What is the purpose of the FY 2007 FP&S?
The purpose of the Fire Prevention and Safety Grants is to fund fire prevention activities and to research and develop improvements to firefighter safety. Fire Prevention Grants are designed to reach high-risk target groups and mitigate incidences of deaths and injuries caused by fire and related hazards.
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How do I apply for a FP&S grant?
The automated FY 2007 FP&S application is accessible from the AFG Website (www.firegrantsupport.com), the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) Website (www.usfa.fema.gov), and the grants.gov Website (www.grants.gov). The automated application has been designed with "help screens" and "drop-down menus" to assist you throughout the application process.
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Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants for the Fire Prevention and Safety Activity include fire departments, and national, regional, state, local, or community organizations recognized for their experience and expertise in fire prevention and safety programs and activities. These include private and public nonprofit organizations.
Eligible applicants for the Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity include national, regional, state, local, or community organizations, such as academic, public health, occupational health, and injury prevention institutions, particularly those recognized for experience and expertise in firefighter safety research and development programs or whose applications demonstrate the potential to improve firefighter safety. Private and public nonprofit organizations and non-Federal and non-governmental organizations are also eligible to apply for funding. Fire departments are not eligible to apply for funding under this activity.
For-profit organizations and other Federal organizations are not eligible to apply for an FP&S Grant.
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What can I apply for?
Fire Prevention and Safety grants are separated into two "activities". The projects that can be funded are listed below:
- Fire Prevention and Safety: Applicants can apply for up to three projects, including Public education campaigns, Smoke Alarms, Sprinkler Awareness, Code Enforcement/Awareness, Firefighter Safety, Training, Wildfire Prevention /Awareness, Arson Prevention/Awareness, Risk Assessment, and General Prevention/Awareness. Applicants requesting Risk Assessments are precluded for applying for additional projects. Fire departments are subject to the same cost-share requirements as under the AFG Grants.
- Firefighter Safety Research and Development: Applicants can apply for a grant with up to a three year period of performance, but limited to $1 million per application. For multi-year projects, they can divide the $1 million over period of performance however they deem necessary. Projects include, but are not limited to, Database/Data Collection and analysis projects/systems, Social Science Studies/Projects and Technology Studies that address injury outcomes or their surrogates such as firefighter safety, wellness, fitness or health.
Applicants must submit only one application during this application period and may include either one or both activities.
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How many projects can I apply for under FP&S?
Eligible applicants can apply for funding for up to 3 projects under each activity.
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Does my project have to address children, seniors or firefighters?
You have to determine the target audience that is at risk in your community. You do not have to conform to national statistics in order to be eligible for funding. You need to justify who is at risk in your community and how your proposed project will address the community vulnerability and benefit the target audience. In addition, you need to make sure that you choose an age-appropriate solution for that target audience.
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Are sprinkler systems eligible for funding?
A sprinkler system that is installed for demonstration purposes can be eligible for funding, but it must be part of a sprinkler awareness campaign.
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How much funding is available for the FY 2007 FP&S?
There is $27 million available for funding FP&S Grant Activities. Each applicant can submit a request for up to $1 million.
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What is the maximum amount of funding an applicant can request?
Each applicant can submit a request for up to $1 million and ultimately receive an award for that amount. However, in addition to the $1 million limitation on FP&S grants, the combined funding level of grant awards through the AFG and FP&S grants to any single fire department is limited by the governing statute to an amount of Federal share (shown below) for each year that is based on the population that the fire department protects.
| Population Size |
Maximum Federal Share |
| More than one million: |
$2,750,000 |
| 500,000 to one million: |
$1,750,000 |
| Less than 500,000: |
$1,000,000 |
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I haven't heard about the status of my 2007 AFG Grant and I am unsure about how much I can request for my FP&S application.
You should apply for the amount you need to fund your FP&S application. If it is successful, the Program Office will review the status of the AFG Grant and confirm that the Federal share amount will not be exceeded.
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What changes were made to the FP&S since last year?
There are three changes to the FP&S application for FY2007:
- The evaluation elements and application narrative requirements for the Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity have been expanded.
