General grant training is a good start, but it’s only the beginning
When getting started with grants, general grant intros and free training programs can be a useful introduction to a complex field. However, for first responders, emergency managers, and other public safety professionals, general grant training is only the beginning.
When you get public safety grant writing training, you train up for the real-world grant opportunities that can help your department fund equipment, training, and more.
The limitations of general grant training
Maybe you’ve gone to a free webinar online, checked out some articles, or attended a free session at your local library on how to get started with grants. Those resources start cluing you into a big, wide world of grants.
And grants are a big, wide world. There are so many programs out there.
Here’s the thing though: Not all grants are right for public safety agencies. Neither is all advice.
General grant writing training is a good start, but it only gets you so far.
Introductory grant resources can give you initial insight into what grants are and where to find them. However, many general grant training resources can be far more relevant to, say, nonprofit organizations such as charities, religious organizations, or educational institutions.
For public safety agencies like yours, the limitations of general grant training make it harder to navigate and compete for the billions of public, private, and nonprofit grant dollars out there.
Once you’ve checked out some general grant training, here are 4 reasons why grant writing training focused on public safety is a good next step.
1. Public safety grant training focuses solely on what matters to first responders
We’ve offered public safety grant training since 2004. In our 2-day sessions hosted at agencies nationwide, we’ve had students tell us what a relief it’s been to have people talk only about the needs of Fire, Emergency Medical, Law Enforcement, Corrections, and Homeland Security pros.
As one student told us years ago, they’d attended training previously where one person was trying to fund a roof for their church. Another might be trying to keep their charity going. Those are worthy and important pursuits too. But they don’t speak to the different needs of America’s front-line public safety professionals.
Public safety grant writing focuses solely on the programs, particulars, and tips that are relevant to public safety, first responders, and emergency managers.
For you, that means you get relevant info and advice you can truly put to work, often as soon as you leave class.
2. Public safety grant training speaks your language
Instructors who lead professional public safety grant training often come from public safety backgrounds. At First Responder Grants, all of our Grant Consultants have worked in public safety, including as firefighters and police officers.
That matters. When you are trusting your time and dollars to someone, you need to know they can speak your language. You need to know that they’ve faced similar challenges to what you’re trying to find solutions to.
You also need to know that they understand how to teach you to turn your expertise into grant applications and narratives that are compelling to a grant funder.
Training tailored specifically to public safety speaks your language, understands the challenges you face, and helps you line up your needs and priorities with how to find and apply for grants.
3. Public safety grant training is only for public safety grants
Public safety grant training is specific. It deals only with what you need, so your time in training is used well.
When you attend a training that is solely for public safety professionals, you can be confident that every minute of that training will be relevant to you.
The grants discussed? They’ll all be public safety grants, drawing from opportunities throughout federal, state, and local governments, not to mention corporate and nonprofit sources.
The examples of funded applications? They’ll all be from real public safety grant applications written by real departments like yours.
The people in the room? They’ll be your colleagues. Some of them might be from the next town over. Others might have come in from across the country. Not only are you learning alongside people who face similar challenges, you have the opportunity to connect and network.
4. You can put your public safety grant training to work right away
Since 20024, we’ve trained thousands of public safety professionals to write grants. Some of our students have finished training and won a grant on their very first application.
Once you finish public safety grant training, you can start working on your own grants right away. You’ll know where to look for grants, and what to look for in a program. You’ll understand how to review a grant so you know what to request and what to save for another program.
Plus, you’ll be able to immediately complete grant applications and write compelling grant narratives. And in today’s competitive world of public safety grants, those skills can be the difference between an award notice and a “sorry, try again next time” letter.
If you’re a public safety professional trying to write grants, you want public safety grant writing training
Free and introductory grant resources can be a great way for you to start learning about grants. Before long though, you’ll be wanting something that is more relevant to the challenges you’re trying to meet.
That’s where public safety grant training comes into play. You’ll get the training you need. Public safety grant training helps you write the grants that can bridge that gap where your budget ends and your need begins.