AFG, SAFER, FP&S, and… a potential fire station construction grant?
As we go deeper (and hotter) into summer, here are some updates and news to keep in mind about federal grant programs from FEMA:
- One round of AFG fire grant awards came out June 11, 2021, announcing AFG grants for 27 departments
- The FEMA GO system has been affected by some technical issues, but FEMA advises that a large number of applications are ready to be funded once issues are resolved.
- Additional AFG rounds should be expected around late July or early August.
- All AFG award rounds are expected to be announced by the first week of September.
- SAFER and FP&S awards are expected to start in August and be completed during September.
- Periods of performance date extensions have been given to 2018–2020 grants.
- SF-425 financial reports are now available through FEMA GO for 2018, 2019 AFG, SAFER and FP&S and for the 2020 AFG-S. If this relates to your grant, this report needs to be filed in FEMA GO before July 31, 2021.
- FEMA is examining November through December 2021 as the next application period for AFG
- SAFER and FP&S application periods may open in early 2022.
- Current funding levels for FY 2021 Fire Act grants includes: AFG, $414 million; SAFER, $560 million; FP&S, $46 million; EMPG, $ 100 million.
- A current bill in Congress has strong support to move forward: This $1 billion dollar fire station construction would fund upgrades and new construction. Our current understanding is this would be similar to a 2009 fire station construction grant. Our expectation is that the grant, if funded and approved by Congress, would favor “shovel-ready” departments, with a cap of $7.5 million per grant. Note, though, that this current legislation is subject to change and has not yet been approved.
Questions about grants or want to know more? Contact a grant consultant today!