For the Primary Contact – There can be only one Primary Contact for your department/agency. Changing the Primary Contact on one grant will cause the Primary Contact to be changed on all other department grants submitted under the same UserID. If you don't wish to do this, consider changing Alternate Contact information for a particular grant instead (see next paragraph). To update personal information such as Primary Contact name, address, phone numbers, e-mail address, or change password, grantees should log into their grant and at the Status screen click on "Edit Profile," which is located at the upper middle part of the screen. The page that comes up will allow you to update any personal information that has changed. Type in the updated personal information and click on Save at the bottom of the page. A note will come up reading, "Your profile has been updated. Thank You." You might think you're done at this point, but you're not! You must log out of your application for the new information to take effect. To do this, click on the "Authorized Applications" link on the upper left-hand side of the "Thank You" page, and then click on "Firefighter's Grants" on the new page so that the new information will be set and updated.

For Alternate Contacts – Alternate Contacts can differ from grant to grant if your department/agency has more than one AFG grant. To change the Alternate Contact name, or update any alternate contact personal information, grantees must log into their grant. From the Status screen, select Manage Grant from the drop-down menu in the Action field. Click on Update Alternate Contacts on the menu bar on the left side of the screen. Type in the updated personal information and click on Save and Continue at the bottom of the page. As this request changes information that is contained within the actual grant application, it is processed as a Revision Request by Grants Management staff and must be entered manually. The updated information may not appear for several weeks.

I've forgotten my UserID and/or Password. How do I find these out?
If you are the Primary Contact for your department's grant(s), and you have forgotten the UserID and/or Password, you can use the Forgot Password utility available on the login screen (the screen that appears when you click on e-grant application). Click on “FORGOT PASSWORD” and answer the two security questions, then submit your request. The screen should tell you that you successfully submitted your request and that a temporary password is being emailed to your address. Go into your email and retrieve the user ID and temporary password. If the message is not there, look in the junk mail file. If it is not in your junk mail file then your email address is not compatible with the DHS system. You will have to set up a new email account. (You may want to use the free email accounts such as yahoo, hotmail , etc.)

If you are unable to answer the security questions, or your primary contact email address has changed, you will need to follow the procedure outlined in the FAQ, “ How do I gain access to my department's previous year's application when the previous primary contact is no longer available or does not remember the username and password? ”

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Please note: This information can only be changed by authorized personnel.

Send us a letter explaining the need to change the main contact information. The letter must be on fire department letterhead and signed by the Chief of the department. To expedite this change you can fax a copy of the letter to Mr. William Dunham at 866-274-0942. The letter should be addressed to:

DHS/FEMA/Grant Programs Directorate
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
William Dunham - Room 5066D
Tech World Bldg - South Tower 5th Floor
500 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20472

The following information must be included in the letter:

• Grant Number
• Previous Main Contact Person's Name
• Explanation of why access to the grant is needed
• New Contact Person's Name
• New Contact Person's Mother's Maiden Name
• Date of Birth
• E-mail Address
• Two Phone Numbers

Soon after faxing the letter to Mr. Dunham you will receive an email from us with your temporary password. If you do not receive this email within two days of faxing your request, look in your Junk Mail file. The electronic emails are sometimes filtered and sent directly to junk mail.

If that does not work, go onto the web site at www.firegrantsupport.com and choose e-grant application. You will get an application sign-in screen. Click on “FORGOT PASSWORD” and answer the two security questions and submit your request. The screen should tell you that you successfully submitted your request and that a temporary password is being emailed to your address. Go into your email and retrieve the temporary password. Again, if the message is not there, look in the junk mail file if it is not in your email box.

When you click on submit and the computer tells you that you gave incorrect information you need to call Mr. Dunham at (202) 786-9813.

Please note: This information can only be changed by authorized personnel.
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If our department was contacted by the Program Office during the approval process and negotiated to a lower number of a particular item, but then after purchasing everything, had additional funds, can we purchase the original "pre-negotiated" number of items?
No. If the program office negotiated a lower number of items, it was because the Program Office Subject Matter Specialists determined that the original request contained either excessive or duplicative equipment. Saving funds does not eliminate the rationale for the reduction in items. For example, a department with 10 active members sought 20 sets of turnout. The Program Office reduced the request to 10 because purchasing a second set of gear is a poor use of limited grant funds when so many other departments have unmet needs. If this department received quotes sufficient to purchase 20 sets of gear, we would only pay for 10, based on the negotiated agreement. The only exception to this situation would be the use of excess funds. Grantees are allowed discretion in their use of up to $5,000 in excess funds. See the Program Guidance for more details on the eligible uses of excess funds.
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If I negotiated a lower number of a particular item – as in the above scenario where gear was reduced from 20 sets to 10 sets because, at the time of application, I only had 10 active members – can I buy more than the negotiated number of items or equipment for new members?
Many applicants' situations change between the submittal of their application and the ultimate award. Unfortunately, we cannot take these changing conditions into consideration when making award decisions. We can only consider the information contained in the original proposal. If we allow one applicant to update their application to reflect current conditions, we would have to allow ALL applicants to do the same. So, in this scenario, we would only allow the grantee to purchase equipment for the number of members listed in their application. The only exception to this situation would be the use of excess funds. Grantees are allowed discretion in their use of up to $5,000 in excess funds. See the Program Guidance for more details on the eligible uses of excess funds.
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