Send a letter explaining why you need this information, and if you also need to change the Primary Contact information. Please be aware changing the Primary Contact on one grant will cause the Primary Contact to be changed on all other department grants submitted under the same user ID. The letter must be on fire department letterhead and signed by the Fire Chief of the department. To expedite this change you can fax a copy of the letter to Annette Robinson at 1-866-274-0942.

After faxing the letter to Annette Robinson, please mail the original letter to:

DHS/FEMA/Grant Programs Directorate
Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program
Annette Robinson - 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 primary 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
• New contact person's date of birth
• New contact person's e-mail address
• Two phone numbers for the new contact person

A mailed letter may take two weeks to process. However, soon after faxing the letter to Annette Robinson, you will receive an e-mail from Pinky Sheets telling you she has updated the system and placed your name on the grant as the main contact person. You will also receive an automated e-mail from EOPS@dhs.gov with your user ID and temporary password.

If you do not receive this automated e-mail from EOPS@dhs.gov within two days of faxing your request and receiving the e-mail from Ms. Sheets, you should look in your junk mail file. The electronic e-mails are sometimes filtered and sent directly to junk mail.

If you are still unable to get a new user ID and password, 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, answer the two security questions and submit your request.

The screen should indicate you successfully submitted your request and a temporary password is being e-mailed to you. Go into your e-mail and retrieve the user ID and temporary password. Again, if the message is not there, look in the junk mail file. If it is not in your junk mail file then your e-mail address is not compatible with the DHS system. You will have to set up a new e-mail account. You may want to use the free e-mail accounts such as Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.

When you click on submit, if you get an error message indicating you gave incorrect information, you need to call Annette Robinson (202) 786-9626.

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

There are many reasons why you may not have received any e-mails from the AFG system. Some e-mail services such as Hotmail, Yahoo, SBCGlobal or MSN have a tendency to place e-mails from us (dhs.gov) in the junk mail folder of the e-mail program. You can remedy this problem by allowing our e-mail addresses to be accepted by your e-mail provider/program. Different programs have different procedures, so check with your e-mail provider for details on how to allow e-mail addresses. The e-mail address always has a dhs.gov extension. The following e-mail addresses should be allowed:

eops@dhs.gov
afg@dhs.gov
firegrants@dhs.gov

Other e-mail programs that are within a local government or state government, for example, joe.smith@skokie.il.us or pinky@parkland.cc.ca.us , have a tendency to block dhs.gov e-mails entirely. If your e-mail is a .us account, please speak with your e-mail provider or your systems administrator and request they allow e-mails with the dhs.gov extension or tell them to allow e-mails from the following addresses:

eops@dhs.gov
afg@dhs.gov
firegrants@dhs.gov

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 user ID. If you do not 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 Save at the bottom of the page. A note will state, "Your profile has been updated. Thank You." To make the changes permanent, 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 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 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.

Letters of support should be sent to:

Ms. Elizabeth M. Harman, Assistant Administrator
DHS/FEMA/Grants Program Preparedness
Tech World Building – 9th Floor South Tower
800 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20472-3620
Fax 202-786-9938

Since October 1, 2003, the Federal Government has required all applicants for federal grants and cooperative agreements, with the exception of individuals other than sole proprietors and foreign entities, have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number.

The Federal Government uses the DUNS number to better identify related organizations that are receiving funding under grants and cooperative agreements, and to provide consistent name and address data for electronic grant application systems. Additional information about DUNS numbers can be found on the D&B Web site: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform.

The process is free. If you have already registered for a DUNS number, you must use the same number for every application.

We strongly encourage applicants to apply online. All you need is Internet access from any computer. Since you create a user ID and password, you can log in from anywhere and work on the application. You can save it and return later to continue working on the application from any computer that has Internet access.

If you must apply by paper, call our Help Desk at 1-866-274-0960 to request a paper application be mailed to you. See the Program Guidance for information regarding the submittal dates.  Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Applications must be received at the address below by the deadline.  See the Program Guidance for information regarding the submittal dates.