- Research and Development applicants can propose a multi-year effort, up to a three-year period of performance, for the same study. All applications are limited to $1 million.
- The list of ineligible items under the Fire Prevention and Safety Activity and under the Research and Development Activity has been revised.
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How does an eligible applicant obtain assistance applying for this funding opportunity?
Call the Help Desk at 1-866-274-0960 with your questions. During the application period (October 22, 2007 to November 30, 2007), the Help Desk will be staffed between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. However, these hours may change as the application period progresses. The toll-free number will also accept voice mail messages after hours or if the lines are busy. Questions may also be sent to a toll-free fax line at 1-866-274-0942, or e-mailed to FireGrants@dhs.gov.
An online tutorial is available to assist applicants with completing the automated application. This tutorial explains the grant program priorities and eligibility criteria and provides tips for navigating the application screens. There are two versions of the tutorial: enhanced and text. The enhanced version is designed for individuals with high-speed Internet connections and features a narrator. The text version is designed for individuals with dial-up modem Internet connections and has no sound.
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What is the deadline for FY 2007 FP&S applications to be submitted?
All applications must be completed and submitted electronically, or postmarked on or before the close of business, by 5:00 p.m. EST on November 30, 2007. Paper applications must be postmarked by 5:00 p.m. on November 27, 2007.
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How are FP&S Grants reviewed?
The evaluation criteria are listed in the FP&S Program Guidance. Review the Program Guidance and focus on these criteria and program priorities to have a competitive application for panel reviews. All FP&S applications go to panel reviews.
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When will the awards be announced?
Awards announcements will be made beginning early spring of 2008 and will be made on a continuous basis until all available funds have been awarded.
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Is there a cost share for fire departments?
Yes. Fire departments are subject to the same cost share requirements applied under the Assistance to Firefighters Program. Fire departments may only apply in the Fire Prevention and Safety Activity. 15 U.S.C. 2229(b) (6). Fire departments that serve populations of less than 20,000 must match the Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal to five percent of the total project cost. Fire departments serving areas with a population between 20,000 and 50,000, inclusive, must match the Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal to ten percent of the total project cost. Fire departments that serve populations of over 50,000 must match the Federal grant funds with an amount of non-Federal funds equal to twenty percent of the total project costs. All non-Federal funds must be in cash, i.e., in-kind contributions are not eligible. No waivers of this requirement will be granted except for applicants located in Insular Areas as provided for in 48 U.S.C. 1469a. Please Note: There is no cost share for grants under this activity to eligible national, regional, state, local, or community organizations.
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Will there be a match requirement for national, regional, state, and local organizations this year?
No. Private and public non-profit organizations, academic institutions, non-federal governmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations are eligible to apply for funding, and there is no cost share required for these organizations for FP&S Grants under the Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity or the Fire Prevention and Safety Activity. The Federal share for research and development grants is limited to $1,000,000 per application.
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Are multi-year projects eligible under the Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity?
Yes. Applicants can propose projects (limited to $1 million) with up to three years of performance requirements that include measurable goals for each year.
Multi-year requests must address the following:
- Over-all project goals and target outcomes;
- Specific goals, objectives and outcomes for each project year with particular
emphasis and detail on the coming project year;
- Include contingency planning with the examples of what may be key
challenges and plans to address and overcome them;
- Monitoring plan that identifies progress toward achieving established goals and ensure costs are monitored; and
- A spending plan that corresponds with the overall project and specific year goals and objectives.
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I am applying for the Firefighter Safety Research and Development Activity and the curriculum vitae (cv) will not fit into the narrative section. Can I attach this as a file?
No, the system does not accept attachments. While the narrative for the Research and Development activity will be limited to 25 pages per project, applicants can supply appendices which may include data collection instruments, data tables, illustrations and specifications for product designs. Curriculum Vitae (CV's) for Project Investigators (PI) and lead scientists should also be included in the appendices, but are limited to a maximum of 4 pages. The sum number of pages for all appendices together is limited to 20 pages total.
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