What grants or funding are out there?

[mightymouse21]

Does anyone know of any other tpe of grant or funding or maybe even a match program that will help a fire department or ems service out. Does anyone know of an funding awards that will help in the purchase of a new apparatus, communications system, SCBA's and Turnouts, as well as training. I know that the Assistance to FireFighters grant is the biggest but there has to be something else out there that can help.

If you have any information please respond, even if there is a link to a website that explains, please include it too.

BOVFD - - 3021

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=18

That's the DHS web site's set of grant programs. Depending on your classification (rural, suburban, urban) there is either HUD or the USDA.

Wander your mouse over to www.usfa.fema.gov and in the Publications section there's a manual called Funding Alternatives for Fire & EMS Departments. It has a breakdown of all state and federal programs that emergency responders are eligible for. Also Government Surplus is a great way to pick up stuff.

[mrosen23]

Does anyone know of any grants or funding options to help with new building construction? Our company is in desperate need of a new hall but our budget is so tight it makes it tough to save much for a new building.

We are not looking for the Taj Mahal but simply a building we can function properly out of.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[dixiechicknc]

Check out the USDA's website for Loan/Grant programs for buildings or larger apparatus purchases.

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs/cf/brief_cp_grant.htm

Good Luck!

[neiowa]

http://www.firstresponder.org/ Sponsored by TUMS

Talk to your local emergency mgmt. Millions in homeland security $ out there and some of it is designated to go to local dept. Who knows what WV is doing with their cut. Our dept has about $4500 of FY03 & FY04. Iowa is still trying to figure out how to spend the FY03 $ which is pathetic.

Call your Senator portbarrel byrd. He knows more about shaking moneyout of trees than anyone in Washington DC. Thankfully he is now in the minority party but no doubt his staff can help you.

Call your state forester for DOD & GSA surplus equipment. FEPP program. (do a search here on DOD surplus).

[bukstpsear]

" Call your Senator portbarrel byrd. He knows more about shaking"

sweet

[nicoyaspa]

If you're serious about grant writing, an outfit called Ecivis.com does all the grant research for you. I don't know what it costs; our department paid for it and gave me an account. It lists thousands of grants available, and you narrow down the search to firefighting equipment. Thing is I'm sure millions of dollars in grants go unrewarded every year. Maybe being creative in tying in your department's needs to a grant not specifically designed for FDs is worth a shot. Case in point the DHS anti terror grant which lists thermal imagers as part of their grant. Good luck.

[BB3939]

nicoyaspa
DO you know how much you paid for the "subscription" and was it worth it? Have you gotten any grants you could have not gotten or found on your own?

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

Don't forget to work the free ones first: www.grants.gov is the federal grants resource for every available program the feds offer. It won't have private ones that this place may list, but at least you can exhaust the federal monies for free. The Technology Opportunity Program is a big one that many folks looking for communications upgrades miss out on because they don't know it's there.

Throw in the USFA Publication available free from their web site called Funding Alternatives for Fire & EMS Departments, and you've got a state level resource for free as well.

Private organizations don't tend to like FDs a whole lot, with the exception of Tums and Wal-Mart who gives $500 to the local department in most cases, but that's a donation, not a grant.

Man, $600 a person for a seminar. Almost as bad as paying for a hot dog and beer at the ball park. At least one would learn something at the seminar, I shut my brain off during sporting events.

[tk1918]

Brian, I looked at the web site for the Technology Opportunity Program, but there's nothing listed for '05.
Any thoughts?

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

Normally I think they run on fiscal year, so there won't be anything up until after July for the 2006 program. I found mention of it all over the place, but nothing about availability, so that's my only guess since I haven't dug too deeply of late.

[tk1918]

What grants are you knowledgable about where we can potentially get a computer laptop for our department. I'm almost ready to just go buy one and give them the bill.