U.S. Fire Administration Grant Program Technical Assistance Center
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727-8998

Faxed applications will not be accepted.

Remember to send the application early enough to ensure it is received by the deadline.

We are fully aware of the regional cost differences and are making suitable adjustments. That is why we have construction officials on staff from various parts of the country to technically review applications.  As long as your project meets the funding priorities of the grants, demonstrates a strong cost-benefit, justifies financial need, meets the needs of your community and is a viable project, your application will be competitive.

Sustainability is something every applicant needs to understand during the application period, and be prepared to implement it in your construction project if awarded as per Executive Order 13423.

The SCG Program Guidance provides the following general guidelines: Infrastructure projects must incorporate the sustainable practices listed in the Guiding Principles for Sustainable New Construction and Major Renovations as required in Executive Order 13423. In addition, infrastructure projects should achieve United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™ ™) registration at certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum level. Achieving LEED™ ™ certification does not automatically mean achievement of the requirements Guiding Principles for Sustainable New Construction and Major Renovations. This is why the spread sheet tracks completion of requirements in the Guiding Principles for Sustainable New Construction and Major Renovation. It is important to describe plans to achieve both conditions.

The Sustainability Excel Spreadsheet is not required for your application. If you are awarded an SCG grant, it is mandatory to follow all the requirements of sustainability and LEED when fulfilling the scope of your project during construction or renovation.

The SCG Program Guidance states:

The following describes the requirements to meet the energy requirements for ARRA projects. These requirements apply to all construction and major renovation projects. For each item below, select "Requirement Met" or "Requirement Not Met," and then explain how this was determined. Answers such as "Not Applicable" or "Does Not Apply" are not appropriate. It is recognized, in some instances, not meeting the requirement is justified. The only explanation for "Requirement Not Met" must be in the justification. For example, a renovation project where existing electrical infrastructure are not modified, and electricity meters are already in place, installing advanced meters would not be necessarily.

For each type of budget item, you need to provide specific information. The detail that needs to be included for each type of budget item is listed below:

• Personnel : List each position by title and name of employee, if available. Show the annual salary rate and the percentage of time that will be devoted to the project. Compensation paid for employees engaged in grant activities must be consistent with that paid for similar work within the applicant organization.
• Fringe Benefits : Fringe benefits should be based on actual known costs or an established formula. Fringe benefits are for personnel, which needs to have its own separate budget item, and should only be for the percentage of time devoted to the project.
• Travel : Itemize travel expenses of project personnel by purpose (e.g., staff to training, field interviews, advisory group meeting, etc.). Show the basis of computation (e.g., six people to 3-day training at $X airfare, $X lodging, $X subsistence). Identify the location of travel, if known. Indicate source of Travel Policies applied: Applicant or Federal Travel Regulations.
• Equipment : List non-expendable items to be purchased. Non-expendable equipment is tangible property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost of $5,000.00 or more per unit. (Note: Organization's own capitalization policy and threshold amount for classification of equipment may be used). Expendable items should be included in the "Supplies" category.
• Supplies : List items by type (office supplies, postage, training materials, copying paper, and other expendable items such as books, hand held tape recorders) and show the basis for computation. (Note: Organization's own capitalization policy and threshold amount for classification of supplies may be used). Generally, supplies include any materials that are expendable or consumed during the course of the project.
• Contractual : Provide a description of the product or services to be procured by contract and an estimate of the cost. Contractual costs should be for all non-construction related contracts supporting the project. Applicants are encouraged to promote free and open competition in awarding contracts.
• Construction : All construction costs should be entered separately using the drop-down menus. To avoid overlap between construction costs and contractual costs, construction costs should be for all costs and contracts directly related to construction. Applicants are encouraged to promote free and open competition in awarding contracts.
• Other Costs : List items (e.g., rent, reproduction, telephone, janitorial or security services) by major type and the basis of the computation. For example, provide the square footage and the cost per square foot for rent and provide a monthly rental cost and how many months of rent.