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) programs.
FEMA has announced that they expect the FY 2013 SAFER application period to open in the mid-spring. They also expect to open the application period for the FY 2013 AFG program in the summer and the FY 2013 FP&S application period in the fall/winter. Keep in mind these dates are tentative but they should give you an idea of what is ahead so you can prepare and accurately budget your time!
Like all grants, the more time you have to prepare and formulate your grant proposal, the better your chances are of being successful! Some of the key things you can be doing right now, in advance of the release of solicitation, are the following:
- Start Early: Don’t wait for the solicitation/application guidelines to come out to begin work, be proactive! Review the previous year’s NOFA to get a good idea of the grant requirements. This will help you to formulate your project idea and assemble your grant writing team. You can review last year’s program guidelines by clicking here.
- Collect Data Now: Begin to collect any necessary data that needs to be included in the application.
- Pick-up the Phone: Reach out to the grant program contact at FEMA, these people are happy to clarify items for you. If you have unsuccessfully submitted an application to a federal grant program in a previous year, request to receive feedback on that application in the form of a debrief. This will help you to successful reapply and fix your previous applications shortfalls.
If you have any questions relating to the FEMA grant programs mentioned above, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].
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