[nicoyaspa]

I found a couple that I wouldn't have seen. Grant writing is amost a fulltime job, and I'm a shift captain and the training officer, so I have to be choosey about which grants we pursue because I don't have much time. The nice thing is the outfit emails us daily with new grants so we're in the know as soon as it happens. Like I said, I think the way to do it is to apply for some of the grants out there that might be a stretch for firefighting equipment and see how it goes. I just got the membership so I've only applied for one.

[dixiechicknc]

BC can back me up on this one, the big one for laptops (and projectors) is Fire Prevention in the Fall. Is relatively easy application if you are familiar with AFG (exactly the same format - less info needed). Key is incorporating it into the Fire Prevention 'program' after your 'Risk Assessment'

Let me add about the 'subscriptions' alot of the grants.gov and other places have registrations where they will email you updates daily or weekly. Also, I subscribe to Foundation Online Grants. You can seach by state/foundation or type. It's handy for alot of non-profits. Wouldn't recommend it for the average department, not alot for FDs.

[nicoyaspa]

Hey TK1918: I heard of a department that applied for a training grant and listed a number of laptops as required equipment to put the training on. For instance you could probably do something tied to one of the DHS grants since there's millions and millions through them. This department did just that and kept the computers when the training was complete. Nothing illegal or unethical--they stayed within the parameters of the grant, put on useful training for the department, and followed up as specified in the grant.

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

nic is probably thinking of the ODP Homeland Security grant program, since nearly all domestic preparedness training is "virtual' anyway. Same with mnay hazmat training classes. If you're not urban, not in a CRBNE area, you're probably not getting near any of that money. Texas' money got split into about 6 or 7 parts for the main cities, and that was it. No dregs for the rest of us.

General thought about computers: companies and schools throw out more computers than many would like to think about. Check with some in your area. Don't forget that GSA is another great spot for such things. Most government agencies lease their equipment on 3 year plans, so every 3 years their vendors get stuff back. My friend works for the vendor that has the TX State contract. He gets piles of stuff back all of the time.

Dixie, further proof that great minds think alike.

The Fire Prevention application is the place to pick up audio/visual equipment for training citizens. So many people would love to attend a Citizen's Fire Academy, I know Houston's is pretty popular. Plus it makes it easier to go somewhere and make a presentation if you already own the equipment. You can pick up a laptop for around $1500 and a projector for around $800. Two tips for this though: buy a business class laptop. They're a little more expensive, but they are built to handle the beating. And buy a projector with at least a 1500 lumen bulb, and will project a screen big enough to be useful where you foresee using it. I saw one last year at Sam's for $1200 (probably $800-900 now) that would do a 21' screen without losing resolution. If you think you're going to be doing large auditorium presentations, get the right one.

[dixiechicknc]

BC, I knew you'd already be typing by the time I started in on that....LOL.

Also, let me add that around here (NC) we have large insurance agencies that donate alot of their older laptops/desktops to some non-profits. I have a dept. I work with on their waiting list now, trying to get at least one. And if all else fails, the local Fire Chief had me do some research for him a rugged latptop. We bought one off of eBay for about $350. Sold for more than 6K new! Of course it was a few years old, but was in great condition, with case & docking station. Came w/ a portable printer too (and DVD drive)! Perfect for those reports you guys have to do on the scene! He loves his.

[tk1918]

When will the FP grant info be available for this year? Also, we applied for a few hundred thousand dollars for a new truck through the AFG grant. We're still eligible for the FP grant this year as well?
Brian, I read a little about Houston's Citizen Fire Academy. I'm intrigued. I requested some more information about it. Sounds like something our area needs to do. We do absolutely no prevention with the public. I know, it's horrible. But we're in such a small area and really none of our departments in our county have very many runs a year.

[BC79er_OLDDELETE]

The FP guidelines are in the same Program Guidance doc as everything else. They may or may not re-issue a document just on FP when it gets closer to the app period, but considering that they'll be in full swing with awards at that point, I wouldn't bet on it.

As in past year's you can apply for both the main program, and for fire prevention. Several departments I've worked with have been awarded both.